Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by
All in all, I am quite pleased by the investment of time, energy, and money I made there at Alternative to Meds Center.
Thank you for letting me spend the last month with you. It was one of the best months of my life.
When I visited last year for two months, my emphasis was on physical detoxification; I was able to completely come off of my daily dose of 900mg of lithium, 2-3mg of Klonopin, and 300-400mg of trazodone. Furthermore, I was able to reduce my daily intake of Cymbalta from 120mg to 20, Depakote from 1500 to 500, and Ambien from 30mg to 10.
This time, my emphasis was on gaining internal tools to deal with my newfound sobriety and vulnerability. I was able to find these through counseling with Nina, Reiki with Kimba, and qigong with Marco. I also gained much through my time with Zac, the yoga instructor, and I finally opened up to Jill during her class on the Four Agreements.
Needless to say, my experience with Nina was transformative. With her I developed objectivity about internal tumult, acting as an observer to internal storms rather than associating with my symptomology. With her as my coach, I was able to identify illusory thinking and debunk it before it triggered addictive patterns.
My time with Kimba was extremely precious. I’m not certain how Reiki works, but I know Kimba has elevated energy and infuses this in me in a way that heals those parts of me that are broken. More than anything, I used my time with her to discuss my emotional and psychological state, in particular, my lucid dreams. Through this time, I gained additional tools for internal awareness and balance. I felt that my time with her was so valuable that I booked additional sessions each with her each week so we could go out into nature and heal there.
Marco taught me the elementary forms of qigong. I came to him because of acute head pain, and he was very effective at reducing this. Picture a giant magnet moving over a cluttered workbench picking up metal shavings as it goes; just so, Marco would move his Qi over my body pulling the pain out through my feet and rebalancing my energy. More importantly, however, I learned to redirect my focus out of my head and generate healthy Qi on my own. I continue to practice what he taught me each day.
For the first time, I was open to yoga and to making the Four Agreements. During my last visit, I avoided both these classes. I simply was unwilling to surrender. This time, however, I came looking for tools and I was open to what Zac and Jill both had to offer. I thoroughly enjoyed the approach Zac used to teach yoga, which placed an emphasis on internal observation of discomfort. I also had a great experience in Jill’s class studying the Four Agreements; in particular, I was able to take inventory of the maddening voices of discord that mouth off in my mind.
I am pleased with all the changes you have made there since I last visited. I became especially close to John, the sauna coach, and the aftercare manager. His erudite and urbane sensibility was a constant comfort and inspiration.
Perhaps the greatest surprise was meeting Joe, the new chef. He helped me navigate my internal funk and avoid getting overly influenced by others’ journeys of recovery.
All in all, I am quite pleased by the investment of time, energy, and money I made there at Alternative to Meds Center. In fact, because of the overwhelming support and warmth, I felt there, I have decided to move my family to Sedona to be a part of the Alternative to Meds Center community on an ongoing basis.
I thank you and wish for your continued health and well-being.
Sincerely,
Chaim
