An environment for healing supports each person's optimal vitality and potential. A healing environment creates "conditions that stimulate and support the inherent healing capacities of the participants, their relationships, and their surroundings1." What does this mean for you? People affected by cancer can cultivate an environment for healing within themselves and through how they connect with other people. Healing environments can also be created at home, work, and other physical settings. Health centers are increasingly incorporating elements of healing environments into patient care.
The healing—and the specifics of the optimal healing environment in which it occurs both internally and externally—is as individual as the individual. Your ideal healing environment may include the following components and others. Learning about these areas may help you identify ways to create a healing environment. You may also feel support for your health and healing through our information that resonates with you.
Kindness, presence, touch, aromatherapy, sounds, and sights may give a cancer patient and their loved one comfort as they move through cancer. Since everyone reacts uniquely to cancer and life experiences, variability exists between what works for one person versus another. Healing environments can stimulate and support beauty, calm, the experience of love, joy, a healthy shift in focus, transformation of the thinking mind to a feeling body, movement of physical tension to a more relaxed state, reminders of past experiences, centering and grounding, and much more. Explore other strategies to create an inner healing environment in Calming All of You.
What nurtures you? What brings you calm? What environment supports your health and healing internally and externally? Consider these important questions and take steps toward cultivating the healing environment that meets what you need. Our information may help you reflect on and identify additional ways to create your optimal healing environment. Also recognize that aspects of your healing environment will evolve over time.
Samueli Institute created Optimal Healing Environments addressing both the inner and outer healing environment through ways toward experiencing personal wholeness, cultivating healing relationships, practicing healthy lifestyles, applying collaborative medicine, creating healing organizations, and building healing spaces. EmbodiWorks integrative cancer care whole person health care model addresses many of these areas.
"If I were to wish for anything I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of what can be, for the eye, which, ever young and ardent, sees the possibility."
-Soren Kierkegaard
Our most popular resources for mind and cancer
 Calming All of You
There is calm in chaos. Learn about supportive perspectives and strategies to help you reduce stress, relax, and create a healing environment inside of yourself.
 Feelings, Thoughts, and Beliefs
The stuff of what you feel, think, and believe impacts your health. Our empowering information helps create better emotional and mental vitality. Explore core strategies to mind-body healing.
 Healing Environment
What qualities create an ideal environment for healing internally and externally to support your optimal health and healing? Explore how to create a vital healing environment.
 Movement
Movement helps create physical health in the body and whole person transformation. Learn about movement practices that support body, mind, and spirit integration.
References
- Jonas W, Chez R, et al. Investigating the Impact of Optimal Healing Environments. Altern Ther Health Med. 2003;9(1):58-64.
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