By SBH Chaplain Ruth Diones
Attending the orientation to the Recharge Room amazed me. I am so impressed by the love and thoughtfulness that has gone into the design and construction of the room. The central focus is the support of front line workers through multi-sensory experiences that are intended to increase staff’s resilience.
How wonderful! We need this support!
Everything has been thought through and is research/evidenced based (e.g. Supportive Design Theory. Attention Restoration Theory). The furnishings were selected with an eye towards comfort and environmental concerns. The scenes for immersion include especially composed music based on psychoacoustic principles, scents, sounds of nature, and soft lighting. Yes, there are composers, researchers and designers on the staff of studio elsewhere.
There are many ways to cue into the benefits. Breathe with awareness. Feel your feet on the floor and your seat on the chair. Have the intention to release your stress. Tune into the sounds of nature. Feel yourself there in the natural surroundings. If your mind is taking you to worries or distractions, bring your attention back to your breathing, the scenery, nature sounds and the music.
Surrendering to this environment will bring you back to yourself – with all your thoughts and feelings. If you start to feel feelings you have pushed down, that is natural too. This environment might be a safe place to start processing. We have been through a lot! Feel free to reach out to me (x6280) or others to talk things through.
