Alan Watts is credited with a clear comment about the way we relate with the world about us.

He said that - Every inside has an outside - and every outside has an inside.

The truth of this phrase may be understood in several ways.

The stuff inside of us is expressed in the things that we say and do.

Thoughts - Wishes - Fantasies - Hatred - Whatever is inside of us becomes part of the life that we build.

And our life becomes a mirror of what we’re made of inside.

The world about us also affects us on the inside.

You are what you eat is a truism for the body.

But our mind is also shaped by the things that it consumes - the sights, words, sounds and smells about us.

It is true for children - who soak up the words and habits of their parents.

These lessons of our childhood form the deepest habits of our person.

Adults are more set in their ways - but we are still affected by the things that we see, hear and learn.

Healing is not something that we make happen.

Healing is a natural process - that occurs when we provide it with a nourishing environment.

Ambient healing means to use words, sounds, sights and smells - to nourish our healing and health.

Ambient healing makes a good deal of sense - when we remember that our inside and outside are like two sides to the same coin.

What we hold on the inside - affects the life that we build.

And what we take in from the outside - become the building blocks of our body and mind.

Words

Can you recall words that were said to you ten or more years ago? Can you still hear them in the sound of the voice that spoke them?

Can you recall a time when you heard something - that changed your outlook on life?

Words hold huge potential for impact on our person. They can change our mind and are printed in our brain.

When listening or reading - the words of others can stir us to great achievement.

A story of recovery can motivate our efforts - and we may hear just what we need to hear today.

Words are one way that we pass our recovery to others.

Words resonate with conflicts inside of us. They stir our feelings in powerful ways and can trigger the compulsion to use.

Breaks in the day - Talking with others - and Journal Writing are all good ways to digest the things that we hear - and to consider their meaning to our lives.

It is exactly because of their potential for impact - that it is always worthwhile to question the words that we hear.

Not everything that we hear will relate to us or be accurate to our life. Some of the things that we hear will have more to do with the person who says them - than they have anything to do with us.

Read - Listen - Question - Relate - and Reflect on the words that come your way today.

Sounds

We also hear many other sounds throughout a day.

Sound is everywhere about us - but for the most part we do not listen too carefully to the sounds of traffic or the white noise of an air conditioner or fan.

But we do hear these sounds - and they have impact within us.

Ambient is a style of music that uses everyday sounds in a way that is calming and refreshing to us.

Music of course is a most powerful sound.

Mix it with the right words - and there is little that has greater potential to impact upon us.

Think of a favorite song from when you were a teenager. Enjoy the memories, sights and feelings that are released within you - as you hear the song again in your mind.

Music can touch us in the deepest parts of our person.

It grounds us in the moment - and can release feelings from places long shut away.

In doing so, music can help us to heal - to connect on the inside and to relieve our selves of stress.

Music and sound can be used in many ways that are helpful - and healing to our condition.

SupportNet offers an introduction to the healing potential of ambient music and sound.

Sights

The things that we see will also of course affect us.

Family photos can stir memory and feeling. The sight of a tragic event can play in our mind for years.

Paintings - Pictures - Color - and Design all have impact on the way that we feel.

One way to use sight is to post Recovery Minders in places where you will see them.

Write - Pause or Take a breath deeply to your belly - on a post it note - and stick it where you are likely to see it.

Then follow its direction - and let the note remind you to let go for a moment - and to settle your self right now.

In Summary

Ambient healing means to use words, sounds, sights and smells - to nourish our healing and health.

Ambient healing makes sense to us - when we remember that our inside and outside are like two sides to the same coin.

What we hold on the inside - affects the life that we build.

And what we take in from the outside - become the building blocks of our body and mind.

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