I, and the staff at the Kiloby Center, love living and working in Palm Springs, California. Every day we wake up wondering how we got so lucky to be helping people recover from addiction in such an extraordinarily beautiful and interesting place as Palm Springs.
Palm Springs is a Mecca for Recovery. We share this Mecca with many other treatment facilities including the Betty Ford Clinic, which is literally a few blocks away, Michael’s house, and a host of others. There are so many sober living facilities that there is actually an organization whose membership consists solely of people who own and operate them. One would think that the treatment facilities here are in war-like competition with each other. But frankly, they are all different and serve different needs. The treatment centers often work together, referring clients to one another.
I wish I would have found Palm Springs in the early stages of my own recovery. I remember when I drove into Palm Springs for the first time. Almost instantly, I felt a peace and good vibe here, something intangible really! This area has quite a unique history, climate and culture too. It’s a city of golf courses, sunny days, mineral water springs, health and spiritual centers, palm trees, sleek streets and swimming pools.
The city is uncharacteristically lush and green, even though we are literally in the desert. We enjoy an unusually warm microclimate due in part to Palm Springs’ situation between two mountain ranges – the San Bernardino Mountains and the Santa Rosa Mountains. These huge, sandy mountains act as a protective, towering wall around the entire area. Another secret to Palm Springs’ lush look is an underground aquifer that has helped transform it into a sprawling tourism spot over the decades.
Native Americans have lived beside the sparkling waters of Palm Springs’ tree-lined canyons and around its bubbling hot springs for over a thousand years. These bubbling springs have turned into modern-day spas and hot springs, which are sprawled out all over the area. When Spaniards arrived in the early 1800′s, they called this area Aqua Caliente, which means “warm waters.”
By the late 1800s, the first Americans appeared on the scene, altering the course of history when they renamed the site Palm Springs. The warm, dry climate quickly became a magnet for people in search of healing. People have continuously come to this area seeking inner peace or healing from sickness through the centuries. Examiner.com called this area a Vortex, due to its convergence of five energies: earthquake faults, geothermal underground water, mountain peak alignments, wind, and sun energies. Vortexes are considered to be sacred sites or portals to the earth’s healing energy powers. Even if you don’t believe in such things as Vortexes, a quick look at the history of this area reveals that it has lived up to its name as a place that attracts those looking for healing.
Palm Springs has also long been a second home to Hollywood stars, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Walt Disney, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathy Griffin, Kevin Costner and Kirk Douglas, to name a few. You can’t travel anywhere in this area without following roads named after dead presidents and actors.
If you are considering a getaway that involves relaxation or would like to drop some addictions, come participate with us at the Kiloby Center. There is plenty to do and see on your “off time.” Even if you have no intention to participate with us, come check out this beautiful area on your vacation. And drop into the Center just to say “hi” if you do.
