Meet Ellis. He was recently admitted to the 28-day in-patient recovery program at Mountaineer Recovery Center after struggling with an addiction resulting from the purchase of marijuana laced with fentanyl. He is feeling isolated, imprisoned, and emotionally stressed. The care of staff provides constant monitoring, a program for medically assisted treatment, and individual and group counseling sessions. Ellis has very little control in his life as he begins his path to recovery, but stepping outside after a counseling sessions allows him to begin the deeper processing of his treatment. His supervised walks along the garden paths sometimes lead him to a private-feeling destination woven among the natural shrubland ecology that is common to this part of WV. But today he is encouraged to dawn a pair of mixed reality glasses to stroll the paths. Now he becomes co-creator with the landscape as he works through his feelings of loss and isolation. A subtle but purposeful soundtrack begins to play and gently unfolds along unique sections of this path. Ellis decides to head toward the garden labyrinth; he remembers the slow walk he took along the spiraling paths earlier that week which allowed his mind to focus and find a respite from the noise in his mind. He is encouraged to touch the large swaths of fabric along the paths which spring forth visual patterns; constellations laid over the blowing tall grasses, swirls of color and texture that float up from the blooming goldenrod and asters with just the stroke of his fingers along the fabric patch. He pulls out the smooth stone he grabbed from the sensory box as he headed out into the garden, rubbing its smooth surface between his thumb and forefinger. As the music begins to quiet and focus, he is nearing the center now, which begins to bathe him in a soft golden gradient of color, but still perceiving the grasses and blooms that usher him into this soft place of peace. Finally, he remembers the truthful words of his counselor earlier that day and he is able to come to grips with the change that must take place in his life. 

Sam comes to Mountaineer a few times a week as part of the outpatient program. The continuing care along his recovery path allows him to stay well and to be aware of his challenges. It’s not easy, though, as he thinks of his buddy, Eric, who never obtained freedom from the addiction that took his life. Eric overdosed last year and it was a tough loss in this community. But today’s group session in the garden pavilion was productive and hopeful as they encouraged one another. Today Sam has a little extra time before heading to work, so he checks out a pair of mixed reality glasses and walks the path out to the memorial garden. He allows some of the thoughts from the session to echo in his head, backed by a musical piece that weaves new strands and melodies playing from the glasses as he approaches the site. Large stone slabs affixed with sensory pads materialize images of loved ones with the touch of the fingers. Another touch cues an audio tribute story about Eric’s infectious laugh and his special ability to brighten the mood of anyone around him; a tribute left by his sister on her last visit here. Sam decides that now is the right time to record a few thoughts of his own about Eric, so he speaks a voice command to "record" and leaves a memory of his favorite moments with his friend. “He’s not here to walk this path with us now, but we honor and remember his strength in trying. And if you’re walking this path now, you’ll come through it, too.” Sam couldn’t have known how much Charlotte needed to hear those words the following week while wandering through the garden. 

Amber is a young mother at a difficult crossroads in her life. She knows she needs to break her cycle of addiction to become the stable mother her young daughter needs. This is how she comes to find herself in the inpatient women’s center at Mountaineer; a place that she and her child will be safe as she faces the difficult task of addressing substance abuse issues. The caring staff lead her through individual and group therapy sessions throughout her time here, but Amber’s favorite part of each day is her walk through the gardens to check on her daughter. First she is allowed some unmonitored time in the interior courtyard, a safe place to wander the meandering paths. Maybe today she chooses a place to sit for a bit and sketch or leave a thought in one of the placed journals throughout the garden. She feels encouraged, catching a glimpse of a family reuniting for the first time with their loved one in a private alcove. The sound of cascading water obscures what is surely a tough conversation. Or perhaps tomorrow, she wants a little more involvement with her bit of time in the garden and she chooses to dawn a pair of sensory glasses that allow the courtyard walls to become a canvas for shapes and colors that trace patterns before her eyes along with what is now a familiar and comforting piece of music that seems to drift over the space. She can still hear the water or the laughter from another child playing with his mother in the open space of the courtyard, but with an enhanced layer of music and color, allowing another kind of retreat; a space for the mind to settle and process. Feeling ready and refreshed, she’s now able to head over and see her daughter next door in the children’s care facility. The brief walk through a landscape of common WV wetland plants over the stream bed transitions to upland species as she ascends the hill and sheds the morning’s troubles, because now, she is determined to reclaim her life and her family along these paths. 

Letty had a tough session today with her peer counselor. Left restless and upset, she just needs a place to move and work out her anxious feelings. Letty knows the circuit path that weaves around the building and decides to make a loop in the rain because she just needs to get out right now. It’s a brisk walk through the grove of Dogwood trees, knotty bark and still-bare branches opening up to the grasses, now dried and left stiff and standing from their growing season but sparkling from the frost that covered them this morning, punctuating the landscape. Her brisk jaunt takes her past the group of 8 or so men meeting under the pavilion and she wonders if they are just as frustrated as she is. Letty crosses the bridge and watches the work of the ground birds in the stream bed and something finally breaks free in her spirit. She can almost hear the music that normally accompanies this part of her walk, but today she just needed the silence. Returning near the building, her mind is a little calmer but her body is still needing activity, so she checks out a pair of headphones to let the sound waves wash over her as she turns the compost and begins preparing the raised beds in the kitchen garden. She enjoys contributing to this work, knowing that the newly planted lettuce will end up in one of the resident patient’s meals in the near future. And as she works and listens, she is also able to work out those tough issues raised in the session earlier today. The music feeds her soul, calms her b o d y , a n d a l l o w s h e r t o concentrate on feeding others while also receiving nourishment.