It is no accident that Miraval’s Life in Balance Spa found its home in the Sonoran Desert. The desert setting possesses a timeless quality that perfectly complements the Life in Balance program.

Wyatt Webb, cowboy, psychologist and founder of Miraval’s Equine Experience program, has participants interact with horses. (Click image to enlarge)

Wyatt Webb, a cowboy, psychotherapist and a founder of the program, still recalls meeting with that first group of cancer survivors. "As we sat down in the group area, where I offer an explanation of what’s about to take place in the corral, something happened that I had never experienced before. There were a few horses nearby, and all of them were standing at attention with their necks stretched over the fence and their ears pricked forward. It was plain to see what they were attracted to. This group [of cancer survivors] was totally in touch with what was important in their lives. Their priorities indicated the absence of games, surface talk and anything else that would imply they might be sleepwalking. And the horses were totally drawn to their authenticity."

Miraval’s work with cancer patients and survivors, how-ever, is not limited to just one week a year. In fact, the most customized healing experience, Life in Balance, is available year-round to cancer survivors and their spouses, and, according to spa director Amy McDonald, can be adapted to other chronic illnesses, such as heart disease or diabetes.

The process begins weeks before arrival, with an in-depth telephone interview and health assessment. A personalized 7-, 14- or 21-day plan is then created, with every spa treatment, fitness class, lecture, physician consultation, nutritional activity and outdoor challenge hand-picked by Miraval experts to address the individual’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

"Whether it’s cancer or another chronic disease, individuals can really benefit by taking time out to decompress, enjoy the gardens, the desert, and, yes, the spa," says McDonald. "One of our most common prescriptions for the men in the Life in Balance program is a facial. Most men have never had a facial and—with illness especially—the face takes such a toll. The treatment is very soothing, gentle, caring and includes massage of the face, shoulders, neck and scalp, as well as the hands and feet."
 
In-depth healing work is also a signature at Miraval, which utilizes treatments that are hard to find elsewhere in the United States. Two days each week, master healer Kathella Robinson performs the ancient abdominal massage, Chi Nei Tsang, originally practiced by Taoist monks to detoxify and refine their energy. On the modern-day physical plane, Chi Nei Tsang is especially helpful for digestive upsets and conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Robinson "reads" the folds of the naval in order to determine where imbalances exist in the body—which organs may not be functioning properly (similar to how reflexology works on the foot). She sees clients only once or twice, teaching them how to focus on deep-belly breathing and to do the massages themselves at home.

Ed Moffet, another Miraval master healer, is so revered that private clients often fly him to wherever they happen to be in the world for continued therapy. Moffet is a fifth- generation healer and his "bone-cleansing" bodywork (deep-tissue massage) is highly intuitive. Using a miraculously gentle touch, and barely any massage oil, Moffet massages right to the bone, cleansing and removing years of built-up tension. "We all hold so much stuff," says Moffet, "and that only intensifies with the stress of illness or injury. If we could just clean it all out from the bone level, we would just fly."

Sessions with Moffet are, at minimum, two-and-a-half hours and can last as long as four hours. Moffet has no recipe for his technique and says no two massages are the same, even on the same person. "The body is my map," says Moffet. "I just read it, and it tells me where to go."

Throughout the program, Holstein serves as liaison between Life in Balance participants and their home-based physicians; she makes herself available 24/7 to answer any technical or medical questions that may arise. But most importantly, she invokes insight into the healing experience.

"What we primarily do here is provide cancer survivors and their spouses space, a break from the intense medical component," says Holstein. "By the time they get to Miraval, they’ve been through a lot. They’ve faced a sobering diagnosis, and have gone through—or may still be going through—chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. We try to give them a chance to regroup and, with the help of our experts, figure out what’s next. What shifts do they need to make in their lives, and how do they get started? Do they need to change the way they work? How? Would they like to avoid the ‘toxic’ people in their lives and spend more time with those who laugh and enjoy life? How do they do that? What do they need to do in terms of physical exercise? Will their plan include tai chi? Yoga? How can they nurture their body and soul? Will they utilize massage? Meditative practices? What can they do for themselves in regard to nutrition?"

On the outdoor terrace overlooking the desert, nutritionist Mary Horn offers insight. The two men dining alongside her are strangers to one another, but neither engages in small talk, neither attempts to get to know the other. Breakfast is eaten in complete silence. All three diners have selected what and how much they want to eat from the lavish buffet overflowing with fruit-and-cheese-stuffed french toast, bacon, Southwestern-style eggs, berries of all kinds, muesli, oatmeal and yes, regular (as in caffeinated) coffee. Now, back at their table, they put down their knives, forks and spoons between every bite, chew slowly and pay attention to how each morsel looks, feels, tastes, smells and even sounds.

After about 20 minutes, Horn solicits feedback on the experience.
"It felt like forever," one man notes. "I’m used to eating on the run, at my desk, in the car, pretty much gulp and go. It was hard to slow down."

"I don’t like yogurt," the other adds, a bit incredulous at his discovery. "I’ve eaten yogurt every day of my life for 25 years, and I don’t like it."

Horn does not appear surprised. "All of us are influenced by the foods we think we should be eating or by what’s put in front of us, when really we should listen to ourselves. Start thinking of food as your healthy fuel, your medicine, and rely on your five senses to tell you what and how much you need to eat," says Horn.

This mindfulness scenario plays out over and over throughout the guests’ stay, from the breakfast table to the spa to the meditative hikes in the desert to, ultimately, the bedroom.

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"The issue of sexuality and intimacy is huge for couples dealing with cancer or any chronic illness, really," says Holstein, whose newest book on the topic, Your Long Erotic Weekend, Four Days of Passion for a Lifetime of Magnificent Sex (Fair Winds Press) was just released. Throughout the year, Holstein lectures about intimacy and sexuality at Miraval and with her husband, David Taylor, also a doctor, conducts intensive four-day couples workshops. But with her Life in Balance clients, she prefers private consultations.

"I love to sit down with these couples at the very beginning of their stay and talk about what’s transpired since the cancer diagnosis, how the side-effects of treatment or the aftermath of surgery has affected them in terms of intimacy," explains Holstein. "It’s usually a very powerful exchange; couples are so relieved to talk about it. We go over some of the basic anatomy and physiology issues—the emotions, vulnerabilities and fragilities surrounding the illness—and then I send them back to their casita with some ‘homework.’ I may also have them learn couples massage or experience water Zen, a sensual water treatment. A few days later, we reconvene, and go from there. Intimacy and sexuality are critical to all of us, a part of who and what we are. And that doesn’t change because we get sick."

It is no accident that Miraval’s Life in Balance Spa found its home in the Sonoran Desert. As participants come to appreciate, the desert setting pos-sesses a timeless, ageless quality that perfectly complements the Life in Balance program.

Miraval Spa, 1.800.232.3969, www.miravalresort.com