At the first class they ask everyone to write a goal for the week. I am a big goal person so I was excited about the challenge, but there was a part of me that was so sad because I didn’t want to face what I really needed to change in my life. It’s like everything is okay until you actually admit you have a problem. But like so many wise sages say, “You need to reveal before you can heal.” So, I had to dive in deep and write down what my real reasons for being at OHI were.

This is what I wrote:

“My goal this week is self love, compassion, and gentleness.” I wrote that because I have never given these gifts to myself, so how could I give them to someone else?

On the first full day of the program we got three meals with solid, raw food. From Tuesday to Thursday we will be on a full juice fast. And I was not looking forward to that. I have never been able to make it more than one meal on a juice fast.

The day passed so quickly and I had a chance to meet many of the guests. One of the women, who became one of my new “soul friends” was from Berlin and planned to be there for three whole weeks. There were two brothers from Newport Beach who gave me some great advice and we enjoyed deep conversations throughout the week. One of my favorite characters there was a guy from San Francisco was a blast to hang out with. He was there for three weeks and needed to loose around 50 pounds. He loved good food and fine wine and he was not scared to share that with anyone. Another gentle soul was a dear man from Oregon who was there because he had colon cancer.

That night I started to get sad about the choices I have made in my life and the way I have treated people. I had a big angry streak before I got here. I had to take responsibility for my anger and forgive myself for my coping skills. All I did was learn form what I witnessed growing up. I had to let go of the past and make a commitment to live in the present and to stop being reactive (easier said than done!). But once again, I reminded myself that I had to treat myself with love and gentleness and not beat myself up if I fell back into a reactive pattern.

More about the Optimum Health Institute:

OHI is famous for its non-traditional approach to all types of cancer. Many of the guests were there for weeks learning out their system of all the yummy snacks that cancer loves like yeast, sugar, and toxins. The recovery stories are truly miraculous.
Also, they make it very reasonable for people to come. I got a single room for $1,015 per week. That includes all the classes, meals, and activities. This is not a spa or a resort, it is a place for healing and calming, so don’t expect room service. The only clean the rooms one time per week, which I thought was a bit funky.