House of Healing, House of Rest
A patient’s story of recovery at the Rudolf Steiner Health Center
I was diagnosed with cancer in August 2004 and underwent daily radiation supplemented by weekly chemotherapy over five weeks, followed by internal radiation. I received excellent individual care from my medical team, but the treatment itself made me feel very ill—exhaustion, unusual sunburns, digestive upset, nausea, and weight loss. I had felt well before the diagnosis.
After completing conventional treatment, I enrolled in a two-week health retreat at the Rudolf Steiner Health Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with my oncologist’s approval.
The Setting
The Health Center operates from a restored three-story mansion with bright, flower-filled rooms, natural material linens, and peaceful spaces designed to support healing. Drs. Molly and Quentin McMullen established the center’s warm, gracious tone, which extended throughout the staff.
Warmth, Balance, and Rest
Care at the center coordinated around three themes: warmth, balance, and rest.
The idea of a midday rest period was initially difficult to accept—I am someone who does not nap. But the rest periods following therapies allowed treatments to take stronger hold. Rest became transformative.
Daily rhythm structured the healing process: meals, rest periods, medications, singing, and therapeutic sessions. Therapies included eurythmy, speech therapy, painting, rhythmical massage, and therapeutic baths. Evening gatherings provided community connection and education about anthroposophical approaches to health.
Recovery
Within two weeks, I experienced remarkable improvements. Normal digestion returned. My spirit rekindled. Healthy color returned to my face, and the dark circles under my eyes diminished.
When I departed, I carried with me exercises, self-care instructions for compresses, footbaths, and therapeutic baths, continued medications, and the option of future phone consultations. These tools enabled me to maintain a more rhythmic, balanced life—one where activity and stress are offset by periods of rest.
To learn more about the therapeutic retreat experience, read additional case studies or explore our Life Force Intensive Session.