better than massage.

ok, so I finished posting the earlier article, then did my daily juant through the blogosphere and found that Bethfield had posted the same article. How funny.

I've just returned from the most wonderful ever expierience. AND it was a training session for work! crazy... I know.
ok, so at this point in time I don't know weather to cry or to laugh... I'm so relaxed my body isn't sure which emotion is going to be allowed first.
I just had a two hour session at CL-WN (community living west northumberland) about their new Snoezelen room. This is a stimulation/ multi sensory room that allows people to choose how little.. or how much stimulation they need to focus and relax. They've been around for nearly 20 years, but it's hard to find any good information out there... The name snoezelen is from two dutch words meaning to "snuffelen" to explore, seek out and "dozelen" to relax. And that's just what you do... wander around the room till you find what YOU need to do to relax. It's alittle strange at first, but you need to lose your inhibitions and try everything, try different positions and combinations... pretend to be an exploring toddler... touch and manipulate....

Anyway... there are lights... there are soft mats, there are balls, there are bubbles... there are colours... it's beautiful.

I'd seen the catalogues in the past, advertising some of the elements found in a basic room.[note::that link is for some fancy rooms.. I know it's in Dutch, but I'm sure you can figure it out].. and I'd always fancied that I'd be one who would be happiest with a giant draping puddle of fiber optic light strands... thousands of thin ones, that I could cover myself with... and just sit propped up in a corner... or... maybe the ball pool... with those lights...
When I got there I was surprised that more than anything... I wanted to hug the giant bubble tube and keep pressing the button that starts and stops the bubbles...
Also... I found that the giant swath of lights that I thought I'd like... were almost too much... I didn't like some of the colours that they changed and found that they really did alter the way I felt depending on the colour.
The other part I was surprised at was the ball pit... it was amazing (as I knew it would be) but I was surprised at the fact that when I was in there... I wanted to be at the bottom, covered in the balls. And... I wanted to have one single cable of lights in there with me... it was a light blue and it just lightly shimmered (as the lights inside changed). When I placed the lights right up close to my face... it was so relaxing....