Recovery Pathway

People living with complex PTSD often have symptoms that hinder therapy, like emotional dysregulation, dissociation, or sleep disturbances. One of the worst of these is the loss of a sense of "home," often caused by extreme trauma that happened there, such as domestic violence, familial sexual abuse, or sex trafficking.

Without any place they feel safe, people feel lost and exposed. Out of control and belonging nowhere. Worthless. Helpless. Hopeless. Worse still, they exist in a constant state fight-or-flight, a stress response which causes serious harm to both mental and physical health and makes it next to impossible to genuinely participate in therapy, let alone make any meaningful progress.

In the most ambitious experiment in this project, the Recovery Pathway, we have set out to tackle one of the most stubbornly therapy-resistant obstacles to healing for survivors of extreme trauma, and moreover to do so using environmental design. We posit that some of these survivors can have their sense of home and security restored by doing nothing more than walking home regularly along the path that leads to Cloud Nine Studios.

The Steps to Recovery

While on this path, residents are in a liminal space. During the time it takes to traverse it, we have the opportunity to change the way they feel about the experience of making this transition between the outside world and their residence.

To that end, this path and the entire entry process have been carefully constructed to cause a sequence of psychological effects, each of which are mostly mild and insignificant on their own, but when combined and repeated over time, can create a significant therapeutic effect.

Furthermore, each step of the path is designed to create experiences that are unique throughout each residents' day, if not their entire lives, as this serves to aid memory formation and isolate the experiences, preventing them from being grouped with or compared to previous experiences, which could have negative feelings associated with them.

Step 1: Gated Airlock

An airlock is a chamber with multiple doors designed to control the transfer of air or other substances between areas of differing pressure or cleanliness. It acts as a buffer zone, preventing contamination from disrupting the environment on either side of the airlock. Similarly, a security airlock is a chamber designed to control the movement of people between areas, and prevents unauthorized access to sensitive areas through multiple checkpoints. Here, an airlock is created between two security gates.

Key Moment: Approaching the First Gate

From the very beginning, the experience of coming home to Cloud Nine is notably different. These security gates are the opposite of ostentatious; rather they are designed to be hidden in plain sight by being camouflaged as a normal section of a fence.

Residents looking at the gate will immediately recognize it as familiar waypoint that marks the entry to the path home, which will calm the amygdala and lower cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels. However, they will also recognize it as a secret they are in on, which produces a mild sense of self-satisfaction and belonging, which in turn, boosts self-esteem, making them feel more worthy and valuable.

Key Moment: Operating the First Gate

These gates not only look different, but operating them also feels different from using almost any other door. Residents unlock them by holding a proximity key in the proper location, after which the huge, 5-foot-wide steel door opens automatically, swiftly and silently.

Residents will receive a small dose of dopamine when the gate opens as expected. Furthermore, those with generalized anxiety disorder will feel relief as their worry that their key will not work proves to be unfounded in this moment (as well as at the next gate and the front door). After the gate closes automatically behind them, residents' amygdala activity and stress hormone levels should drop significantly, as a powerful barrier now exists between them and the outside world.

Key Moment: Walking Through the Airlock

An empty space between two secure gates, the airlock is an overtly liminal space within an already liminal path.

Crossing it involves a short walk toward a clear, unchallenging objective, which occupies the entire body but not the mind. These conditions result in the release of dopamine and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the effects of the sympathetic nervous system—which governs the "fight-or-flight" response—returning the body to a state of calm and giving the brain a brief moment to relax and wander.

Key Moment: Operating the Second Gate

Unlocking the second gate has a similar effect to the first, but severely muted because it is now a recently repeated action. When the gate opens to reveal the expansive courtyard, seeing the grass, trees, and flowers will reduce amygdala activity and lower stress hormones somewhat, but that impact pales in comparison to the calming effect of what happens next.

After the gate closes and looks like it has become part of the fence again, the gated airlock the residents just walked through becomes an formidable barrier and buffer between them and the outside world. Combined with the unique visual aesthetic of the courtyard, the Cloud Nine Studios grounds can feel like a place in quiet stasis, out of step in space and time with the rest of the universe. This level of insulation and security may seem cartoonishly unnecessary to the average person, but for those whose sense of home has been shattered, or those who want to get away from the source of their trauma, the feeling of safety it provides is both welcomed and needed.

Step 2: Winding Path

The first step was all about making residents feel safe, deactivating their amygdalae and lowering their stress hormone levels. While walking along the winding path continues to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to extend these calming effects, the second step is largely focused on releasing significant amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Key Moment: Rounding the First Curve

As one of the building blocks of learning, the brain finds the recognition of patterns rewarding.

When we see multiple still objects lined up in an orderly fashion, we get some dopamine. When we see multiple objects moving linearly toward organization, we get exponentially more dopamine, with a large amount released in anticipation of the eventual pattern recognition and a substantial spike when it happens. However, the human brain struggles to effectively track multiple objects moving non-linearly, so when we see multiple objects moving in a coordinated, yet non-linear fashion toward organization, the dopamine release is greater still from the visual stimulation, attention-switching, and intense anticipation of an even larger payoff when the pattern is finally recognized.

This is the effect engineered by this environment, which features a large number of captivating visual elements that are aligned in straight lines, but the path running through them is curved, causing their relative positions to shift non-linearly as residents walk by them.

Key Moment: Looking at the Lunar Beacon

As residents walk along the path, they pass by the Lunar Beacon, a 12-foot steel sculpture that frames a giant mosaic of highly reflective dichroic art glass and is suspended 20-feet from the ground. Between its size, position, and several captivating aspects, it practically forces passersby to look at it.

Looking at such a visually stimulating object also releases dopamine, which is added to the copious amounts released by the aforementioned ballet of non-linear motion being performed by all the other visual elements in the courtyard. Looking at such a unique object—as it is truly one-of-a-kind—aids in the formation and organization of memories, which is important in the long-term, as it is the cumulative impact of many trips along this path that can lead to a profound therapeutic effect.

Finally, the scale and elevated position of the Lunar Beacon all but force onlookers to look up. This is significant because simply raising our head and adopting an upright posture can have a surprisingly powerful impact on our psychological well-being as it raises mood, self-esteem, and confidence while reducing fear, anxiety, and stress. It also has a positive impact on the vagus nerve and the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, both of which play a role in regulating mood and stress response, plus it increases oxygen flow to the brain, which can improve focus, alertness, concentration, and persistence in problem-solving.

Key Moment: Thinking about the Lunar Beacon

While everything up until this point will affect any who walk the path, even visitors, all residents will know—because it is explained during orientation—that the Lunar Beacon is not just a piece of art, but a functional device that is designed to reunite families that have been torn apart by tragedy, symbolically linking people to lost loved ones via reflected moonlight and eventually helping to guide them back home. The knowledge that a piece created with such intentions and value for life is a permanent part of their home can have a halo effect that makes them feel better about where they live.

For residents with cats, the Beacon may elicit even deeper reactions. It may remind them of the three tiny Lunar Beacons in their own home that are mounted in the spaces built specifically for cats: the cat loft, litter closet, and bowl basin, which, in turn, reminds them that they live in a place built to take care of not just themselves, but also their loved ones.

Thinking about the practical function of the Beacon can also make people feel more seen, appreciated, and connected, because while they may love their pet, it can feel lonely and isolating if they feel they are the only one who cares, especially if others in their life do not love animals like they do. However, the Beacon is overwhelming evidence that at least one person out in the world respects and values their relationship with their pet—even if he hasn't even met the animal—so much so that he built an absurdly large contraption just in case it might help them find their way back should they ever get lost.

While a wide variety of thoughts can be elicited by the Beacon, most often, we suspect, looking at will simply make residents think of their cats and how they will see them in just a few moments, a simple but powerful mood elevator that comes with a large dose of oxytocin and is difficult to top.

Key Moment: Crossing the Circle

The anticipation, stimulation, and dopamine all continue to rise until residents cross the center of the circle, which itself is at the center of the courtyard. When residents reach this point, all the non-linear motion resolves at once and order seems to spring from chaos.

The western Beacon-shaped tree well is seen to be aligned with the connecting curb, which is aligned with the center circle platform as well as the bench and Beacon-shaped pattern on it, which are aligned with the other curb and the eastern Beacon-shaped tree well, and all of these elements point toward the Beacon. From here, the five planters below the Beacon and the holes within them all come into alignment to form a symmetrical shape with angles that also point up at the Beacon. Finally, from here the crown of the closest tree aligns with the hole in the middle of the Beacon, and the four control joints and nine resulting sections they create in the wall behind the Beacon are all visible through and aligned with that same hole.

This many elements in a complex environment coming into alignment at once caps the anticipatory buildup with an even larger and more satisfying spike of dopamine. For sure. dopamine feels good and reinforces behavior, so this rush of it causes a pleasant sensation. However, this feeling quickly fades when the pattern has been resolved, which causes a psychological effect that is equally, if not more important. To see why, it is useful to compare it to more commonly understood neurotransmitter that operates in a similar fashion: epinephrine.

When we perceive a threat, our adrenal glands release epinephrine to prepare our bodies for action, and most or all conscious thoughts are pushed aside to focus on the threat. After the threat has passed, the epinephrine is quickly removed. When this happens, we may not even remember what we were thinking about before the threat appeared, and instead focus on the next thought that comes to mind.

Dopamine can work similarly, and the goal in the step is to make it do so, and more specifically to trigger a mental reset through visual stimuli that capture attention and cause a dopamine spike to reward the brain and then quickly fade, leaving the mind a relatively blank slate, which prepares residents for the next step.

Step 3: Waterfall

Beside the next section of the path there is a water feature made from natural stone that includes an artificial waterfall that flows into a small pond.

Key Moment: Recognizing the Sound

While the sound of the waterfall can be heard as soon as residents enter the courtyard, it can fade into the background as white noise, especially when their attention is captivated by the visual elements of the previous step. However, after the mental reset at the end of it, recognizing the sound of rushing water may be the first stimuli to recapture their sensory attention.

The gentle, rhythmic sounds of flowing water can trigger a relaxation response, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing physiological stress measures heart rate and blood pressure. Also, by masking distracting noises and inducing a sense of peace, water sounds can help improve focus, concentration, clarity, and creativity.

Key Moment: Walking by the Waterfall

Walking by the waterfall compounds the aforementioned relaxing effects of the waterfall sounds by adding more sensory stimuli to the experience, which may also produce an additional neurochemical response.

The primary source of serotonin release during the entry process is exposure to sunlight; nevertheless we aimed to maximize additional release through other stimuli, especially for those who walk the path at night. Research supports that exposure to many aspects of nature can raise serotonin levels (although nature exposure does not nearly rival the efficacy of SSRIs as some claim), and running water is one of the most impactful elements of nature exposure. Furthermore, some researchers have described how small, artificial waterfalls can be constructed to provide the same health benefits as large, naturally occurring falls, most notably, to make them affect the air surrounding them in a way that triggers serotonin release. (The support for this is admittedly limited and needs to be more widely reproduced, but the principles are sound and we followed them in hopes they are effective.)

Key Moment: Viewing the Sculpture

While walking by the waterfall, residents will also see a sculpture that is nestled among the river rocks. As with all objects of visual interest and beauty, looking at this work of art can stimulate the release of dopamine. However, its true purpose is to attempt to elicit the most elusive of the feel-good hormones: oxytocin.

Oxytocin, the "love hormone," is primarily released through physical touch and social interactions. Considering that Cloud Nine Studios is a collection of women living by themselves, and that some, due to past traumatic experiences, may not like to be touched or even be around other people, some residents may suffer from chronic oxytocin deficiency.

However, under the right circumstances, oxytocin can be released by emotionally evocative visual stimuli or even just thoughts, such as the photograph or memory of a loved one. The challenge here was to find a visual stimulus that evokes an emotional response with each member of a group of unrelated women who might have little in common other than that they have all experienced serious trauma.

To that end, the sculpture depicts an impressionist figure of a small woman sitting with her arms wrapped around her bent knees, with her head in a position that suggests quiet reflection. Beyond its inherent beauty, this sculpture was chosen because it models healthy emotional regulation, as people often use this body position to comfort and reassure themselves when feeling anxious, stressed, or uncertain—emotions common during recovery from trauma. The more residents identify with the sculpture, the better, as it will make them more receptive its message: to love and take care of themselves.

As opposed to the Lunar Beacon, whose deeper meanings rely on understanding its purpose beyond its inherent appearance, this piece requires no such explanation, as its form is intuitively understood. As a piece of Healing High Art, it should come as no surprise that thousands of sculptures were evaluated before one was found that seemed like it had a chance of reliably eliciting oxytocin release for the residents of Cloud Nine Studios.

We were unable to find quality research to either solidly support or contradict this assessment, so this portion of the experiment is based on little more than one person's reasoned belief that this particular sculpture will be able to achieve this specific goal for this very specific audience.

Step 4: Fragrant Flowers

After passing the waterfall, residents will approach the face of the Cloud Nine Studios building. Across from this is a massive stone planter that runs the length of the building.

Key Moment: Seeing the Flowers

Just as residents will hear the waterfall before they can see it, so will they be able to see the flowers long before they can smell them. (This is another technique of trauma-informed design: Avoiding surprises by using multisensory cues to introduce new experiences gradually.) However, this key moment doesn't occur until the resident is close enough to see the details of individual flowers and, with any luck, any butterflies they have attracted.

More exposure to nature like this will again activate the parasympathetic nervous system, again lowering cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels and their related stress responses. While this psychological effect is neither new nor novel by this point, it is worth noting that the parasympathetic nervous system is repeatedly activated via a variety of methods throughout the entry process.

Even though this more than most people need, it does no harm and rarely do people complain about being too comfortably relaxed. However, what is overkill for most is necessary for the subset of residents for whom this pathway was designed: those who have had their sense of home destroyed by trauma. Those people exist in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight, so it is immensely helpful to repeatedly activate the system that shuts this stress response down.

Key Moment: Smelling the Flowers for the First Time

For this step, we set out to create a mix of flowers, with the primary goal being to create a pleasant yet distinct aroma blend that residents have never experienced before. Other objectives included attracting butterflies, avoiding toxicity to cats, triggering the release of endorphins in humans, blooming year-round or for long periods in mild climates, adhering to the calming color palette associated with trauma recovery, and contributing to an aesthetically pleasing mix of flower shapes. (Note: While the primary source of endorphins will be the physical activity of walking along the pat—and for some residents, ascending the staircase—flowers present an opportunity to have another boost of endorphins stimulated by sight and smell.)

With these criteria in mind, this planter was filled with a combination of Lavender, Freesia, Star Jasmine, and Sweet Alyssum. While beautiful to look at, the unique scent of this flower blend is far more important to the therapeutic process.

Other sensory information passes through the thalamus, which filters out much it before relaying it to the cerebral cortex for more processing. However, olfactory signals travel directly to the olfactory bulb and then rapidly to the amygdala and hippocampus, regions heavily involved in emotional processing and memory formation and storage, respectively. This direct connection allows scents to trigger vivid, emotionally charged memories more quickly and intensely than other sensory cues. The neural pathways connecting the olfactory system to the brain's emotional and memory centers give unique smells a powerful ability to evoke memories and enhance memory organization and processing. This strong link can be harnessed to increase the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

All along the path, a series of positive psychological effects and neurochemical tweaks have been made. Cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine—the stress hormones—have been repeatedly lowered and all the feel-good chemicals have been raised: endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine, dopamine, and more dopamine. By engineering a distinct, unique smell to be present at the end of this path, this process design triggers a chain of events that starts with some flowers and ends with highly effective respondent conditioning.

When the resident smells this unique scent for the first time, olfactory signals are sent to the amygdala, which has been processing all of these positive emotions, as well as the hippocampus, which sets out to create a powerful memory. A memory such as this requires more than just olfactory information, because smell acts as the index that allows the memory to be located and organized, but the index needs to be associated with related information form a complete, meaningful memory.

With the amygdala concurrently extremely active, the brain's natural course is to associate what it has been processing with the scent, i.e., the feelings the residents have experienced since the last significant transitional event. which for most will be arriving at Cloud Nine Studios from somewhere else. This coalesces all the experiences and emotions felt throughout the entry process thus far into a compact memory block associated with a unique scent.

The way the brain processes olfactory-coded memories—especially those linked to unique scents—serves as a force multiplier that enhances every other part of this process and supercharges the effects of respondent conditioning. When recalled, the emotions felt during the entry process the path can re-experienced powerfully—perhaps even stronger than when they happened on the path—and their collective impact is further amplified by all being experienced at the speed of olfactory processing, which is to say very, very quickly. (Some theorize this faster processing, rather than amygdala activation, is the entire reason emotions recalled from olfactory-encoded memories can feel more powerful than when the events actually happened. The exact cause is unclear, but the amplification effect is not.)

The first opportunity for this recall comes when they leave their new apartment for the first time and walk by the flowers again on their way out. This is triggered by smell alone and is experienced in the context of leaving with different emotional antecedents, so it isn't a significant part of this portion of the therapeutic strategy. The next time they smell the flowers, though, adds a new dimension to the memory-processing dynamic that begins an exponential amplification of the therapeutic effect.

Key Moment: Smelling the Flowers Again

The second time residents follow the Pathway to their apartment, none of the sensory stimuli will be brand new anymore, so their emotional impact will be lessened. (For that matter, at least for some time, each subsequent trip along the path will diminish the effect it has. However, its effect will likely stop dropping and stabilize at some point. Each step in the path delivers sensory experiences that are so difficult to ignore and so different from what residents encounter anywhere else in their lives that the path's overall impact should always remain at a level sufficient to deliver an effective therapeutic effect. Plus, added to it will be a growing sense of comfort that comes from familiarity.)

Residents will experience each of the steps similarly to the first time through, at least until right near the end, when they smell the flowers for what is technically the third time, but more importantly is the second time they smell them after following the path home just like the first time.

This time, when the memory-processing happens and residents' experiences are compacted into another powerful olfactory-coded memory block, that block gets immediately associated with and evokes the memory of the similar block that was made the previous time and the process that led to its formation. Each additional trip up the path lengthens the chain and compounds the effect.

These carefully constructed olfactory-coded memories make it easy to recall, compare, associate, and effectively group together the collective positive feelings from all trips up the path ever taken and associate them with not just the small that is used to encode all of these memories, but also with the next step, which happens to be the last in the process.

Step 5: Front Door

Finally, the path that began with the first security gate ends with the front door of each resident's apartment.

Key Moment: Seeing the Front Door

Continuing the strategy of making a series of different, memorable experiences, several aspects of the front door are different from most others. Each of the solid wood doors are adorned with several metal elements, all designed to contribute to a greater sense of security while using coordinated aesthetic features to avoid feeling institutional.

The dual deadbolts and stainless steel kickplates make the doors feel more substantial, while above the frames are custom keystones flanked by crossheads, architectural elements borrowed from castles to make the structure itself feel more secure. Mounted to each keystone are plaques engraved with the unit numbers, shown in polished aluminum to be comfortably visible at night.

The apartment numbers themselves are not the impersonal three- and four-digit varieties found at huge complexes, hotels, or business suites, but rather the single-digit numbers 1–9. These are modern rarities due to the approvals required from government agencies at the city, county, and federal levels, but the extra effort is worth the psychological impact these numbers have on residents, making their homes feel a little homier.

Key Moment: Thinking about the Lion (Optional)

The focal point of the front door is a knocker in the form of a majestic lion, hand-carved by a master sculptor, cast in solid bronze with a custom-antiqued satin nickel patina. This lion is a piece of Healing High Art, albeit one which requires people to learn a lot more about it to fully benefit from it. Residents who have learned more about the lion by exploring its Artist Connection will know several details about its background and creator which can evoke positive feelings when they are reminded of them by the sight of the lion.

For example, they can learn: This functional masterpiece was made by Karl Deen Sanders, a wonderful and generous person who dedicated his life to two pursuits: creating art and helping others recover from trauma. Shortly before he died, Karl said that making these door knockers for Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios was the most satisfying project he had ever undertaken, because he had never before dreamed there would be a way he could combine his life's two passions and create artwork that could somehow help women heal from trauma.

For this project, we wanted to make the homes feel special as well as more secure, and we also wanted to expose their residents to beautiful works of art even before they entered. To achieve all three goals, we decided to add a sculptural protective ward. Although such items lack any practical function, they have been making people feel safer for thousands of years. We focused on designs popular in medieval Europe in order to coordinate with the keystones and crossheads to give the residents another subconscious reason to view their home somewhat like a castle.

A lion was the natural choice among the classic forms used as wards. After all, these facilities were both built in service to women and cats, and lion prides are matriarchal societies built around and run by lionesses who help and form strong bonds with each other.

As Karl's widow Vanessa, herself a survivor of extreme trauma, explains in the video, the full-maned lion in the knocker adds a subtle touch of masculine protective energy, which can still be welcomed by people who don't want any human men around. Within a feline society, defending territory is a role males would fulfill for the pride—and one of the only roles at that, since the lionesses handle most everything else—in part because the manes that help them seem larger and more intimidating also make it incredibly difficult to hunt. She sees this as a great reminder that bigger is not always better, and that sexual dimorphism means that males and females are different, but not that either are inherently better than the other.

Vanessa also proudly recalls how Karl had never made a satin nickel patina for bronze before this project, and was terrified he would ruin many pieces trying to figure out a way to do it; however, he forged ahead and created a reliable process that opened up an exciting new avenue for his sculptures. She also tells how, in honor of this project and Karl's own contributions in this area, she is working to popularize this lion as a symbol of trauma recovery, with proceeds from sales of door knockers going to fund organizations that help women recover from trauma.

This last detail is one of the most poignant, but there are a wealth of positive thoughts and feelings that can be recalled by any resident who has learned about the door knocker through the Artist Connections each time they see it when coming home.

Key Moment: Seeing a Cat Through the Front Window (Optional) Residents who have cats may come home to the sight of their feline companions greeting them at their front window, which were designed especially for this with extra-deep windowsills at an ideal height for cats. The chances of this are greatly heightened for residents who come home at fairly consistent times and give attention or treats to their pets upon entry, as cats have uncannily accurate internal clocks and will quickly learn to anticipate such rewards.

Attitudes toward animals vary widely between individuals, but for those with deeply personal connections to their pets, a friendly cat consistently greeting them at the front window could be such a delightfully positive experience that the rush of oxytocin could outperform all the other steps of the Recovery Pathway experience.

Key Moment: Going Through the Front Door Each entry door has two deadbolts: The traditional lock uses a physical key and the electronic lock can be opened using a fingerprint, a smartphone, or a numeric code. As different people are comfortable with different levels and methods of security, this gives residents a wide range of options. Those who prioritize convenience may skip the traditional lock and just use their fingerprint to open the electronic lock. Other might always use the traditional lock and only open the electronic lock using numeric codes, which they change often. In an event, letting people choose how they lock and unlock their doors gives an additional boost to comfort and self-efficacy that less flexible systems do not.

Also, people who have experienced significant trauma can feel a spike of stress whenever entering their home, worrying whether they locked the door, or if someone else has opened it, etc. The electronic lock attempts to alleviate anxiety by removing any worries: if the door is closed, it's locked. Furthermore, if any anxieties remain, residents can use an app to review security logs to make sure the door has not been opened since they were last home.

As they open the door, with the scent of the flowers outside still in their nostrils, the first thing residents see is the moss-and-flower artwork on the wall ahead of them, one final visual cue to associate the positive memory experience with the act of coming home. As the door automatically locks securely behind them, thus ends the Recovery Pathway process, closing the respondent conditioning loop that can eventually help restore someone's sense of home by forming a series of positive associations over time through repetition.

Generalizing the Process

Despite all the carefully planned steps and key moments in the process, each with their own psychological goals, the entire process only takes about a minute and is integrated naturally into an activity residents have to undertake regularly anyway: walking home.

The overall mechanism of this process is simple: Reliably make people feel safe and good about themselves as they are entering their home. Repeatedly consistently over time, this can restore and enhance positive associations with the concept of home.

This is neither a new nor profound idea, nor would it require such complex machinations for most people to feel that way; however, for those who have survived extreme trauma, proper execution can mean being able to heal from that trauma instead of being stuck in a state of constant stress and anxiety and stress.

However, it should be noted that no single measure we took in this case is essential; the entire method of execution could be discarded and instead be achieved countless other ways.

The steps could be generalized and described by their broad goals...

1. Make People Feel Safe
2. Trigger Mental Reset
3. Make People Feel Good
4. Deliver a Unique Scent
5. Provide Secure Entry

...or described even more generally by the intended neurochemical outcomes:

1. Lower Stress Hormone Levels
2. Raise Dopamine Significantly
3. Raise Serotonin and Oxytocin
4. Trigger Olfactory Memory Processing
5. Prevent Stress Hormone Spikes

Furthermore, these general guidelines would need to be followed:

• The therapeutic process needs to be naturally integrated with the process of coming home. No part of the process requires those participating in it to make any special effort or have any knowledge of the process to have its full impact, which makes it especially useful to those who are resistant to or have given up on active therapy.

• The order of operations has a large impact on the efficacy. For example, fountains are part of the entry experience at upscale locations around the world; however, if care is taken to place them after before residents feel safe and are in a receptive state of mind, their impact will be exponentially greater.

• The process needs to be fault-tolerant to the point that, once started, even if some key moments or entire steps don't work as planned, the entire experience will still be overall positive.

As long as these guidelines are followed and the basic steps executed well enough to achieve similar psychological effects, it stands to reason that outcomes would be similar to varying degrees, depending on the severity of trauma.

The Recovery Pathway at Cloud Nine Studios follows a maximalist strategy, designed for extremely the demanding conditions of women recovering from severe trauma while living alone; however similar measures would certainly provide benefits to most people in other circumstances.

For example, at Haven House, even with a comparatively short entry path, several key elements from the Recovery Pathway were used, such as a gently curved path, castle-like architectural features, sensory input from nature including a unique floral scent from live flowers, and a front door with all the same fittings as those at Cloud Nine Studios, only with an even bigger lion. However, this use case is dramatically different. Here, the order of operations cannot be controlled as tightly. The entry experience extends beyond the front door—which is most often opened by someone else—and into the foyer and common areas immediately inside the home, where several of the intermediate steps of the process can happen simultaneously. However, the largest difference by far comes from living with others.

A challenge at Cloud Nine was to create a process by which women can come home alone and feel safe, even at night. At Haven House, most of the travel is done during the day in groups and the house is never empty. Since all the practical safety concerns are well taken care of, in a group living situation like this, how the women feel about their housemates is the top factor affecting their sense of safety at home. After all, coming home to a house full of people someone gets along with is an incredibly therapeutic experience in and of itself; however, living in an environment with people with whom they have constant conflict triggers a stress response. Here, certain fundamental neurochemical objectives, like releasing oxytocin and especially lowering stress hormone levels, are primarily a function of the group dynamic.

The overall goal is still the same: To make people feel safe and good about themselves when they arrive home. In the case of an environment like Haven House, the most effective measure to improve the perceived safety of the home is to improve the interpersonal relationships of the residents. This means that while architectural features like the extra-wide stairway and front door help add to the immediate perception of security, their impact on promoting harmony by preventing conflict is even more important to each residents' long-term feeling toward the home.