Hoy Recovery works to incorporate traditional cultural healing practices in the treatment of substance abuse. Two of the key ways that they do this are through inclusion of cultural healers and their Agricultural Project. The Agriculture Project treats chemically dependent service users by emphasizing and reinforcing their relationship with the land, an important component of traditional Hispanic culture in the region.
Population of focus
Hispanic and Native American adults and elderly in New Mexico.
Implementation
Traditional healers, or curanderos, work closely with Hoy Recovery treatment programs. Through a partnership with the University of New Mexico and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Cuernavaca, Hoy Recovery hosts renowned curanderos from Cuernavaca. The curanderos partner with agency staff in providing services; traditional healing rituals form an important component of the treatment process. The curanderos also participate in Hoy Recovery’s annual Feria de Salud, or Health Fair. At this event, which is open to the public, curanderos provide their services to members of the larger community.
The Agricultural Project involves providing physical work producing local crops to help those with chemical dependency issues diminish craving for controlled substances. The program participants work to grow and produce food in the program garden that is then used for residential programs and/or sold at local farmer’s markets to generate continued program funding. The project originated from a desire to draw upon the history of the state as an important agricultural center, and to emphasize the connection between nature and healing, as illustrated by natural planting cycles.
Contact
PO Box 520
Española, NM 87532
(505) 753-2203
hoyrecovery@windstream.net
www.hoyrecovery.org