We’ve all heard of rehab. Usually synonymous with celebrities with a dependence on alcohol or narcotics. The truth is, though, everyone is burnt out these days, not just celebs, even our teenage children, which is why rehabilitation centres such as The Balance in Palma, Mallorca (with hubs in Zürich and one soon to open in London), are becoming increasingly popular.
Entrepreneur and CEO of The Balance, Abdullah Boulad, founded the centre following a series of adversities that led him to embark on a mission to help prevent others from undergoing a similar fate. And he really has thought of everything. ‘The sun is the cheapest form of burnout therapy you can find,’ says Boulad on why he chose Mallorca for The Balance. ‘There’s also a spiritual community here. There are amazing therapists and healers.’ And it’s something The Balance has tapped into to build its very own team. Most are from overseas, a series of likeminds who have felt the calling and descended upon the island, to create an incredible cast of wellbeing practitioners, who collectively, very much give the impression that, as well as work colleagues, they are a band of friends who respect each other immensely.
Boulad says they’re seeing a lot of patients struggling with self-esteem, narcissism and anger issues. ‘All these issues lead to drinking, smoking, overworking or pushing people away. But it always starts somewhere below the surface. It often comes back to the role of being a man in today’s world. They find a lot of relief in psychotherapy – and practicing mindfulness.’ Mindfulness is a quality inbuilt in every human being, you just have to learn how to tap into it.
I have suffered from anxiety most of my life and one of the takeaways I wanted from the trip, and one I still had not found the answer to after all these years, was how do I deal with having a panic attack. From the embarrassment of it happening in the workplace to the feeling of I am about to die. I had conversations with several key practitioners at The Balance, including Dr Sarah Boss and her take on Polyvagal Theory (how the nervous system responds to stress and trauma. Devised by Dr Stephen Porges, this theory explores the intricate connections between our physiological states and psychological experiences, particularly in the context of trauma), and psychologist Gita Chaudhuri. I’ve learned that there is no one answer to move forward but often a combination of treatments such as massage, meditation and throwing a martial art such as Qi Gong into the equation.
Just one session of the latter under the tutorship of Antonio Bellomo and I was bowled over at how good it made me feel. Boulad himself is keen to reinforce the importance of movement in his own daily life. When he feels stressed, he moves, plays sport and combines it with meditation.
Subsequently, I have found these tips – written by The Balance team themselves – invaluable and I urge anyone who has experienced the debilitating nature of panic attacks to check them out:
‘People need to self-reflect, they need to take time off,’ says Boulad. ‘People with great self-reflection are the most grounded, balanced people. At The Balance, we offer this space of self-reflection. We help them figure out how to move forward and become a better person – and they define that. Life is not a goal but an ongoing reflection.’
The trip proved a bit of a lightbulb moment for me personally. It was the first press trip I’d been on where alcohol was off limits, and it prompted me to reevaluate the role alcohol was playing in my own life and my dependence upon it. As much as I enjoyed alcohol, and I never considered myself to be a big drinker, it was starting to erode my character, to the extent that I would unknowingly withdraw into myself. I believed that drinking gave me confidence, in fact it was having the opposite effect. My out-of-character behaviour was something my family had started to notice, which I initially made light of, but it was happening more often, and I knew I had to change something. Piecing my own struggles with anxiety and alcohol dependence together, as well as being on medication, I have made the decision to go dry indefinitely. I’m currently six months down the line and feeling very positive, really focusing on re-calibrating my mindfulness. Boulad and his team, using their own vast personal experiences and coping mechanisms are helping men like me redress the balance.
Patients checking in to The Balance are allocated a whole finca (a substantial estate-sized property) to themselves, which includes a personal manager and dedicated on-site chef who devises a bespoke menu individual to that particular client, as well as 24/7 care. Discover the three programmes offered at The Balance here, with different levels of pricing: balancerehabclinic.com; cogniful.com; senseswellnessclinic.com
Retreats start from around £21,835 per week
