1693 N. Quentin St. Aurora, CO 80045

CeDAR’s History

CeDAR was founded in 2005 with the support of Philip Anschutz and a vision for an addiction treatment center that would wed evidence-based medical practice with behavioral health, self-help, wellness, and spiritualism.

The holistic approach guided the late Robert Harmon, MD, a psychiatrist with the University of Colorado School of Medicine who served as CeDAR’s first medical director.

His vision was to create a culture of recovery that encouraged people to take care of themselves emotionally, spiritually and interpersonally.

The pillars supporting CeDAR’s mission have not changed since its opening

18 years later, more than 16,000 people have been served by CeDAR’s residential and outpatient treatment programs, thanks to steady growth and increased capacity.

The Story of the Cedar Tree

Dedicated to the memory of Bob Harmon, MD

A cedar tree sprouts from a seed, the offspring of two mature cedar trees. Its DNA contains the blueprint for its growth, and has the elements of the parent trees, but is now also separate from those trees. As it grows, its branches will reach out, touching the branches of those trees around it, as though holding hands with its neighbors. The branches spread out horizontally and are of such size that not infrequently the spread of the tree exceeds its height.

The foliage is dark green, grows in tufts and survives through the winter. The wood is reddish-white, fragrant, and close-grained, at least in older trees. Moreover, by reason of the resinous oil which impregnates it, the cedar is protected against dry-rot and worms, and is consequently extremely durable. These qualities caused it to be much sought for building purposes. It was extensively used in the palaces built by David and Solomon, and especially in the first Temple. Cedar trees have been symbols of majesty, resilience and spiritual symbolism, and have been used throughout time by various cultures, including Phoenician and Hebrew, Egyptian and Assyrian, and Greek and Roman. Pieces found in the ruins of the palace of the Assyrian King Assurnaisirpal were still in a good state of preservation after 2700 years.

It is our hope that your care at CeDAR, which is a part of your larger journey on the path of recovery, will help you become more like the cedar tree. As the seeds of hope are planted, we are confident that the isolation of your addiction will be replaced with the support of fellowship from others on the same path, and that you will feel them reaching out to you, just as the branches of the cedar tree touch those of their neighbors in the forest.

Our program at CeDAR is based on the bio-psycho-social model. We believe that our multi-faceted approach addresses your biological needs, promotes the growth of psychological insight, heals the damage of social wounds and allows the spiritual discovery of each person to grow into fertile, sturdy maturity. Like the resinous oil in the stately CeDAR tree — these healing processes become protective balm against the infestation of relapse behaviors and the dry rot of addictive thinking.

Our skilled, multidisciplinary team believes that when you keep an open mind, dedicate yourself to tilling the soil in all four realms of recovery — the biological, the psychological, the social and the spiritual — you will acquire the skills and courage to survive the challenging winter of early sobriety. In time, like the mature cedar tree, you will become strong, joyous and resilient as the breadth of your support network begins to exceed the heights of ego and denial.

We believe you will be able to use all of the tools CeDAR has to offer to build and enjoy a durable, serene life. The framework CeDAR offers you, like the cedar trees used to construct ancient temples, is strong and resilient. Rather than a life built with wormy, rotten wood, you can use the solid materials to build a life that preserves your dignity, responsibility, creativity and sense of self, and helps you repair your family, social, community and work relationships.

Thus, like the cedar trees that endured from long ago to those that flourish today, you will be a part of a growing, world-wide tradition of 12-Step Recovery — the foundation upon which the CeDAR programs are based. These traditions represent a source of renewal for you to embrace.

And in turn, by carrying the message of recovery, you will become like one of those trees whose branches touch in neighborly accord in the forests of the world, reaching out in fellowship to help heal the lives of other suffering addicts and alcoholics everywhere.

From the CeDAR Staff ~

Welcome to our part of the forest!

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