This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full episode at tricycle.org/podcast. We acknowledge the consequences of our addictions and have healthy compassionate regret. If we make a promise, we make a plan of action before promising to let go. And, if we are able, we admit to another human being the exact nature of our actions and give ourselves forgiveness.
We must also remember that our thoughts are not fact. We can create space whenever we feel at risk of reaching for our addiction, or overwhelmed by the intense feelings of craving, by practicing the three-minute breathing space, AGE. In this space we can learn to do something different. “In Step One, we accept that this human life will bring suffering.
This video includes testimonials from participants in the Eight Step Recovery program. In this video, Valerie Mason-John discusses how she came to write the book Eight Step Recovery.
Coping with Cravings21:23
At that time, I thought the only way out was to take my life. It was a doorway to something different—it was a doorway out of my hell realm. And so, in a way, how can we just ride that wave of energy?
Discussion about this episode
I didn’t mind having to stand with my hands on my head, and I could see that it was really taking me into meditative states. And then, of course, at the age of 15, I was incarcerated for shoplifting and being a runaway kid, etc., and I did a lot of solitary confinement, and again, going into altered states in solitary confinement. So I think definitely in my young years, I was in the direction of Buddhism and definitely meditation was the raft, and it still is my raft. Dharma teacher Vimalasara shares how Buddhist teachings have supported their path to recovery. Addiction psychiatrist and bioethicist Carl Erik Fisher explores addiction and recovery from science to spirituality, from philosophy to politics, and everything in between. He interviews leading experts in areas such as psychology, neurobiology, history, sociology, and more–as well as policy makers, advocates, and people with lived experience.
- Thoughts can be addicting, just like eating, drinking, shopping, or gambling, a fact the Buddha understood well.
- I mean, what just came to mind is the Internal Family Systems method of asking the thoughts to step aside, asking them to relax, and sometimes it just doesn’t.
- Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), people haven’t changed much in 2,000 years.
- If we make a promise, we make a plan of action before promising to let go.
- As a kid, I grew up in orphanages, and if we were caught speaking at night in the dorms, you were hauled out of your bed and you had to stand opposite a wall with your hands on your head, and you never knew when you were going back.
The Truth About Sober Dating, Sex, and Love – WE TURN THE TABLES
I couldn’t say I would do it, but it was just where you just lost the self and just really in the moment and just totally here now. I’d also say there were two other experiences. As a kid, I grew up in orphanages, and if we were caught speaking at night in the dorms, you were hauled out of buddhist teachings to overcome addiction with vimalasara your bed and you had to stand opposite a wall with your hands on your head, and you never knew when you were going back. At some point, I think I really enjoyed it.
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In this episode of „Sisters in Sobriety,” host Sonia Kahlon is joined by the inspiring Valerie Mason-John, also known as Vimalasara. Valerie is a renowned author and public speaker whose work in the field of addiction and recovery has made a profound impact. Today, Sonia explores Valerie’s unique approach to addiction recovery, which blends mindfulness, compassion, and holistic practices.
I mean, what just came to mind is the Internal Family Systems method of asking the thoughts to step aside, asking them to relax, and sometimes it just doesn’t. The dharma is radical if we allow it to be. It isn’t just about sitting cross-legged on a cushion—it’s much, much more. In Step Five, we learn to transform our speech, actions, and livelihood. With an attitude of kindness, we review our past actions.
Their candid account of overcoming challenges and finding empowerment through mindfulness and compassion is both moving and motivational. Valerie also discusses how their Buddhist practice has shaped their approach to addiction and recovery, providing deeper insights into the spiritual aspects of their journey. Educational takeaways from this episode include understanding the habit loop of addiction, the importance of creating a personalized recovery plan, and techniques for managing cravings and triggers. Listeners will also learn about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, and how these practices can support long-term recovery and emotional well-being. Dr. Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John is a public speaker and master trainer in the field of conflict transformation, leadership and mindfulness.
Exploring the First Noble Truth
- So again, it’s coming home to the breath, coming home to the body.
- I did a lot of solitary confinement, and I would just go into altered states.
- Dharma teacher Vimalasara shares how Buddhist teachings have supported their path to recovery.
- With an attitude of kindness, we review our past actions.
- Taking this bold statement as a starting point, this wonderful book shows how we are all addicted to aspects of life and can all benefit from training our minds and hearts to be free of the tyranny of compulsion.
- To think of the impact of “I hate myself,” once upon a time, I could say “I hate myself,” and I would feel great.
Before that, as a kid, I grew up in orphanages, and if you were caught speaking at night in the dorms, you were hauled out of your bed, and you had to stand opposite a wall with your hands on your head. Then, at the age of 15, I was incarcerated for shoplifting and being a runaway kid. I did a lot of solitary confinement, and I would just go into altered states. So I think in my young years, I was moving in the direction of Buddhism. Meditation was my raft then, and it still is now. “In Step Two, we realize that we create more suffering in our lives.
She is the author of 8 books and the co-founder of Eight Step Recovery, an alternative to the 12 step program for addiction. One of the characteristics of addiction is craving. I always say that the Buddha’s teachings are the oldest recovery program that we know of. It’s said that the first discourse that the Buddha gave was that there was addiction to hedonism and there was addiction to self-mortification, both of which are lowly, coarse, and unprofitable, and what we want is a middle way.
The Power of the Third Moment Method
And again, just in terms of recovery, in my first book that I wrote with Dr. Paramabandhu Groves, we say that the Buddha was in recovery. I think now if I wrote it, I would say the prince was in recovery, and when the prince became a Buddha, he went beyond recovery, very clearly so. So again, for people who really separate, “Oh my God, addiction’s over here, and this isn’t me,” we’re all in recovery as soon as we’re born. You know, I think the most traumatic thing in life is birth, and we’re recovering from that. You write that if we want to be free from addictive behaviors, we have to face experience without identifying with it or running away from it. This points me back to the story of Prince Siddhartha’s awakening.
