is meditation for you?
You don't have to be a 'peaceful, quiet person' to benefit from meditation. It's alright if your mind is full of distractions and thoughts. Its okay if you experience anger, fear and negative emotions. All of these are what we work with in meditation. You don't have to sit on the floor - you can also sit in a chair and you can lie down. We will make sure that you are comfortable as possible.
Meditation is a natural process requiring no specific spiritual beliefs. Learning to meditate is an individual choice. All you need is the desire for your own well-being to begin.
We want to work with you on a responsible, integrated approach to your well-being. This can include the views of your own doctor or therapist about what is right for you in your process. Meditation is an extremely accepting path of self-care. It does require the basic stability of committing yourself to your own well-being to be effective. This includes abstinence from the misuse of alcohol or drugs for the duration of your meditation course.
MEDITATION, MINDFULNESS AND SOBRIETY
This is the experience shared by a Vietnam veteran about his own recovery process from PTSD and alcohol addiction. He now leads healing events himself to support other veterans in their recovery from PTSD.
'When I was doing group work for my own PTSD in the late 90's, there were about seven of us in each group. Our facilitator had each of us pledge that we would not use drugs or alcohol for the duration of the groups (usually about four months). He explained the reasoning as follows: If you are going to do this work, you have to be able to go deep within yourself to some aspects of you that you find uncomfortable. If you drink or use, you will never allow yourself to go there. As soon as things get difficult, you'll try to find an escape. It would be like training for a marathon while you are smoking three packs of cigarettes a day -- you can buy the shoes and the running gear and even show up at the track to train. But, it just ain't gonna happen.
Most of us in the group were already in recovery so it was a matter of simply renewing our commitment. For those who were not alcoholics/addicts, it was no more than a minor inconvenience. If they were serious about the work, they pledged quite willingly.'
Please contact us if misuse of drugs or alcohol is an issue you are struggling with, we want to support you, not exclude you.
Meditation is probably not going to be effective for you at the moment if you are in active drug or alcohol addiction. We understand that self-medicating with alcohol and drug misuse can be a way to try to escape the pain. Other approaches are needed to support you to work with this. Meditation is a valuable part of 12 Step recovery and very complimentary to 12 Step programmes. Meditation is an extremely accepting path of self-care but it does require abstinence from using intoxicants to be truly effective as a deep healing process.
Our courses and days for veterans will be held in safe, comfortable venues and will include good food and a warm welcome.
