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I have been deeply interested and at times intimately involved with Buddhist approaches to addiction and recovery since learning of the unique work of the Thamkrabok Monastery in Thailand back in 1998. The monastery itself has treated over 100,000 addicts after a single desperate opium smoker came to them for help, fifty years ago in 1959.
This year, having been very aware of the lack of support at home for recovering addicts, I organised a week long retreat at The Barn Rural Buddhist Retreat in Devon, England. This meditation retreat was intended to be exclusively for ‘ex-Thamkrabokers’ i.e. addicts in recovery following treatment in Thailand.
Martine Batchelor, author of ‘Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits’ joined the retreat from Tuesday until Friday. Although, Martine has a very busy teaching schedule she very generously travelled from her home in France to help with talks, group discussions, personal interviews and guided meditation.
Disappointingly, not enough ‘ex-Thamkrabokers’ signed up for the retreat to make it viable so it was opened up to the general public and was oversubscribed in a very short time. The initial poor response has not put me off arranging future retreats for ex-Thamkrabokers, so I’ll see what I can set up for next year.
Increasingly over the last decade or so, it has been very pleasing and in various ways very supportive to my own recovery, to see a growing interest in mindfulness based approaches to addiction and recovery; particularly to the use of Buddhist orientated teachings, traditions and practices to help people recover from the suffering caused by addictive behaviours.
Up until now this interest has been largely, at least from where I stand, random and uncoordinated. There have been very few opportunities, facilities or resources for addicts to benefit from the use of Buddhist approaches to recovery at home or abroad.
Now, all that may change. I have been delighted and excited to have been recently introduced to a new international recovery organisation, the Buddhist Recovery Network (BRN).
I am very fortunate to be able to attend the BRN inaugural Conference next month – October 2009 – not only as an addict in recovery and as a practitioner but also as the representative of the Thamkrabok Monastery.
The BRN conference is to be held at the Against The Stream meditation centre in Los Angeles, California and aims to provide an unprecedented opportunity to explore the use of Buddhist teachings and practices in healing the suffering caused by addictive behaviours.
Why, you may ask, is the Thamkrabok Monastery not sending a monk to this conference? Very simply because the monks at Thamkrabok take a vow not to use mechanical transport, therefore – with very few exceptions – they walk everywhere, rarely leaving South East Asia.
With the support of the Abbot of Thamkrabok – Phra Ajahn Boonsong Tanajaro – I will do my best to represent the monastery at this auspicious event.
I must stress that the BRN is seeking to respond to a natural curiosity from those in recovery who intuitively see potential for Buddhism to enhance their recovery. They are certainly not missionaries seeking to promote Buddhism as a religion.
I do appreciate that this conference will not be of interest to – or within the resources of – many Wired In members but I do hope to perhaps meet one or two of you there?
Inspired by, and exploring affiliation with the International Buddhist Recovery Network, is a new UK based mailing list intended to promote discussion and the sharing of ideas with the aim of building a movement for recovery in the UK supported by Buddhist principles and practices.
The stated intention of the United Kingdom Buddhist Recovery Network (BRNUK) is “to develop to be able to support the use of Buddhist teachings, traditions and practices to help people recover from the suffering caused by addictive behaviours.
Open to people of all backgrounds, and respectful of all recovery paths, the developing organisation will promote mindfulness and meditation, and be grounded in Buddhist principles of non-harming, compassion and interdependence. We seek to serve through teaching, training, treatment, research, publication, advocacy and community-building initiatives.”
You can join the BRNUK mailing list at http://buddhistrecovery.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/network
Hi Vince, thanks for blog, it fascinates myself how and where recovery can be received from around the world. Really bringing it very simply back to the individual that there is no right and wrong towards recovery. An individual process and what ever works is wonderful.
I smiled with warmth in no monk is attending conferance, is the internet against their beliefs? could a satilite connection be introduced?
Best Wishes to you and all.
Dear Vince,
I read with interest your comments about Buddhism and recovery. I have recently been reading about Mindfulness and considering its application to this field. I came across an article recently in an on line publication called ‘Counselor’ (I think it is American). In the April 2009 issue Richard Fields wrote an article called ‘Enhancing Recovery with Meditation and Mindfulness’.
I can see strong links here with the 12 step approach which is (in my view) essentially about increasing self awareness and acceptance. It seems to me that a core element of addiction (or indeed any dysfunctional coping strategy – I don’t see ‘normal’ people as having it sorted) is the avoidance of, or desire to change, any emotion or experience seen as ‘difficult’. As tolerance to drug of choice increases, so tolerance to life and emotions decrease.
There is a challenge to making this approach accessible to many people and it is not going to work to throw it into the chaos of active addiction but as a way of maintaining recovery there seems to be great potential.
How does this relate to your experience?
Lisbeth
Hi Yenwarp,
I agree that there a lots of different paths to recovery… horses for courses… and 1-size doesn’t fit all.
I believe that the treatment available at Thamkrabok Monastery is a viable option for some addicts but I am just as certain that it would be a waste of time and money for many others.
The beliefs and practices of the Thamkrabok monks, nuns and laypeople are unique in Thailand, let alone the rest of the world.
The vow (Sajja) not to use mechanical transport is intended to set a boundary for the monks. The are many Sajjas that the monks (and addicts) take that support the specific goal of removing suffering from their lives. This is a unique approach to Buddhism and to the treatment of addictions.
The Thamkrabok community embrace a few orthodox Theravada/Buddhist rules but largely live by their own guidelines so most monks have mobile telephones and access to the internet.
The idea of a satellite connection to the BRN conference in Los Angeles is worthy of consideration but probably a bit too late in the day to consider for this years event. (Also, there are the other considerations such as time zone differences and available technology in Thailand… and the cost?).
Thanks for the interest and the comment… it’s appreciated.
Kind regards,
Vince
Hi Lisbeth,
I posted a long reply to your comments yesterday. I hit the [Submit] button and that was the last I saw of it !!!
Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a copy of the reply so this is a very cut-down version.
From the point of view of meditation for addictions, it is probably best aimed at those in recovery who are past the chaotic mind-state of active addiction.
That really is a lot shorter than the original version but them maybe that was all that was needed?
Other than that there are some very short papers on meditation and addiction at: http://www.buddhistrecovery.com/downloads.htm
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Vince
