MA 70 Addiction Recovery Meditation

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammaṭṭhāna. This meditation is adapted to assist with step 11 of the 12 steps of addiction recovery focussing on a non-theistic practice for elevating our conscious contact with a higher power. Concludes with loving kindness and affirmations meditation. No end sound.

Transcript

To begin with,

Let's see if we can seat ourselves as comfortably as we can,

Shifting our weight so that our body feels well-supported and comfortable.

We gently allow our eyes to close,

Making sure our head,

Neck and spine are straight and we let our hands rest comfortably somewhere in our lap.

And as we're becoming increasingly attuned to the sensation of our breath moving in and out of our body,

We might take a nice,

Deep,

Cleansing breath before breathing out fully and completely,

Breathing in relaxation,

Exhaling any sense of judgment,

Feeling the expansion of our belly with each in-breath and the way it subsides with each out-breath.

And again,

Breathing in,

This time imagining that we're sending the refreshing energy of our breath to any part of the body that's tense or tight and releasing the tension on the exhale.

So that we can feel our breath permeating all the tight,

Tense places,

Relaxing,

Loosening and softening them,

And then gathering up the tension and breathing it out.

So that more and more we can feel safe,

Comfortable,

Relaxed and at ease,

Watching the cleansing action of the breath with friendly but detached awareness.

And if there are any unwelcome thoughts that come to mind,

Those too can be released with the out-breath,

So that for the moment the mind is empty.

Even if just for a split second,

It becomes a clear space where we feel blessed with stillness.

And so that any other emotions still rattling around inside us can be noted,

Acknowledged and expelled with the breath.

So that our emotional state can be still and quiet,

Like a lake with no ripples.

Even though meditation can be a powerful tool in overcoming challenges and facilitating change,

Since our body has become reliant on substances,

It's up to each of us to help ourselves and,

Where necessary,

Ask others for help during our journey of recovery.

It will also be up to each of us to set a schedule,

To keep our readings up to date,

To keep our rehabilitation on track and avoid locations that might trigger us into relapse during the early days of our sobriety.

So maintaining all these steps,

Marking our milestones and maintaining our sobriety,

Is critical to the success of our recovery.

The more we break away from old dependencies and the people enabling them.

Meanwhile,

During this transition,

It is important to have the humility to accept the help those we trust can offer us.

And when we've put withdrawal behind us,

We will feel like a new person,

Gaining true independence,

Which will stabilize our life and future.

And so we reflect on the idea of meditating to deal with addiction.

And although addiction may come in many different forms and may be different for everyone,

It is a difficult but not insurmountable challenge if only we can do sufficient work on our mind.

So we bring our awareness back within the space of the body.

And this will allow us to find peace inside of suffering and light inside of darkness.

So for this moment,

Just being here,

Now,

Letting go of the future,

Being right here in the present,

We surrender our body,

Our mind and our spirit to the higher energy of the universe,

To the higher energy of the universe.

We allow our awareness to go deeper,

Withdrawing from the external senses,

Listening to our body to discover what might lie beneath our craving.

And to relax our state of mind still further,

We might imagine ourselves transported to a landscape of our choice,

A place of safety,

A place that brings us joy,

A forest,

An ocean,

A desert.

We allow these surroundings to open up space for us to reconnect with whatever we regard as our higher power,

Even if it's the sense of deeper wisdom,

Stillness or illumination that seems to come from inside us,

Allowing it to infuse our awareness within this sacred space,

Allowing the energy of courage,

Confidence and strength to rise up within us,

Being present in this moment,

Choosing to love ourselves,

To break away from our demons,

To slip free of old habits,

Out of great compassion and immense gratitude for ourselves,

As we free ourselves from dependence,

From addiction,

Trusting in the path we have chosen to lead us to something different and better.

And when we feel relaxed both in body and in mind,

Very gently,

Using no effort at all,

We imagine that inside our body is just an empty space,

With no organs or tissues,

No muscles or bones,

Just a hollow space inside ourselves.

If we like,

We can imagine that our body is like a bubble,

With thin transparent skin,

And hollow inside,

With no organs or tissues,

No muscles or bones.

Now very slowly and gently,

At a point in the middle of our body,

We can conjure up the image of a bright shining sun,

An image which we create with our mind's eye,

Maybe yellow or white in color,

Red or gold,

It doesn't really matter,

And if a picture of the sun doesn't come easily to us,

Then we can think of any other round bright object,

Which we find easier to imagine.

We imagine our chosen object as continuously as we can,

For as long as we can,

With a light and gentle attention,

As if we see it right down at the center of our body.

Doesn't matter if it's not clear to us,

We accept it however it may appear.

And I cannot emphasize how important the word gentle is,

Because many people new to meditation use too much force when they come to meditate.

They think if they do the equivalent of staring,

Or they use force in their meditation,

It's going to help them to get results,

But in fact it only hinders the meditation from progressing.

Therefore we need to be very gentle in the way we place our attention at the center.

If we find our mind wanders anywhere else,

As soon as we realize,

We just bring our mind back again to the center of the body as before.

If our bright object disappears,

We can always think of a new one.

If the object changes in size,

Shape,

Color or form,

We simply continue to observe at its center.

Observing always at the brightest spot,

At the center of the object.

And before long we'll start to find that the object will evolve and transform of its own accord,

Changing to become an object which is more perfect inside us,

Such as a bright clear sphere,

Like a crystal ball inside ourselves.

And if thoughts inundate the mind,

We do our best to ignore them,

Or we can make use of the silently repeated sound of a mantra,

Such as the words Samma Arahang.

Samma Arahang.

Samma Arahang.

Hearing these words as if they seem to come like a silent music from the center of our body,

For as long as it takes for the thoughts to become quieter and eventually disappear altogether.

So we continue in this way,

Lightly and gently,

Applying our attention at the center of our body for a few moments more now in silence.

So if we find our awareness wandering away onto other things,

Each time we realize,

We just bring it back again.

If our inner object disappears,

We can conjure up a new one.

If it changes,

We just follow it in its new form.

To be frank,

Meditation by itself can never serve as a substitute for a supportive group,

Exercise or good nutrition.

It won't take the place of working through the 12-step program,

But it may help those of us in recovery with the 11th step of elevating our degree of conscious contact with a higher power,

That has our best interest at heart.

However,

Following meditations like this one,

Once or twice a day,

In conjunction with our process,

Will reinforce our motivation and increase the effectiveness of whatever we're already doing.

Because in times of intense temptation,

It will always be our inner strength that will carry us through the storm.

Meditation will also reinforce our physical immunity.

Allowing our feelings of peace,

Safety and calm to become more resilient.

It can even support the repair and healing of our body's tissues and organs.

With regular daily practice,

Over at least six weeks,

The effects will be increasingly beneficial.

Different parts of the meditation will serve us in different ways at different times.

But we should always feel free to adapt whatever doesn't seem to suit us.

So we continue to keep our attention on track in this way,

Lightly and gently,

For a few more moments in silence,

Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation.

So we continue to keep our mind gently on track,

With the inner experience at the center of ourselves.

And in the final moments of our practice,

We can extend loving-kindness and practice some affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements designed to be repeated or listened to,

As a sort of reprogramming of our unconscious mind to combat negative thinking.

So we listen to this inner voice with a sense of relaxed attention,

Breathing in deeply with each set of words and repeating them softly to ourselves.

So putting ourselves in the hands of the process,

Trusting in our heart that this is part of our healing,

Allowing us to see and feel the brightness emanating from our center,

With a sense of healing streaming through us from head to toe.

Clearing away unwanted debris,

Waking up every day with the motivation to distance ourselves from self-pity,

Dishonesty or self-seeking motives.

Finishing up each day by congratulating ourselves on the emotions of craving,

Selfishness,

Dishonesty or fear that we have managed to overcome.

Trusting that every day we are getting stronger,

Clearer and surer of who we are and what we are here for.

And reflecting that now is the time to focus all our strength and resources,

To do what we need to do to overcome addiction safely,

To work slowly towards this positive change.

Knowing we have the power and the love within our heart to break free from addiction and become our best possible self.

In the final part of our meditation,

We explore our ability to expand our awareness through loving-kindness,

Like zooming out to take in a broader panorama,

Looking beyond ourselves to the whole room we're in,

The building or even further.

We invite assistance from our friends and loved ones to support our efforts to recover and heal.

We see ourselves surrounded by their love and care,

Feeling it throughout our body like a warm wave,

And reflecting that we are encircled by invisible forces of love,

Beauty,

Strength and forgiveness.

So we extend loving-kindness in this way,

With good wishes toward ourselves and those around us,

For the last few moments of our meditation together in silence.