WEEKLY MEDITATION
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything
-George Bernard Shaw
Recovery means changing the very nature of the way we process discomfort. It means taking a closer look at both what has led to an underlying difficult experience of consciousness, and then recognizing the dysfunctional means through which we attempted to navigate this discomfort. Only then can we find new ways to face life directly, processing what comes in functional and healthy ways. To do this, not only will we likely have to let go of certain substances or behaviors, but we may have to alter not only our lifestyles, but also our minds. Addictions represent a rigid pattern of emotional and mental protection. This rigidity often provides an impenetrable layer of denial that hides us from the clarity of our problem. Almost inevitably, the path to recovery will ask that we break through the very mental patterns that attempt to keep us safe up to this point. Only when we can recognize these rigid layers for what they are can we release ourselves from their bond long enough to allow our minds to change in healthier, recovery-friendly directions.
