Transformational Addiction Recovery
Regain the wonder of life and journey into the realm of your wildest dreams
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes”
~William James
Sessions
It is said that recovery is an inside job. We begin by distancing ourselves from the destructive forces that are ruining our lives—if you understand what I’m talking about you’re in the right place. Early recovery can be a slippery slope to navigate and having an experienced guide is crucial to success. Once active addiction loses its grip on us we begin the longer journey of regaining access to our own inner wisdom. So when life’s challenges arise, instead of falling further and further down the rabbit hole, we grow through them gaining the full benefits of our experience. Free from the influence of mood-altering substances or behaviors we become empowered to make choices not based on the immediate need to escape our emotions, but rather aligned with our deepest desires for ourselves. Through this process you will begin to re-write the narrative of your past and start to explore questions like:
Have I lived up to my childhood dreams for my life?
Where does happiness come from?
What makes my story uniquely mine?
What are my core values?
In individual sessions we work together to bring you into a dialogue with the unconscious fears and beliefs that drive your life. When we’re unhappy with our circumstances, maybe feeling trapped in a dead end job, a bad relationship, or financial vortex, people who are deeply intuitive, introverted, or traumatized often discover that drugs, sex, binge eating, gambling, shopping, etc., can temporarily silence their inner-critic and boost their self-esteem, enabling them to become the life of the party, or play the confident leader, only to find that their solution has become an even bigger trap.
Stopping the addictive behavior is just the beginning. Through the process of building awareness in all areas of your life you will quickly come face to face with your own inimitable nature, no longer constricted by past limitations that were set by others. Becoming conscious of them releases their hold thus unlocking unimagined possibilities.
For many, the words spiritual and miraculous seem synonymous with religion. But in the language of recovery there’s a saying “if it’s not practical, it’s not spiritual.” So at the very least, a spiritual solution simply stated, means not another substance, not more shopping, not a new romance, but rather an inner psychic change brought about by a relationship with your higher self. That is to say, the part of you that is capable of the miraculous, making what previously seemed impossible possible. And for those who are already religiously inclined, it means being able to access the transformative qualities of those traditions from a higher level of awareness.
Equilibrium Recovery draws from the holistic wisdom of Western and Eastern philosophies and traditions to access our boundless imaginative powers. Throughout the majority of human history people have relied on spiritual or psychological means to keep in conscious contact with their gods, goddesses, or higher powers. In cultures where plant medicines are used it is always in the context of healing the spirit through solemn ceremonies – not just to escape boredom. Recent neurobiological discoveries affirm that our brains are genetically hardwired for higher consciousness. It is our natural birthright.
The mind is incredibly resilient and however long we have depended on destructive means to cope with our emotions it is possible to reconnect to the inner reservoirs of creativity and spontaneity we had as children, only now with the added benefit of our adult skills and awareness.
As we learn to bring our outer world into alignment with our with our heart’s desire we move out of the downward spiral and into the upward spiral.
“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he”
~Proverbs 23:7
Intervention
Please contact me directly to arrange a free consultation
We must meet people wherever they are on their journey.
Sometimes a family member or loved one can be so caught up in the throes of an addiction that they refuse help even if their life depends on it. In this case an intervention as an emergency measure may allow them to access the level of treatment they need. I’m a certified interventionist trained in the ARISE method. This unique approach is invitational and sympathetic, taking the entire family through an educational process to break intergenerational cycles of addiction—using compassion to remove blame and guilt from the equation.
Guided Meditation
You are more than just your thoughts. The practice of guided meditation leads you into a state of deep relaxation and heightened awareness where you can observe the patterns of your thoughts and see them in a new light.
Thoughts often take the form of random internal dialogues and criticisms that guide our actions throughout the day without our awareness. Meditation is a simple exercise to learn to not become trapped in these inner-dialogues but simply observe them neutrally as they pass through our consciousness, soon to be replaced by another.
Mindfulness is this awareness that we are more than our immediate thoughts. Just as your heart beats and your lungs breathe without your conscious input, the brain thinks, producing a constant ticker tape of thoughts.
This is a free sample meditation that will soon be downloadable. This page will be updated with more meditations to come.
You’re Not Alone
Joseph Budenholzer, MA, CARC, CAI has over 30 years clean from heroin addiction. He started his healing journey in 1988 homeless in NYC and has worked in the recovery field for the past 15 years as a certified coach, meditation instructor, and interventionist, and is currently training as a Psychodrama Therapist. He lives with his family in Upstate New York.
Joseph has an undergraduate degree from NYU Gallatin Division Great Books Program, a diploma in the Stanislavki Method from Nikitski Gates Theater, Moscow, and a Masters Degree in Experimental Theater from State University of New York. He is the founder of Backworld as well as composer and librettist with the Obie Award winning Ridge Theater. His works have been performed at University of California Davis, Virginia Tech, New York University, and State University of Southern Connecticut.
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