OUR VISION: Trauma-sensitive mindfulness & meditation based program

For the past two years, I have been working on a documentary film called DISCONNECTED. In this film, I explore the largest addiction crisis this country has ever seen and the ways in which we can heal our addicted society. There is a Paradigm Shift underway in the addiction treatment community which we are only starting to see in America. The knowledge and wisdom I have experienced while interviewing many of the pioneers in this movement has informed the creation of the Samadhi center and treatment program. Many of the people that have inspired me to create this center will be on the advisory board as well as visiting guest speakers in many cases giving workshops and lectures. The center has been endorsed by Dr. Andrew Tatarsky PHD (author of “Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, A new treatment for drug and alcohol problems”) as well as many other specialists in the field. Samadhi is not just a center but a movement in our community.

I would create outreach and aftercare programs to work with families and individuals suffering with substance use disorder in Ulster, Sullivan, Greene and Columbia County where there are very few resources. These outreach programs would be centered around the C.R.A.F.T. program created by Dr. Robert J. Meyers. The Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training (CRAFT) is a scientifically based intervention designed to help concerned significant others (CSO’s) to engage treatment-refusing substance abusers into treatment. The CRAFT program steers clear of any confrontation or stigmatization. The program has a success rate of nearly 70% based on scientific research.

There are estimated to be over 480,000 people in New York State that go untreated from addiction. These outreach centers would work as non-profits to educate, advise and heal many of our upstate communities and their families.

I am currently conducting a Trauma-sensitive mindfulness and meditation based program that I have started at two traditional drug treatment centers. The patients are not only making significant progress in their recoveries but also understanding that the process will change the way they lead and view their lives. The patients are asking for more sessions to be available on the schedule. I believe that to truly inspire people to find their own recovery an environment of compassion, respect and responsibility needs to be present.