A Recovering Addict Discovers The Clearmind Awakening Workshop
This is the story of a recovering addict called Paul and his experience with the Clearmind International Awakening workshop, a life-altering invitation to a deeper, richer experience of self, through the transformative power of authentic, vulnerable connection.
The Clearmind international institute offers speaker series events, personal growth workshops, a counsellor training program and a personal development school. With its headquarters in Langley, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada it runs various workshops centered around a whole range of emotional needs and works with with people from all around the world.
The Awakening workshop is a creative, empowering, process-oriented course for both women and men that usually takes place over a weekend.
It reveals that happiness is a by-product rather than a goal. The experience of connection transcends happiness and wellbeing, encompassing the whole spectrum of human experience, and beyond that to our spiritual existence.
Clearmind International believe that “We are suffering in isolation. We don’t know how to connect, and the ways we go about attempting to do so often contribute to the problem.
The lack of authentic connection explains and contributes more to our personal malaise, family and work conflict, high divorce rates, behavioural disorders, mental illness, and physical sickness than any other factor.”
They go on to state that “There is now an abundance of well-constructed, long term research that shows unequivocally that human beings are happier, healthier and live longer when we have strong relationships.
We are at our best when we are living a connected life.” Below is Paul’s experience with the Awakening workshop.
Paul’s story of his Clearmind Awakening experience
“My name is Paul and I’m a recovering addict of 7 years. I found my way into the ‘rooms’ on the 7th July 2010 and they helped me to keep clean of substance abuse and addiction and slowly build the resilience to participate in a clean life.
My substance abuse and addiction problems though goes well beyond excessive intake of mind-altering substances. Drink and Drugs are the symptom, not the disease.
And it was with Clearmind International and their Awakening workshop that I took the first steps to uncover and correcting the real problem in my life – which to cut to the chase – is my relationship with myself and, as a consequence, others too.
I discovered that I carry a deep-seated belief of low-self esteem, or as Clearmind call it a “Suspicion of Self” (S0S), that I am a Joke, born from events that happened way back in early childhood. And the way I viewed the world, and the acts of others in it, were all clouded by this belief. I saw what I believed.
And thus my thoughts, feelings and behaviours were negatively influenced as a result. I looked for evidence that my belief was true, I self-sabotaged to prove it true.
I wore a mask in public, felt fake and so absolutely knew it to be true.
And as I aged, the belief got stronger and stronger. I spiralled and substances provided escape and relief from this pain.
The Awakening is just that. It’s like taking the Red Pill (see The Matrix!). It gave me insight into the game I was playing with myself, so I could be in a position to correct it.
And then I did the hard bit.
I corrected. Our SOS is generated in a relationship, in a state of high emotion. And so that’s where correction needed to happen too.
I sat with the shameful feelings that emanate from the SOS and then I connected vulnerably with other human beings, whom I previously judged as my judges, and shared what was going on for me.
And guess what? They were able to help me see that my belief wasn’t true. That what I believe, feel and ultimately see, isn’t real.
As the SOS lifted, so did how I saw the world. And when my perception changed, my thoughts, feelings and actions changed too.
Today I don’t need relief. I don’t need to drink and take drugs anymore. Because my name is Paul, and I am seriously good.”
More Information about the Clearmind International Institute
Now in its third decade, Clearmind Institute has been attracting students and faculty who are interested in deepening their connections and evolving their relationships with themselves, important relationships at home and work, and their respective communities.
Clearmind’s campus and online culture reflect the core of the first-year class: your life is the curriculum. It is grounded in a unique blend of emotional responsibility and loving out loud in a psycho-spiritual or transpersonal framework.
This responsible love extends to the larger community and planet, where students contribute their unique purpose with authenticity.
The Clearmind International community is made up of consciously connecting individuals from all walks of life who have chosen to aspire to lives of honesty and integrity.
As such, it is also a social and supportive network of different but like-minded individuals working towards positive change in their lives and others.
Clearmind is an inspirational heart-centred community that stands for evolution through relationships. They support each individual to actualize their unique life purpose and live in a state of interdependence.
For more information on Clearmind visit their website here.
If you feel that Paul’s experience is something you can relate to and might need further help coming to terms with then maybe consider getting in touch with one of our therapists at HQ Therapy rooms.