By MARY NUGENT Staff Writer Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 Couple finds meditation William "Rahasya" Poe remembers when he worked with teen-agers at a detox and recovery home in San Diego. "They used to tell me how cool it is to get high and party," said Poe. "So I told them a story. I told them they're standing on a cliff and ready to jump off. They're freefalling, and they don't know there are rocks at the bottom. And they are getting ready to hit the rocks." His little story illustrates what people addicted to drugs and/or alcohol don't want to see, he said: Hitting the rocks is inevitable. This is difficult to get across sometimes to an adolescent that is still in freefall from jumping off the cliff. Poe and his wife, Dhara Lemos, have put their thoughts about meditation as a key source of success in fighting addiction into a book. "The 12 Spiritual Laws of Recovery and Meditations for the 12-Step Program" was published earlier this year. It can be used along with the 12-step program of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, or on its own. "In 1995 I was in a fire," Poe recalled. "It made me think a bit. I had been using drugs for years and I wanted something better. Through meditation I quit doing drugs and realized I didn't have to be a recovering addict all my life. I wanted to finish the recovery. I wanted a new life." His wife never used drugs, but she had troubling family issues. She started therapy as a teen-ager and today, at 44, credits meditation with the serenity in her life. She teaches meditation and several other healing methods. The couple recently moved to Chico, but have lived in India, England, Germany and Brazil. They met in Brazil, Lemos' native land. "The 12 Spiritual Laws of Recovery" is written in simple English, published in large type and includes lots of white space and graphics. Poe said attention spans are shorter for addicts, and even shorter for teen-agers who are addicted. "The moment you use drugs and alcohol, your emotional development stops," said Poe, who is 55 and a clinical hypnotherapist. "People use drugs and alcohol to avoid feeling. When you learn to meditate, things are a lot quieter inside." But finding the quiet inside is not a moment's process. It takes practice. Poe has found that teen-agers are especially responsive to it although the concept is foreign to American youth in general. "Life is like 30-second sound bytes for teens," added Poe. "I would take a group of kids and walk down the beach and do meditation." He found them receptive in San Diego, and today still receives e-mails from some who found sobriety and serenity. "Addiction is not the problem, but the outcome of the problem. When you add deep emotional pain, it is a bottomless pit. It takes courage to face it," said Lemos. Poe explained. "As addiction builds it becomes part of your personality and ego. Your identity depends on you being addicted and in some kind of drama." Lemos added another example. "People who have been in pain and suffering, that becomes their drama." Both said whatever the problem, people must take responsibility for their own lives in order to change. "That means taking responsibility for your own spiritual and physical environment," said Lemos. "There are kids who are born into a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. They look at what adults are doing to the world. They see the economy, the ecology ... Society may be crazy, but there are also people trying to find a balance and get answers," said Poe. "It is so easy to blame, but kids can realize life is a choice. They have their wisdom." Lemos, who has extensive experience working with troubled teenagers in Brazil and in the U.S., said she felt a true change in her own life between the ages of 17 and 23. "I found meditation and I wanted to do more. I found peace because I changed. You cannot expect that of anyone else. Once you do meditation, everything changes," she said. Poe said his experience reveals there is no set formula to help teens change. "Some change in a heartbeat, in a moment. For others, it is harder," he said. Lemos added that treating teens with respect and asking for it in return, is key. "The 12 Spiritual Laws of Recovery" is available at Chico State University bookstore, S&S Produce, Chico Natural Foods and Readmore Books, and online bookstores. The couple plan to offer meditation workshops for troubled adolescents in Chico. They already did one for Community Collaborative for Youth, and are teaching "The Western Mind" through the Chico Area Recreation District. They will introduce their book this fall in the Butte College Alcohol and Drug Studies Program. For details Poe and Lemos at 342-2280. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Carol Dutcher Staff Writer
Twenty-two years ago I walked into Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there I was introduced to the 12 Steps and meditation. For years I gathered information from various sources but too seldom did it come in a clear and concise form.
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