Eric's Sojourn and Path of Recovery

A few years ago, Eric arrived at a weekend retreat for Emotional Sobriety and Progressive Recovery looking for solutions he’d been unable to find in his early recovery. Sober, but not yet sufficiently balanced, he brought with him a strong foundation from the Twelve Steps as well as parallel practices from meditation gained through Buddhism, Shambhala and the Heart of Recovery.

During that retreat, Eric realized his path would necessarily lead him more and more deeply into the heart. And assured him he was not alone in his sojourn, that there were others similarly drawn into deeper practices of recovery.

What is remarkable is how an important element for Eric was to create his own foundation. He may not be unique as an alcoholic, yet his path would have to be uniquely fitting for him. Eric wrote his first book, Basic Sobriety, as his own personal exploration and fusion of Shambhala’s basic goodness, and the Twelve Steps.

In this recording, his lead topic for a session of the Working Group for Progressive Recovery, Eric takes on yet one more exploration.

Mottos are central to recovery, just as the equivalent of mantras are to Eastern spirituality. Here Eric provides a fusion between the power of these sayings in the rooms and in Buddhism. His new and currently unpublished book, “Lojong Recovery: The Twelve Steps and Retraining Our Thoughts”, brings forward teachings from more than a thousand years ago, ideas that can add to our recovery practices.

Please note the recording ends with a guided meditation, which we certainly encourage you to experience.

If you’d like to read about the Buddha’s Parable of the Raft that Eric uses, find it by clicking here.