2nd Annual Refuge Recovery Conference

Refuge Recovery Centers where I am Clinical Director is a trauma focused Buddhist addictions treatment center that uses the Refuge Recovery program as described in Noah Levine's book of the same name as its foundation for the treatment. Meanwhile, Refuge Recovery the non profit peer led fellowship has been expanding extensively over the last few years. There are now meetings all over the US and throughout the world, and new ones are popping up every day. The 2nd Annual Refuge Recovery Conference will take place at Against the Stream Melrose in Los Angeles from June 24-26, 2016.

On Saturday, June 25 from 3pm-5pm, Dharma workshops will be conducted for participants by George Haas, Mary Stancavage, Dave Smith and myself. This is a wonderful opportunity to share my Dharma and recovery path through explaining some aspects of the Dharma that hopefully will be helpful to those in attendance at the conference. It promises to be an exciting event --- if you ever wanted to picture yourself in an AA conference in the 1940s when the fellowship was new and going through its growing pains and making decisions about the future, this is an opportunity to get to replicate that feeling.

Refuge Recovery Centers has allowed me to not only synthesize all that the Dharma has brought into my life along with all the elements of my recovery and my professional life thus far, but also allowed me to infuse the Center with the spirit and practice of EMDR therapy in conjunction with Buddhist mindfulness. I hope to touch upon the relationship between trauma recovery and Dharma in my workshop, and I hope to help attendees to a greater understanding of their own journeys.

Mindfulness and EMDR: From Addictions to Body Image Issues and Beyond

Heading out to Claremont tomorrow to give a talk on the use of Mindfulness and EMDR therapy in the treatment of Body Image issues and Eating Disorders. This is an exciting time for me, as the training of all the clinicians at Refuge Recovery in EMDR is almost complete, and my presentation at the EMDRIA Conference in August has been accepted and scheduled. My colleague Dr. Jamie Marich and I are forging ahead with our book on Mindfulness and EMDR. The theory and ongoing practice of using the 8 phase protocol as a way of seeing cases at an addictions rehab truly seems to be making a difference, and I am looking forward to initial research and ongoing research on the subject.

When I was invited to give this talk in Claremont, it struck me that body image difficulties make perfect targets for trauma reprocessing, and it also became clear that this 8 phase protocol template for running an agency could have even wider implications. I am going to continue to present on the topic, write about the topic, and see what we all can do to hopefully better the lives of those who struggle with trauma related disorders.

More to come!

Podcast Download: Road to Healing the Underlying Causes of Addiction alongside Josh Korda

A free podcast download of Josh Korda & I discussing the Roads to Healing the Underlying Causes of Addiction from our talk at Dharma Punx NYC on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.

Click here to listen / download.

#MindfulMonday w/ #CTZNWELL

I had the privilege of being the teacher for the month of January for CTZNWELL's #MindfulMondays weekly online meditation... The archived footage is below if you would like to meditate with me on Setting Intention and New Beginnings...

MindfulMondays w/ Dr. Stephen Dansiger 1/4/16 New Beginnings: Setting Intention Sign up for #MindfulMondays at www.tinyurl.com/ctznwell To learn more about Dr. Stephen, visit http://www.drdansiger.com/

MindfulMondays w/ Dr. Stephen Dansiger_1/11/16 Sign up to join #MindfulMondays at www.tinyurl.com/ctznwell To learn more about Dr. Steve, visit http://www.drdansiger.com/

MindfulMondays w/ Dr. Steve 1-18-16 To sign up for #MindfulMondays, visit http://app.webinarjam.net/register/18163/04ca71b7c4 To learn more about Dr. Steve's Inaugural Clinical Dharma Retreat on infusing the Four-noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path into the self care of self and others, visit http://www.drdansiger.com/calendar/2016/1/30/clinical-dharma-half-day-retreat

MindfulMondays w/ Dr. Steven 1-25-16 To sign up for #MindfulMondays, please go to www.tinyurl.com/ctznwell To find out more about Dr. Steve's Clinical Dharma retreat and his work, please go to http://www.drdansiger.com/calendar/2016/1/30/clinical-dharma-half-day-retreat

Dharma Talk - The Brahmaviharas

A talk I did as part of DharmaSpring on the Bramaviharas, the Four Divine Abodes of Loving Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity - also touching upon the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path of the Buddha.

Recorded on Saturday, Jan 09, 2016 during a Day Long Retreat

Clinical Dharma Q&A w/ Dr. Dansiger & Noah Levine

Noah Levine and I provide answers to participants questions at the Inaugural Clinical Dharma Half Day Retreat. We address some of the issues to be dealt with in subsequent retreats and classes. These will be of interest to professional helpers and those who help people avocationally.

Recorded at the Inaugural Clinical Dharma Half Day Retreat on Saturday, Jan 30th, 2016 at Against The Stream, Santa Monica, CA.

4-Class Series: Transforming The Poisons

TRANSFORMING THE POISONS

A four part class series w/ Dr. Stephen Dansiger

Against The Stream - Melrose
Class dates: February 5 / 12 / 19 / 26, 2016
7:30 - 9:00PM

The three poisons – Greed, Anger, and Delusion – can be extinguished according to Buddhist teaching.
Are they extinguished suddenly, or are they actually more often transformed through dedicated practice?

In this four class series we will look at each of the poisons individually to gain insight into their nature and to discover the practices that can help us in their metamorphosis. The fourth class will bring all of our sitting, talks and Q&A discussion into focus, with the goal of each of us leaving the last gathering with a personal practice blueprint for transformation.

Early Buddhist teachings will be referenced as well as Zen teachings and teachers from the modern Insight tradition.

Cost: $20 per evening or $70 if paid in advance. There will be an opportunity to offer dana to the teacher at each class (teachers receive a portion of the reg fee and are supported by dana). Please pay at the highest level you can afford to support the Against The Stream programs and those who have less.
Some scholarships and work-study are available. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

$100 Plus Monthly Supporters of Against The Stream attend for no reg fee (but dana to the teacher is appreciated).

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

This class will be held at 4300 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, 90029

Inaugural Clinical Dharma Retreat

Join the inaugural Clinical Dharma Retreat for helping professionals with Dr. Stephen Dansiger and guest Noah Levine, followed by a 12 week class series in person or online.

Saturday, Jan 30th, 2016 (10AM - 1PM) @ Against The Stream - Santa Monica
1010 Colorado Blvd, Santa Monica CA
Free (Dana optional)

Clinical Dharma is a series of 12 classes designed by Dr. Stephen Dansiger to help helpers to infuse their self care, and their care of others, with the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path of the Buddha.  Also featured as part of Clinical Dharma is the opportunity to go on short retreats with Dr. Steve and guest teachers, where the focus will be on how our work practice is fed by our practice of Buddhist mindfulness.  These workshops can be found both in person and online.

All attendees of this first retreat will be given a 10% discount for one year on any Clinical Dharma classes, retreats or products.

Please RSVP on the calendar event page:

Dharma Talk: Ordinary Mind

At Against The Stream I am encouraged to infuse my Dharma Talks with my years of Zen Practice. Here I talk about Ordinary Mind:

http://www.againstthestream.org/ordinary-mind/

Dharma Talk: Loving Kindness

Loving Kindness (metta) can be incredible powerful. This Dharma Talk I did for Against The Stream on the subject followed a guided loving kindness meditation.

http://www.againstthestream.org/loving-kindness-2/