For episode 244 Valerie Mason-John makes their first appearance on the Metta Hour to speak about their new book, “First Aid Kit for the Mind: Breaking the Cycle of Habitual Behaviors”.
Valerie is a founding facilitator of Compassionate Inquiry and the author of eleven books, including the award-winning book, “Eight Step Recovery.” They are a co-founder of the training program, Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery, and work as a public speaker in the field of Mindfulness for Addiction and Trauma.
In this conversation, Valerie and Sharon discuss:
- How lovingkindness saved Valerie’s life
- How Valerie became the “Bully Doctor”
- Valerie’s journey in recovery
- The importance of community in recovery
- Recovery Cafe
- Gabor Mate’s Compassionate Inquiry
- Thoughts are not facts
- First-Aid Kit for the Mind
- The breath is medicine
- What is still true? What can we rely on?
- Dharma: that which we can rely on
- Thich Naht Hanh’s influence on Valerie
- How to maintain mindfulness
- The role of Storytelling in Valerie’s work
- How story compounds addiction
- Playwriting and poetry as social justice
Valerie closes the conversation with a guided meditation LOVE from their new book, First Aid Kit for the Mind. Learn more about Valarie’s work on their website right here.