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If you aren’t familiar with Maum Meditation it is a form of meditation that originated in Korea in 1996. They have over 350 centers worldwide now. I wanted to give my testimonial because it has benefited me greatly (including getting rid of my desire for alcohol) and I know it could help countless others.
I began Maum about a year ago and I have become so much happier and completely at peace. For years I struggled on and off with depression and anxiety. I did not feel fulfilled and I desperately wanted to find the truth of my existence. The world and all its violence and suffering did not make sense to me. I read a lot of spiritual and metaphysical books and spent time with meditation teachers and did meditation off and on for about 10 years. While these things helped some, it wasn’t until I found Maum that things really began to change.
As I went to the guided subtraction sessions, more and more of the false ideas that had coagulated in my mind began to dissolve. This allowed more freedom to open up in my life. The more I went, the better I felt. I felt like I was being cleansed each time I went and I still feel that way.
We all clean our houses, our cars, our bodies, but so few of us clean our minds. Our minds are constipated and full of junk. They are literally overflowing with illusions based on our past experiences and we live our lives through the illusions which cause us to be unhappy, irritated and not have any sense of Truth in our lives. We live in a hell-like state always seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.
The more darkness and constipation someone has in their mind, the more unhealthy and violent they could be. A good example of this would be the difference between a serial killer vs. a saint.
What happened with Maum is I saw beyond the body and mind and into something far more expansive, far more grounding and far more real. It is like entering into a 4th dimension when all you had known before was 3D. The world looks completely different now that this Truth has entered into my mind. Like a vacuum, it continues to suck up all of that is false.
I no longer have depression or anxiety because I no longer have fear. Yes, I still feel emotions but I am not bound by them. To me, they are like I buzzing bee that passes with the breeze. They are nothing. I have seen the ground of being and where were come from and why we are here. I understand now why the world is the way it is.
Spiritual texts now make sense to me when I was confused by them before. They are all speaking from that place of Truth that enlightened beings were pointing at. You can live in this Truth if you discard your illusions.
One of the most dramatic things that it has helped is that it got rid of my desire for alcohol. I had gotten into the habit of having too many drinks after work on way too many occasions. It was if there was this undercurrent of energy that I couldn’t stand to feel and only the alcohol could suppress that energy. But that energy dissolved with meditation and I have not had any alcohol since Dec. I have felt no need for it.
I am excited to wake up in the morning and I look forward to going to work rather than dreading it. I can see that duality is an illusion and therefore I have more compassion for others. The world appears more beautiful and vibrant because I don’t have all the mind junk clouding my vision anymore. I can see the world the way it is and not through the filters of my mind. I feel like I can breathe for the first time. It is so amazing to know Truth and live your life this way. It is living in Heaven. I have more energy because I have less dragging me down mentally and I am healthier because of it.
I could go on and on about all the changes, but it would take too long. I am only in Level 3 and I cannot imagine it getting much better than this but they say it does. Please give it a try. If you stick with, I can promise you, your life will only get better on every level.
b3nault,
Thank you so much for that update.
Iodine References Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/iodinereferenes/iod-
Grizz
I want you to know how sorry I am that this happened to you, and you didn't "deserve" it.
I have experienced my share of sexual assaults during my lifetime, and I never reported any of them - I believed that I was somehow responsible for those events, and that I should have "known better," thus adding to the shame-core beliefs that had been formed during my childhood as a result of a dysfunctional home environment. Fear was the greatest factor in my not reporting the incidents - a fear that I would not be believed, and that I would be blamed for the actions of others. I have carried layers of shame for nearly my entire lifetime.
Having typed that, you're not "stupid," and that feeling is not a fact. It's a layer of shame that the rapist placed on you, which is a typical response. You have nothing to be ashamed of - a crime was committed against you. And, chances are, this guy has done this, before.
Absolutely, tell you counseling therapist about the event. Please, keep in mind that your counselor is not going to sit in judgment of you, nor will they lay blame on you. Your therapist will help you to come to your own decisions about how to process the crime that was committed against you, and determine what your course of action(s) will be.
BlueRose is a strong supporter of the National Rape Hotline, www.rainn.org, and am passing this site along to you so that you can begin to sort out this horrific event. You are not alone, and you are not required to define who you are by this event, or any others.
The most important thing for you, right now, is to live in the present and to process the event with your counselor. (S)he will likely encourage you to report the crime, and that will have to be a personal decision. That you are doing the work to process your lifetime of experiences and taking responsibility for your sobriety (CONGRATULATIONS!!!) is a reflection that you intend to be who you are and emerge from your traumas.
As for telling your sponsor, I cannot tell how to approach that. I can only tell you what I would do, especially given the personal work that I've done processing my own traumas. I would first tell my counselor, then my sponsor, then I would report the crime. Even if it would be his word against mine, I would still report it because people who do this don't just wake up and think, "Gee, my life has been so dull, lately, that I'm going to sexually assault someone." Rape is not about sex - it's about control, shame, humiliation, devaluing, and the whole host of negatives that occur for their victims. This guy has likely done this, before, and will do it, again, because he's figured out the "shame" factor that typically prevents rape victims (male, as well as female) from reporting their crimes.
EDIT ADD: And, please, do not judge any 12-Step program by the actions of this one man. To be sure, there are many predators that use many means to serve their purposes, and AA can be one of them. But, typically, people who are involved in AA as a matter of their own choice (not Court-ordered, or mandated by family) are interested in personal recovery and healing.
My very best wishes to you.
My response is not intended to diminish your experiences, whatsoever.
Did you report these crimes to anyone? Sponsor, or law enforcement? If not, I encourage you to do so, immediately, and to contact Victim's Services to provide assistance to you. I've been involved in 12-Step programs since 1975 and the first "rule" of meeting conduct is to never get involved with fellow members. There is a reason for this and it has to do with why we have personal issues that are a catalyst for our addictions, to begin with.
It is a moral imperative to report ANY sexual assault, regardless of whether it was in the room of an AA meeting, or by a fellow AA member. You typed that you had been in a relationship with all three of the rapists, and you did not deserve this and you need to report these crimes to someone and get onto your healing path so that you learn how to avoid these types.
As far as AA not being a safe place, it has been a godsend and lifesaver for tens of millions of people across the globe. Everywhere you go, there will be predators. The only reason that it seems as if there are more predators within these groups is because those of us that engage in them are vulnerable, and we're laying out those vulnerabilities right out there during meetings. This is one of the main reasons that we don't date fellow members. Ever.
Even outside of any support group, it is estimated that 20% of the population is at some level of sociopathy. That means that 20 out of every 100 people that you walk past could possibly be a sociopath. A sociopath doesn't have to have bodies in a basement. The only requirements for sociopathy are an absence of conscience, empathy, remorse, or pity.
One woman that I know did marry a fellow member after knowing him for 3 years. He told her that he and a friend were going to climb Mt. Everest. This is not a joke, and it's not an anecdote - this is 100% true. She, being vulnerable and needy, trusted his word and I questioned how someone who had NEVER even climbed a rock face could possibly imagine that they were going to attempt to climb Everest without years of training. She shrugged and said that it had been something that he and his friend had kept on their bucket lists, for years.
So. This man and his friend take off for a month. Then, they come back. Then, she begins seeing his cell phone blow up with incoming messages and emails when he set it aside a couple of times. She finally picked it up, one day, when he was in the the shower and discovered that her husband had taken a grand sex-tour to Thailand and paid out a tremendous amount of money to engage in every manner of sexual deviance, including taking the virginity of an 8-year-old child.
We do not date fellow members. Ever. If something criminal happens to us, we report it, immediately. These are things that we must do in order to protect ourselves, and others.
Finally, doing stepwork at home without the interaction of good, solid members to guide us and support us is reckless. It is generally unsuccessful.
Please. Don't judge any 12-Step program on the actions of a few. And, pay close attention to who is claiming what about whom. Those of us who are involved in these groups aren't there because we're bored. We're there because we need to do some serious work on ourselves. And, some of us suffer from addictions to drama/trauma.
Best wishes to you
For more information on reporting a crime, visit: www.rainn.org.
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