The Role of Mindfulness in Recovery from Eating Disorders and Substance Use, with Josh White

Among the red rock cliffs of Sedona, a group of young adults sit together in the Arizona sun, meditating with their roshi - a master instructor in zen tradition. Many of the students have already been through wilderness therapy or other recovery programs. They reside at nearby Red Mountain Sedona, an independent living program where they’re learning how to integrate, alongside more traditional therapies, mindfulness practices to create a healthy, productive, and sustainable substance-free life.

My guest today is the founder of Red Mountain, Josh White, who is also a clinical mental health counselor, certified group psychotherapist, and second-ranking practitioner of Ten-Chi kenpo in the world. 

In this episode, we discuss the incredible power that meditation and mindfulness practice can give young people in recovery - stepping outside cravings and impulses, observing them, interrogating them, and allowing them to pass. This conversation will also be my first foray into the issue of eating disorders, which Josh will place in the overall context of addiction. 

Over the course of this discussion, we’ll talk about:

How we build the muscles of mindfulnessHow young people today respond to the concept of using mindfulness in their quest for recovery from substance misuseThe difference between meditation and mindfulness, and their individual roles in recoveryHow the isolation of covid and social media are affecting eating disorders and body issues in young people

The podcast is now part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community: www.hopestreamcommunity.org
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms, at www.hopestreamcommunity.org/the-stream/
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download my free e-book, HINDSIGHT: Three Things I Wish I Knew When My Son Was Misusing Drugs: www.brendazane.com/hindsight
Join my email list: www.brendazane.com/email