Guidebook for Recovery Published by Meditation Master Peter Amato

SCRANTON, PA (PRWEB) May 25, 2013

Part guidebook, part memoir, Peter Amato, M.A., Ph.D. candidate, released a book presenting a tried and true approach to meditation for the recovery community. Entitled Soul Silence: A Unique Approach to Mastering the 11th Step, the book outlines a comprehensive method for recovering addicts to develop a new understanding of the 11th step in any 12-step recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

With alcohol and drug dependence an ever-growing global health problem affecting the physical and psychological health of addicts and the people around them, the need for recovery assistance is great. Today millions of people are living life in long-term recovery from addiction. And, millions more family members and children of addicts have also found recovery.

In recovery from addiction, it is important to change ones lifestyle to include maintaining abstinence, healthy relationships, good nutrition, rest and exercise, reduce stress, and work to resolve personal problems, and among the most helpful is meditation, said Amato, meditation master and psychotherapist. Anyone searching for answers to the deeper experience of a better life should read Soul Silence. The book provides a way to move from recovery to self-discovery, while deepening the reason to embrace the 12 steps, as a path to humility and service. Many people in recovery follow a 12-step program. The 11th step refers to a persons relationship to prayer and meditation with regard to seeking peace through a power greater than the individual self. The 11th step encourages followers to pray for guidance only, not for tangible gain. Knowledge and practice of this step provides a more expansive awareness and heightens the ability to adopt positive behavior leading toward a more fulfilled, joyful life.

The quest for a connection with something greater than oneself is a powerful tool that helps free addicts from the grips of addiction, Amato wrote. Addicts themselves acknowledge that when they connect to a higher power whatever that may be to them they are more likely to stay sober, abstinent and serene for longer periods. They move forward in their recovery, not backward.

Meditation provides mental focus, Amato said. Prayer and meditation turbocharge your mind, connect your soul to spirit, make you receptive to ideas, strength and a sense of purpose that allows you to lead a life filled with compassion and meaning. Understanding this is the gift of sanity that the Twelve Steps promise.

He goes on to explain that people often use soul and spirit interchangeably. But I consider the soul the part of us that witnesses existence, that watches, that is. The soul is aware of thoughts and feelings coming and going. It is quiet, peaceful and alert. The soul is silent.

Spirit, on the other hand, is larger than we are. It is our higher power, God, the unifying forces of the universe.

Readers of Soul Silence can benefit from the material even if they dont believe in God or a higher power. Soul Silence takes one beyond a belief system to a direct experience. This is the key to self-realization, in moving beyond the mind, intellect and ego. To some, just the opportunity to become still and present is a major benefit, Amato said.

The 268-page paperback is filled with motivating stories from people in the recovery community, useful suggestions on how to begin meditating, yoga exercises and relaxation techniques. Soul Silence has received praise from many authors and meditation masters including Deepak Chopra who calls it a guide for the countless individuals struggling to navigate through recovery.

Link:
Guidebook for Recovery Published by Meditation Master Peter Amato