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Sankalpa is a holistic centre that works with people who are seeking support to detox off methadone.

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Archive for September, 2011

The Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules For Living

Friday, September 30th, 2011

At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama apparently issued eighteen rules for living. Since word travels slowly in the digital age these have only just reached me. Here they are.

  1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
  2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
  3. Follow the three Rs:
    1. Respect for self
    2. Respect for others
    3. Responsibility for all your actions.
  4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
  5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
  6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
  7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
  8. Spend some time alone every day.
  9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
  10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
  11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
  12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
  13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
  14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
  15. Be gentle with the earth.
  16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
  17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
  18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Thank you for reading these rules for living.  Lets practice them together and make the world a better place.

Visit my website www.drtomobrien.ie or at http://www.facebook.com/drtomobrien

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Recovery Please: A Media Portrayal of Life After Addiction

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

When a rehabilitation service takes a student on placement there is always a risk attached.  Our recent experience with Aisling, Amy, David and Jennifer from DCU reminded us of how important it is to take risks and involve students with fresh ideas, sparking imaginations and creativity that turns heads in the development of our services.  Over a period of two months Aisling, Amy, David and Jennifer worked with a group of participants from Sankalpa through the medium of visual communications to produce a short film entitled “Recovery please” that we think you will enjoy and share with your friends.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Eugene Finane who died suddenly on Monday 16th May 2011.  Eugene was on our team for a year and was due to start a new role as a project support worker.  He ran a men’s group in Sankalpa with great skill, compassion and professionalism.  He had just completed the Merchants Quay course on addiction and was hungry to learn more  and to help others in what ever way he could.  He was also very involved with the support group “Unmarried and Seperated Parents of Ireland (www.uspi.ie).  May he rest in peace.

The meaning of Sankalpa

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Recently I gave a presentation to the participants and staff of Sankalpa on the meaning of Sankalpa.  I hope you will take the time to look at this short presentation as Sankalpa is a way of being that we can all learn and practice!  By Dr. Tom O Brien, Manager, Sankalpa