Metta Hour With Sharon Salzberg

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 lifeHow Valerie became the “Bully Doctor”Valerie’s journey in recoveryThe importance of community in recoveryRecovery CafeGabor Mate’s Compassionate InquiryThoughts are not factsFirst-Aid Kit for the MindThe breath is medicineWhat is still true? What can we rely on?Dharma: that which we can rely onThich Naht Hanh’s influence on ValerieHow to maintain mindfulness The role of Storytelling in Valerie’s workHow story compounds addiction