The Substance Program
Developing the Self offer talks, workshops, retreats and direct support for individuals and communities to build an understanding of consciousness-altering substances and their impact on the healthy development in young people and adults.
The Substances program’s particular focus is on supporting young people aged 12 to 19 at a challenging and crucial time in their development when emotions and difficult inner experiences are amplified and can lead them to use substances to ‘fill’ or ‘fix’ feelings of longing and loneliness or to intensify their experience of the world. The program provides insight and practical support to students, families, schools, and other communities towards understanding:
how and why people use consciousness-altering substances, including social, political and economic influences on the culture of substance use
short/long term effects of alcohol and drugs on thinking, feeling, and will impulses
risks such as addiction, psychosis, anxiety, depression, and risks in relation to sexuality
where young people are in their development year-by-year so that we/they can better understand their inner experiences of the world
the strengths that are developed through being able to manage strong emotions and bear difficult inner experiences, which in turn helps them to learn about themselves as individuals, and the capacities they have and want to develop to bring to the world
The adult program also includes healing the effects of substance use:
Providing resources to support healthy development and wellbeing in body, mind and spirit.
Education on the potential of adult inner development exercises and meditation to heal the impacts of past substance use.
Individual biography work to understand the causal source of substance use.
Individualized health and nutrition programs.
Contact us for more information and bookings.
