The value of staying in a drug and alcohol rehab center is to learn and practice new skills.  To learn a new skill one thing is required, and it is the ability to be open.  It is difficult to change and acquire new skills if you don't have the ability to really listen.  If you want to learn, you have to listen, at least on some extent without internal dialogue.  If you are contantly having a discussion in your head about what is being said, you are missing at least half of it.  You are also simply looking for the parts you agree with.  You are activley negating any parts you disagree with.  It others words you are making what is being said simply conform with your concept of the world.  This is not listening and it absolutely in not learning.

When you are actively listening you are for the moment purely concetrating on what is being said WITHOUT judgement.  you are going for the whole meaning.  If you have done a great job of listening you will be able to restate clearily the tone and the meaning of what was said with ease.  I'm not asking you to blindly accept what anyone else says.  I'm asking you to really listen to what they say before you make a judgment on it.  I'm asking you to fairly state their information before disecting it.

This is why it is so important to learn the skill of meditation.  If you cannot mediate at all on some level you cannot listen.  Meditation is really the art of turning off the running dialogue within you head.  In drug and alcohol abuse it becomes more and more difficult to achieve this state.  This is why most drug and alcohol rehab programs have meditation in them.  Meditation skills are the forerunners of great listening skills.  Great listening leads to the ability to process new information and learn.  If might seem counterintutitive, but if you are stuck in your life, mediation is one of the first things you might want to consider.

If you really want to move past addiction in a hurry learn to meditate on the abilty to be open to new ideas and skills.  Meditate on truly active listening and visualize yourself listening to others intently without judgement.  Drug and alcohol rehab is the perfect time to learn how to listen.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 10:54 am and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.