What To Do When the Doors of Perception Are Closed — The Magic in Meditation

“Rehab is for Quitters.” I always grin when I hear that phrase. It’s a play on words, sarcastically combining an uncompromising attitude toward life with the reality of why people end up in rehab — to quit trying to destroy themselves. Ironically, it also implies why people have such difficulty getting sober, as their pride blocks any chance of receiving help.

I couldn’t solve that riddle while I was at a detox center, my temporary residence as I awaited the start of a 21-day drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. It was day 2 of 7, and the alcohol fog had begun to dissipate, revealing stark reality.

I was informed that an acupuncturist routinely visited the detox center and provided Auriculotherapy, or ear acupuncture. It is used to treat conditions affecting a patient’s physical, mental, or emotional health; in this case, the treatment was to be combined with meditation.

I had never tried acupuncture, and I wasn’t particularly fond of needles, especially those that would be inserted into my ears. Although I had attempted meditation before my arrival, one of the many self-help undertakings I attempted, I found it to be challenging, unrewarding, and rather pointless. Who has time to sit quietly for twenty minutes and despairingly try to think of nothing? But when you’re desperate, you will try anything.

The acupuncturist seated us in a quiet room and inserted needles into our ear lobes. It was a strange…