186. Tom Catton

Tom Catton has been in long-term recovery since October 20, 1971. His story appears in a twelve-step fellowship text with more than seven million copies in circulation around the world. Tom is invited to speak in the US and internationally several times a year at twelve-step conventions in front of audiences ranging from 500 to 10,000 people. He has been taking twelve-step meetings into the prison system in Hawaii since 1984. He has been active in service positions over the years, including serving on a committee that met for over three years to write a recovery text for a twelve-step fellowship. Tom is author of The Mindful Addict: A Memoir of the Awakening of a Spirit Tom is on the advisory board of the Buddhist Recovery Network, and is also trained in Tibetan singing bowl therapy. He leads a Buddhist recovery meditation group that meets twice a month in Hawaii. Trained in MBSR Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction; also initiated in several schools of meditation and has practiced daily for 40 years. Tom's Facebook page. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview conducted 7/27/2013 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Tom Catton: A Journey of Awakening 00:02:55 - Volunteering for Addiction, Becoming a Guide 00:06:15 - Addiction as a Gift 00:09:34 - The Possibilities of Expanded Consciousness 00:12:02 - Addiction and the Search for Fulfillment 00:15:01 - The Journey of Self-Discovery 00:18:11 - The Strange allure of addiction 00:20:36 - The Birth of the 12-Steps 00:23:25 - Seeking Something Different 00:26:06 - A Guided Journey to Recovery 00:28:29 - The Profound Intuition of a Wise Woman 00:31:23 - Following Intuition and Guidance 00:34:29 - Finding Guidance in Recovery and Meditation 00:37:29 - The Cessation of the Thought Process 00:39:58 - The Twelve Steps of Recovery 00:43:04 - Freedom from Suffering: Handing Over to a Higher Power 00:45:41 - Recovery and the Role of a Sponsor 00:47:54 - Enlightenment through Service 00:50:49 - Spreading Love in India 00:53:24 - Becoming a Conduit for Love 00:55:59 - Dark Nights of the Soul 00:58:43 - The Illusion of Self and the Planet's Need for Help 01:01:13 - The Bodhisattva's Vow and the Limitlessness of Enlightenment 01:04:20 - The Beauty of the 12 Steps and the Dharma 01:07:03 - Still Climbing the Ladders 01:09:38 - The Importance of Spiritual Practice in Daily Life 01:12:30 - Finding Strength in Weakness 01:15:12 - Positive Obsessions for Recovery and Meditation 01:18:00 - Learning to Write by Writing 01:20:29 - Concluding Remarks 01:22:57 - Upcoming Interview with Eric at my House