A Journey Toward Recovery:
SunDo’s Potential as an Embodied Therapy
Nearly 21 million Americans struggle with addiction, and as of 2017, only a mere 10 percent of those affected receive any kind of treatment. Those that do, have traditionally received cognitive-based or talk therapies that do not address the underlying effects of trauma’s imprint on the body. The practice of body-centered therapy teaches clients that all emotions and thoughts have a physical connection. Grounding themselves through the experience of the body, clients are able to reclaim their bodies as safe places, which allows new insights to develop. |
Recently, a unique rehabilitation center has been changing the script on addiction treatment using the ancient practice of SunDo — and they’re producing real results with it. SunDo, a Taoist practice consisting of yoga-like posture sets, breathwork, and meditation, is helping people struggling with addiction in a wonderful and profound way.
At a distance many of the services offered by Embodied Recovery in Los Gatos, California seem fairly standard — patients have access to individual case management, psychotherapy, biofeedback, psychoeducational groups, emotional process groups, and community support, but for founders Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan, these are just the starting points. Embodied Recovery works with 12 proprietary teachings that set them apart from their peers.
At a distance many of the services offered by Embodied Recovery in Los Gatos, California seem fairly standard — patients have access to individual case management, psychotherapy, biofeedback, psychoeducational groups, emotional process groups, and community support, but for founders Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan, these are just the starting points. Embodied Recovery works with 12 proprietary teachings that set them apart from their peers.
Vorst says, “some of the teachings are probably new to the addiction field — they’re things that we were inspired to create that are maybe more contemplative or spiritually based.” One of these primary teachings at Embodied Recovery is the consistent practice of SunDo across their organization — for clients, staff, and its chief officers as well.
Inspired to be different
In 2004, Vorst, a therapist of many passions including depth psychology, holistic health, and opera singing would meet one of the original SunDo masters and become deeply fascinated by the practice.
SunDo functioned as a missing piece in Vorst’s life. “My challenges earlier in life were really around stress and anxiety and feelings of low self worth, so showing up day in and day out for myself and practicing like that really changed how I felt inside,” Vorst says.
Vorst’s enthusiasm for SunDo filtered into both his work in therapy and his friendships — specifically that with his future business partner, Michael Nolan. “Greg introduced me to SunDo in 2017 and I practiced with him sporadically until a little over a year ago when we started practicing more regularly together,” Nolan says.
Nolan’s experience in addiction therapy comes not only from a decade of his own professional work in the field, but also first-hand experience as a former addict, himself. While traditional recovery programs played a crucial role in overcoming his addictions, the day-to-day anxieties and emotional ups and downs that followed proved challenging to manage. “When I started practicing SunDo more regularly, after only about six months of consistent practice, I noticed the general anxiety that had still been present after 10 years of sobriety wasn’t there anymore,” Nolan says. “I felt a strength within myself that I hadn’t felt before.” Learn more about Greg, Michael and Embodied Recovery associates >> The importance of consistency is a common theme in both Vorst and Nolan’s personal experiences with SunDo. Yet despite having received promising feedback in their attempts to integrate SunDo into the centers they had previously worked for, they lacked the organizational authority to implement the practice on a wider and more consistent basis. “Even in managerial roles which we were both in, it was difficult to hold staff accountable to different things we wanted to see when ultimately final say didn’t rest with us,” Nolan says. “Creating our own company allowed us to create that space and a home for our teachings, but also an opportunity to create the culture and vision that we wanted.” |
Greg Vorst, LMFT,
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer Michael Nolan, CADC-II, ICADC,
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer |
Individual successes with SunDo at Embodied Recovery
While SunDo was always part of the blueprint for Embodied Recovery’s teachings, the center’s founders did not know upfront how its requirement would be received. “We weren’t really sure what to expect when we started the program; we didn’t know if people were going to throw furniture at us or if they were going to really enjoy it,” Nolan says with a chuckle.
“We knew we were going to do it in the beginning and initially we just had it for a couple of days and people began to want it more and they began to really like this sense of “I know I’m starting my day with this,” Vorst adds.
In short time, SunDo’s presence within the center’s culture blossomed into a near daily ritual, being both offered and required Monday through Saturday in what amounts to about nine hours of individual practice a week. By and large, the move was not only well received, but, for many of their clients, it was positively transformative.
“I had one client who literally was convinced he would die without heroin or drugs — he hadn’t been sober since he was 13 and he was a man in his mid 30’s,” Vorst says. “He’s got two years now of sobriety. Since then, he’s started practicing SunDo four-to-five times a week and that was the thing that shifted for him — his capacity to feel “I’m not ruled by that” and the obsession to use. It melted once he started practicing.”
The consistent SunDo regimen also proved very effective for clients grappling with abusive and traumatic pasts. Vorst describes a client whose experience was that of being “disembodied” — meaning she didn’t feel like she was in her own body. |
Bodily dissociation is a natural coping mechanism for dealing with severe physical abuse and often leads to serious long-term psychological problems. While initially uncomfortable for her, consistent SunDo practice helped this client to confront her past trauma and reconnect with her whole self. This client is now nine months sober and attributes her progress to a regular practice routine.
Nolan describes another client who was emotionally crippled by years of physical and psychological abuse. This client would rock back and forth, crying and shaking. After about four weeks of SunDo practice, her breathing became more grounded and smooth and she was able to stay still and not fidget - clear indicators that her internal struggles had diminished. She was also able, through the communal practice regimen, to begin more openly trusting others again.
“With traditional recovery work, people have this fear of signing up for no more drug or alcohol use for the rest of my life — there’s no end in sight,” Nolan says. “With SunDo, being on a belt system, there’s a way in which it gives people goals to work towards that can feel really good when they achieve them,” he adds.
Nolan describes another client who was emotionally crippled by years of physical and psychological abuse. This client would rock back and forth, crying and shaking. After about four weeks of SunDo practice, her breathing became more grounded and smooth and she was able to stay still and not fidget - clear indicators that her internal struggles had diminished. She was also able, through the communal practice regimen, to begin more openly trusting others again.
“With traditional recovery work, people have this fear of signing up for no more drug or alcohol use for the rest of my life — there’s no end in sight,” Nolan says. “With SunDo, being on a belt system, there’s a way in which it gives people goals to work towards that can feel really good when they achieve them,” he adds.
What science tells us
While clinical studies are still in early stages, the research findings on both SunDo and deep diaphragmatic breathing tell an interesting story. The discipline appears to affect the physiology of its practitioners and these changes then play a very powerful role in addiction treatment.
The 2013 research project, A Pilot Study Examining the Effects of Kouk Sun Do on University Students with Anxiety Symptoms published in the Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress found that consistent practice of SunDo over a 4 week period significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in participants. These changes also seem to be linked to the increased production of the mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter serotonin, which deep breathing practices like SunDo promote. “We think this is very important for addiction because the studies are showing that when you deprive mice or rats of serotonin they start making wildly irrational or risky decisions,” says Vorst.
Serotonin is known to produce well-being and a sense of calm. In terms of addiction work, Vorst notes that serotonin is related to the capacity to be reflective, rather than reactive and risky, in one’s decision making. This cognitive shift is critical for managing triggers and a key to maintaining self-control in the recovery process.
A difference everyone notices
It isn’t just clients who notice a difference in their lives, Vorst and Nolan hear it about themselves from their professional peers as well. “What actually really impresses them is the feeling they get being with us and they begin to ask what we’re doing, and “can I do that?” We really attribute that to the daily practice,” Vorst says.
While clinical studies are still in early stages, the research findings on both SunDo and deep diaphragmatic breathing tell an interesting story. The discipline appears to affect the physiology of its practitioners and these changes then play a very powerful role in addiction treatment.
The 2013 research project, A Pilot Study Examining the Effects of Kouk Sun Do on University Students with Anxiety Symptoms published in the Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress found that consistent practice of SunDo over a 4 week period significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in participants. These changes also seem to be linked to the increased production of the mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter serotonin, which deep breathing practices like SunDo promote. “We think this is very important for addiction because the studies are showing that when you deprive mice or rats of serotonin they start making wildly irrational or risky decisions,” says Vorst.
Serotonin is known to produce well-being and a sense of calm. In terms of addiction work, Vorst notes that serotonin is related to the capacity to be reflective, rather than reactive and risky, in one’s decision making. This cognitive shift is critical for managing triggers and a key to maintaining self-control in the recovery process.
A difference everyone notices
It isn’t just clients who notice a difference in their lives, Vorst and Nolan hear it about themselves from their professional peers as well. “What actually really impresses them is the feeling they get being with us and they begin to ask what we’re doing, and “can I do that?” We really attribute that to the daily practice,” Vorst says.
Taoist Master Hyunmoon Kim, Ph.D.,
Founder SunDo International, Executive Director at the SunDo Retreat Center |
Having recently hosted Master Kim at their center for a workshop offered to clients and staff, Vorst and Nolan see SunDo as a vital and growing part of their lives personally and professionally. They plan to attend upcoming retreats to refine their SunDo practice and receive additional instructor training.
“From what we’ve seen so far, we feel confident in the way in which people’s lives are improving from this work so we can imagine that this will continue to grow in our recovery community and our hope is that Embodied Recovery can find ways of sharing this precious teaching with a larger audience,” Vorst says. Whether in typical day-to-day anxieties or the most dire of addiction treatments, SunDo’s potential as a powerful embodied therapy is just beginning it’s journey. To learn more about Embodied Recovery, please visit www.embodiedrecoverycenters.com. |
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