The emphasis is on the art of living (as outlined in Jost’s latest book “The Perfect Day Plan”) and providing the skills required for spiritual, emotional and physical fitness in the 21st century. Jost commissioned Brisbane’s hottest graffiti artist to give the place a stamp of originality and he has dedicated counseling rooms and healing rooms as well as an inviting lounge and some colorful interior decor.
According to the United Nations (UNODC), in the last twelve months some 200 million people, age 15-64, used illicit drugs. The majority of these, well over 162 million, were probably using cannabis – the most popular drug on the planet. Cannabis use has been steadily increasing (ten percent since the late 1990s) and according to expert opinions is continuing to increase at a rate faster than that of other drugs. Cannabis is the drug most of us start with and often the drug most of us finish with. My drug journey began with a joint when I was 16 and then, after LSD, cocaine, speed, heroin, mushrooms, mescaline and everything in between, it ended with a joint when I was in my 30s. I still remember those two joints (despite all the drugs I took in between), how magical the first one was and how mechanical the last was. In retrospect, marijuana was the drug that allowed my childhood dreams to resurface and all my drug experiences after that were really an attempt to recapture the initial magic of marijuana. If the experience had stayed magical I would probably never have stopped using it.
Opium, a powerful analgesic derived from the poppy plant has been used by humans for thousands of years. In 1803 morphine was derived from processed opium, and in 1874 heroin from morphine. There have been continuous waves of addiction to all three substances but, according to some sources, heroin use has recently escalated. There is no universally accepted reason why people use these drugs, but we do know that there are opiate receptor sites in the brain. In drug-circles, in my day at least, we assumed that this meant drug use was natural; if we weren’t meant to take drugs ,we wouldn’t have these receptors. But scientific research argues that the body makes its own opioids and that is why the receptors exist. As mentioned above, heroin is a derivative of morphine and the body produces endogenous or natural morphines, also known as endorphins, under shock or stress (Fernandez, H. Heroin Hazelden, Minnesota 1998). Either way, the fact is that humans have always been attracted to mood- and mind-altering substances and nothing has been able to control or prevent this. This is why I believe that we need to start working with drugs as opposed to working against them. This does not mean encouraging drug-use but finding other ways to achieve those states. This will demand a new sociological, therapeutic and philosophical framework and in my experience, Traditional Chinese medicine – applied outside its traditional parameters and in conjunction with Body-Mind medicine – is well-suited to this. Both consider body, mind and spirit equally which is crucial in dealing with drug-related pathologies, imbalances and life after drugs. Continue reading ‘HEROIN By Jost Sauer’
I had a client recently, a manager of a chain of hairdressing salons, who had been a heavy recreational speed user for a number of years. He had gone eight weeks without drugs and was working hard and using positive thinking techniques to get him through. Things had been manageable but then he hit a terrible day. It was a Sunday, his day off. From the moment he woke up everything felt wrong. He had no energy, no motivation to move and felt totally depressed and frustrated. His entire body ached and nothing inspired him. He had to go to a family lunch and he tried to suppress his negative feelings but after ten minutes he just couldn’t maintain his cheerful façade. Everyone knew he was off drugs and was expecting him to be normal and sociable but he couldn’t. His family felt triggered by his behaviour and kept asking what was wrong with him, this made him worse and he had to go home. But at home he was still overwhelmed by pain. He felt like he didn’t fit in with his family but didn’t belong in his own home either. He felt cheated because he was doing all the right things by giving up drugs but instead of feeling good he was feeling progressively worse. Everything made him cry, by the afternoon he started to have suicidal thoughts. Continue reading ‘DRUGS, DEATH AND REBIRTH by Jost Sauer’
Ecstasy (MDMA) is an unusual drug. Its chemical structure bears similarities to both the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Ecstasy is sometimes categorised as an entactogen — which means ‘touching within’ and, like all the other recreational drugs, it was developed for therapeutic use. It is a drug that provides insight and empathy and it was used covertly as a psychotherapeutic drug for several decades. It was reputedly highly successful in marriage and relationship counselling. Then Ecstasy hit the party circuit, got banned and became one of the most popular of the illicit drugs. The majority of its use is now of course recreational. In a recent publication on Ecstasy it was estimated that each weekend around the world nearly a million people take the drug. The author points out that when millions of people take a legal drug such as alcohol every week, the medical establishment sponsors thorough research and public education about that substance but when that substance goes underground it becomes inaccessible to researchers but readily available on the black market (Holland J. Ecstasy: the complete guide. Park Street Press, 2001). The result is widespread abuse, little useful information about the drug and its effects and no control over purity. Continue reading ‘ECSTASY INTERPRETED USING TCM By Jost Sauer’
Magic mushroom is the term popularly used to describe the mushrooms that have an hallucinogenic effect when consumed. According to Western research the principal psychoactive component of these mushrooms is psilocybin and the effects include significant visual, auditory and perceptual alterations. In lower doses magic mushrooms can induce hysterical laughter (as marijuana can do) but in higher doses there is a whole host of effects similar to those of more powerful hallucinogens such as LSD. Continue reading ‘MAGIC MUSHROOMS by Jost Sauer’
My new book on the Chi cycle called “THE PERFECT DAY PLAN” is now available in all good bookshops. The book delves much deeper into the Chi cycle than my articles published in Living Now. The most contemporary application of Traditional Chinese Medicine ever published, full with fascinating case histories and even simple recipe’s for a perfect day. Cute little book that is easy to read but life-changing – while fitting well in your pocket, bag or brief case to act as an instant reference guide throughout the day. Make “THE PERFECT DAY PLAN” the most important plan in your life. 
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