June 30, 2025
Hossein,
Great to hear from you again, especially under the recent circumstances. Like most, I've been following the situation between your country and mine, and I'm glad to hear you and your loved ones OK.
I should say that my last email was purely meant to give you glimpse of my personal views. In the words of Rollo May,
"...the psychologist must continually analyze and clarify his own presuppositions."
As a scientist, I am not free of my biases. However, I sincerely believe in Bill White’s philosophy that any and all pathways to recovery should be celebrated (and studied). It is precisely that Congress 60 is not a 12-step program that fuels my curiosity. The more alternatives that proliferate, the more likely it is for the person struggling with addiction to find help. Hearing some of the experiences that Ehsan shared, I am saddened that the clinical and scientifc establishment in the West (i.e., European, American) tends to ignore or outright discredit innovations from other places. Aspects of Congress 60 may provide solutions to many of the pervasive issues we struggle with on this side of the world: integrating medication/chemical pathways to recovery, fostering community-based peer support, supporting a new lifestyle after addiction.
I appreciated listening to the lecture you sent me. Congress ۶۰ seems to place a strong emphasis on cognition/thinking. I agree that surrounding yourself with positive people tends to make oneself feel more positive. My favorite material Ehsan has sent me is photos of your members gathering to feast together and play sports. I think those situations make substance use become illogical. Why would you choose to be intoxicated (shut off from reality), when it becomes more rewarding to engage with the world.
I’m not sure I have a solid definition of psyche, I’m happy to hear your thoughts. Reading some existentialist literature lately, I am drawn to this quote from Abraham Maslow which may or may not have something important to say about the psyche (and its resistance to change):
“I am convinced that much of what we call now call psychology is the study of the tricks we use to avoid the anxiety of absolute novelty by making believe the future will be like the past”.
Do you mind sharing the traditions of Congress 60? Also, why do you think some people benefit from ۱۲-step groups and some don’t? Ehsan always says I took the ‘hard road’ to recovery (vs. Congress 60), which I think is an interesting thought. I wondered if your members ever shared why the 12-steps didn’t work for them, and what they felt made Congress 60 different.
Sincerely,