An exclusive interview with Mr. Hossein Dezhakam, the innovator of the DST method (to cure addiction) and the Base of Congress 60
Interviewer: Please tell our readers a little about yourself.
Mr. Dezhakam: If I were to introduce myself, those who know me already do, and those who don’t, well, there’s no need for them to. In short, my name is Hossein Dezhakam. I was born on November 16, 1949, and I am an electrical engineer, having graduated from the Iran University of Science and Technology
Interviewer: What is the difference between quitting addiction and curing addiction?
Mr. Dezhakam: It’s like the difference between being literate and illiterate. A literate person has gone to school, learned the alphabet step by step, and now they can read and write, while an illiterate person cannot. Similarly, a person who has undergone cure (in Congress 60) has learned the necessary lessons gradually, restored their physiological balance, and achieved overall balance and stability. However, someone who has quitted drugs abruptly experiences a physical shock and becomes unbalanced. Their immune system is weakened, increasing the risk of stroke and relapse. If illness occurs, their body cannot defend itself effectively, which may lead to severe obesity and other health problems.
Interviewer: Why is the treatment medication in Congress 60 Opium Tincture, and why haven’t the medications recommended by other doctors been included in your treatment protocol?
Mr. Dezhakam: The medications other doctors prescribe are based on their academic training and are mainly used for symptomatic or supportive purposes. For example, methadone may be given to prevent drug use, sleeping pills for insomnia, and antidepressants for depression. These treatments address symptoms rather than the root cause. Most specialists have not piloted or tested opium as a treatment, so they are not familiar with its properties. If they gained the same experience we have, they would certainly include opium or opium tincture in their protocol. In fact, it is now recognized in the Ministry of Health’s official guidelines. Their lack of awareness is simply because they have not worked directly on this approach.
Interviewer: What do you personally consider to be the first step or initial thought for people struggling with addiction who are fed up with it?
Mr. Dezhakam: The first step is for them to track how much drug they take, when they use it, and which kinds of drugs they take. My first recommendation is that if they are using multiple drugs, they should cut it down to just one, preferably opium, and keep a record of the amounts and times. Taking this step could solve perhaps half of the problem
Interviewer: Given that advertisements for rehabs outside of Congress 60 often claim '100% guaranteed,' is there such a guarantee for treatment at Congress 60?
Mr. Dezhakam: Please note, there’s really no such thing as 100% certainty. Neither you nor I can guarantee that Tehran will be intact on its current place tomorrow, or even that we ourselves will be alive. Absolute guarantees just don’t exist. Those ads that promise '100% guaranteed'—in my opinion, that’s basically a scam. In Congress 60, we also can’t give a guarantee, but the relapse rate is much lower than the usual standard. It’s so low that most people around the world would find it hard to even imagine.
Interviewer: What does serving in Congress 60 mean?
Mr. Dezhakam: Serving in Congress 60 is like blood flowing through the body or rain nourishing the Earth. There are two points here:
1. People who serve get (feel) better day by day. They get involved, others notice and appreciate them, and gradually people come to like them. This helps a lot with their recovery and personal growth.
2. Congress 60 keeps running because of these acts of service. Without them, Congress 60 just wouldn’t work.
Interviewer: There are individuals who have difficulty attending Congress 60 in person, especially women, due to reasons such as having young children, living far from the Congress 60 branches, being students, or other specific challenges many individuals face addiction. What solutions would you suggest for them?
Mr. Dezhakam: It’s like when you say, ‘I earn a certain amount of salary each month, and I want to pay installments, buy a house, get a washing machine, and do many other things,’ but with that income, it’s simply not possible. Congress 60 is similar—it has limited resources. We cannot claim that we can help every single person, or assist everyone, including those who cannot be physically present. That said, some help is provided here and there, but in my opinion, it’s not enough. After all, as the saying goes, ‘no pain, no gain.’ It’s like one raisin for forty dervishes (it’s a Persian proverb that is used when the resources are scare, and there are many in need).
Interviewer: In the First-Travel (addiction recovery process) message, you say, “Stay where you are and occupy yourself with what interests you.” What exactly do you mean by 'what you enjoy'? As we know, someone coming to Congress 60 is usually restless (due to struggling with addiction), and the most significant thing they think about is drugs. Is that what you meant?
Mr. Dezhakam: Exactly, it means the drug itself. It’s been said “Occupy yourself with it”, because we don’t take the drug away from the person, and even if we did, we would replace it with something else. So, since we know that a person’s primary interest in their First-Travel is drug use, we tell them: 'Use the drug.' We also tell newcomers: 'Focus on what you enjoy, but control it as much as possible. If your drug is opium, reduce it, and if you are using other drugs, replace them with Opium.
Interviewer: What is the greatest detriment for a First-Travel pupil?
Mr. Dezhakam: It is the lack of obedience and getting sidetracked. They need to follow the path and carry out the tasks they are instructed to do. If they’re obedient, the work (addiction cure process) becomes much easier.
Interviewer: What is the greatest detriment for a Second-Travel pupil?
Mr. Dezhakam: Not serving (voluntarily performing tasks and duties of Congress 60), being arrogant, being demanding, discontinuing study and not transcribing the audio files. They must try to enter the stage of serving, and even if they’re not given the oppurtinity, they should push their way in and make room for themselves.
Interviewer: In the book “Crossing the Zone of Minus 60 Degrees”, we read that someone ho has reached the second journey must do three things, one of which is “To Honor The Sounds”. Could you please explain briefly?
Mr. Dezhakam: This is about the principle of light, sound, and sensation [these three parameters connect all the wolrds together]. Sounds carry information, and all information is shared this way. Speech, music, and expression—even reading a text made of letters—is sound. We should value speech, music, and expression because information is received and shared through sound. Since there are good and bad sounds everywhere, our job is to honor positive sounds.
Interviewer: In Congress 60, three journeys are defined for addiction cure, and the first and second journeys are mandatory. What steps should be taken to reach the third journey?
Mr. Dezhakam: The third journey is an ideal one, and very few people can reach it, but the path is not closed. First comes the first journey, then the second journey—which never truly ends. The third journey may begin toward the end of the second journey. As I’ve said before, and it may be hard to believe, even if only one person reaches the third journey in a century, it would be a remarkable achievement. Overall, entering the third journey is very ideal, and the path is open. I may be exaggerating, but I think it could take centuries. The signs of a person on this journey are those of a three-dimensional human being—nothing extraordinary. Sometimes we imagine that such a person on this journey must be very special in appearance, clothing, or speech, but in my view, they are completely ordinary. They have no special way of speaking, no distinctive appearance, and share all human traits, sensitivities, and emotions of normal people. The only difference is that they have very special knowledge.
Interviewer: The last question is: Is there anyone in Congress 60 who has reached the third journey?
Mr. Dezhakam: As far as I know, among the men, there is only one traveler.
https://nfarahanilejion60.blogfa.com/post/530
Reporter: Traveler Mona
Source: Ms. Rad’s Blog [Ms. Rad’s was one of the Watchman of Congress 60]
Translated by companion Sepideh, Legion 22, Sheikhbahaei branch of Congress 60, Isfahan, Iran
Receipt date: 18/11/2025 (1404/08/27)
Submission date: 25/11/2025 (1404/09/04)