The Philippines as center of rehabilitation of addicts

Last Thursday, I was finally able to put together officials of Pagcor, Travellers International Hotel Group and a yoga expert to discuss the possibility of a program for addicts in the Philippines. I think of myself as well-read and knowledgeable but was surprised that a program of yoga for addicts would be the solution. 

Addicts can be cured and later returned to their communities but it will be a hard climb. There is no instant solution.

The others in the group were Kingson Sian, president of International Hotels group which runs Resorts World. I met him when we went to Davao for the ground-breaking of a rehabilitation center in Davao. It can house up to 200 addicts. Davao Mayor Sara Duterte was present. Kingson said that the building should be ready by December. There is enough time to prepare for its opening by training those who will conduct the rehabilitation for addicts using yoga.

Pagcor was represented by directors Rene Concordia, myself  and president and COO Alfredo Lim. We will meet up with the Department of Health on how we could do this work jointly. The program will be the best antidote against accusations of Western media of the so-called ejks of the Duterte administration.

It was my niece Marie Warnke who introduced me to the yogi, Kirantana Khalsa. He is in the Philippines to see whether concerned citizens can introduce a yoga program to cure drug addiction. 

In Vedic Sanskrit, yoga (from the root yuj) means “to add,” “to join,” “to unite,” or “to attach” in its most common literal sense. In the West Yoga often refers to physical exercises only. Imagine my surprise when I met with the yogi. My mind was full of more important things, or so I thought like what to do for the rehabilitation of addicts. The name of the yogi was Kirantana Khalsa. I had expected an Indian not a Western yogi. He is in Manila to teach “A Road to Enlightenment.” It is an immersion program using the foundations of Kundalini Laya Yoga which is extensively used to rehabilitate addicts.

The program is presented in one cycle of the Sun, following the archetypal energies of the four seasons, beginning with Autumn this Nov. 11.

Apart from being a yogi, Kirantana is an accomplished musician, author, peacekeeper, healer, and naturopathic medical doctor. He learned the art from an Indian, Yogi Bhajan. He was the only student publicly recognized by Yogi Bhajan, the founder of Kundalini Yoga in the United States. Bhajan himself died in 2004. Kirantana was the only one recognized by the master as a master of Kundalini-Laya Yoga.

There is a video on how yoga helps treat addicts.

“Kundalini is the Yoga of ‘I can’ – that means you have to make a choice of what to do with your mind in terms of choosing to take the positive life force, choosing to use your imagination. We are here to train the body and the mind,” he told us.

Apparently the number of Kundalini students and potential teachers is growing. They hope that these in turn will train other practitioners of kundalini Yoga. The Kundalini Yoga also has a blog in Facebook.

Still skeptical I asked him what the rate of success was using Kundalini for addicts in the US. He said 95 percent. He goes around the US teaching Kundalini practitioners to help cure addicts. The program will be the best answer to false accusations of ejks in the Philippines.

Kirs is American and his name is George McMillian. He  was the director of the first government granted drug rehab program in the US using his specialized technique called KLCF (Kundalini Laya Core Foundations) to rehab hard-core addicts. It became the most successful program in the country, based on two-year follow up statistics. He is one of the pioneers and teachers of KLCF “Yoga in Prison” for the California prison system, both juvenile and adult. 

He has successfully handled private rehab work in the Hollywood entertainment industry, and further privately trained many accomplished movie personalities. He served as a private contractor in Bosnia and Serbia with various UN organizations in the last years of the Bosnian war, working with severely traumatized war victims. It was here that he took his many years of experience and developed his unique style of Kundalini-Laya Yoga with a focus on PTSD.

Apparently it has been very successful in the US. Studies have shown that yoga provides an effective way of managing and reducing stress, anxiety and depression and thus, creating a positive outlook on a person’s life. Many substance abuse treatment and recovery centers in the United States are now using yoga as a complement to their traditional therapy and has proven very effective in helping to positively change self-defeating habit patterns as well as improve the confidence and self-esteem of the patients. 

If you’re interested in the program “The Road to Enlightenment” the master teacher will be teaching intro classes all around Metro Manila. Please email us for information to his classes, workshops and programs to [email protected]

Drug addiction is one among many mental health issues and a holistic campaign against drug use will need adequate facilities and programs to address the mental health needs of addicts. 

Just how serious the drug addiction problem it cannot be postponed with almost one of every 100 households has a member with mental disability.

While some western nations attacked the government over its bloody drug crackdown, China is planning to build more drug rehabilitation centers in the country.

The President said he was “astounded” by China’s assistance to his anti-drug campaign without “any publicity” as the first Beijing-funded rehabilitation center at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

Children of overseas Filipino workers and those in areas of armed conflict have a higher risk of developing mental health problems.

“But there is the serious problem of lack of qualified personnel,” Baguilat said.

“The number of addiction specialists, psychologists, occupational therapists, guidance counselors and social workers are extremely inadequate to meet the mental health needs of 100 million Filipinos,” the lawmaker said.

There are only two state-run mental hospitals, 46 outpatient facilities, four-day treatment facilities, 19.

China is planning to build more drug rehabilitation centers in the country.

“China is about to complete the facility sub rosa. This aid is being done quietly. The first rehabilitation center would house 1,400 drug addicts in Fort Magsaysay.

He has also asked the military to open their camps “to allow people who would want to donate rehab facilities.” These are positive moves that we should encourage and how we can help President Duterte in his program against drug addiction.