Hi Yanay,

Our organization The Existence has a project called Existence Drug Dependence Resorts where current young drug users are enrolled as companions for a residential drug treatment program lasting Six months in duration, where the physical and mental state is carefully crafted to return to the nature by living together and working for Nature.

The first phase: Our companions once admitted to our facilities, he has to first undergo a drug detoxification under clinical setting with medical treatments provided by a doctor. Usually, it is to minimize the pain and substitute with other "soft medications" to calm the turbulence or the sufferings. Atleast 5 to 10 days.

The Second phase: Our companions are introduced to a regular routine to correspondent the theoretical class on Nature and conduct various therapeutic programs

Mundane to Sacred program: Our companions work together to repair, rebuild waste land into beautiful gardens which has resonance with our own life.

Nature Expedition Program: Bodily nearness to Nature, we hold regular outdoors meeting in natures abundance and get " high" from Nature.

The Invisible Surgery: 2 hrs in the morning and 2hrs in the evening a session where all of our syllabus pertaining to Nature are shared broadly by our volunteers where we deconditioned ideas of "being sick" which only cripples the lives of many, but to unleash infinite human potential each one of us carries.

Observation of International Day of Peace on 21st September as a the only function we have throughout the year.

The Third phase: All of our our seniors or who had spent substantial time in our community is referred as volunteers and provide services to the new companion as a rotational figure.

Our work is centred around inter-dependence and follows the drug dependence theory which we had developed over years of exposure to our lived experience. If you are interested we can share our "work" which can clearly reflect our program and our approach to sufferings.

All of our work is done under the banner of a residential drug treatment centre.

My email is here [email protected], kindly send me an email where I can send our documents as stated above.

Regards,

Vikram Laishram

Hi Yanay & everybody,

My name is Vikram Laishram an ex- illicit injecting drug users living with HIV for the past 24 years. When it comes to "suffering" I had studied a "lived experience" to suffering through my personal experience as a peer educator in different capacities from grassroot to international level.

I am the founder of The Existence, a non profit based in the eastern most state of India, a community of young adults who are desirous of bringing a natural solutions to all human challenges on this earth for peaceful existence.

Our working principles "Experience is the supreme value in Life" with rigourous refinement it is transmitted into "workable" knowledge to share among fellow companions to endure the sufferings. We defy conventional "treatment models" which does not include "the experience" of the sufferers in designing or in implementation of a program. We seek to unleash the "human potential" without dependence from the "outside" clearing our way away from disagreement.

If anyone here is further interested to continue the conversation on "suffering " on experience basis rather than the "ideas"generated through visions from empathy or academic practice. Please feel free writing in this EA space.

Thank you all for your time.