The Treatment

It has been said that the “Thamkrabok Monastery in Thailand runs the toughest drug rehabilitation regime in the world”.

The Thamkrabok programme is based on taking SAJJA (a sacred vow) not to use intoxicating substances. SAJJA is a sacred act that, if you believe in it, will connect you with your will power and with something "beyond" - your higher power in NA / AA terms.

SAJJA is there for everybody - you do not need to be religious, It is simply a contract with yourself.

The SAJJA is supported by Thamkrabok’s unique herbal medicine that generates a very real and very rapid detoxification that you can see and feel. The herbal medicine is made by the monks and is taken in liquid and tablet form. It generates a sleep / trance like state, increases the generation of mental images, reduces removes cravings and allows you to see life events from a different, pain free perspective. In this respect the medication itself has psychotherapeutic benefit in its own right. Psychotherapy delivered at this juncture can leverage great change.(See pictures to right).

According to Luangpor Charoen (the Abbot) the physical detoxification is only 5% of the treatment. “You must do the remaining 95% of the work in your mind and through your actions.”

Addicts can only be admitted at Thamkrabok for treatment ONCE. If you break your sajja you CANNOT undergo a second treatment.

You should not go to Thamkrabok until you are certain that you genuinely wish to be free from your addiction(s) and you are 100% committed to being free from your addiction.

Overview of the Psychological Detox Process

Prior to going to Thailand you will be provided with personal psychotherapy to prepare you for the medical detox and to ensure that you are physically able to complete course of treatment - both physically and psychologically. The psychotherapy continues throughout the treatment in Thailand and on your return to ensure that you are as fully rehabilitated as possible.

Your psychotherapist / escort will use the following techniques in addition to some elements of the appropriate 12 step programme to help you recover psychologically:

1. Clinical Hypnotherapy
2. Neuro Linguistic Psychology
3. EMDR
4. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
5. Timeline Techniques
6. Meditation (In English)
7. Buddhist Teachings / Psychology (In English)

Your escort will be either Bill Frost himself or a suitably quaified / trained associate of Changing States / Mind Body Detox. To become an associate of Changing States / Mind Body Detox please contact us by eMail in the first instance.

The Physical Detox Process in detail

Following arrival at Thamkrabok Monastery the process is as follows:

1. All new arrivals are processed through the Clinic Reception Centre.
   
   
   • Admission forms are completed and signed (these can be prepared prior to departure).
   • All valuables are taken for safekeeping.
   • All clothing is taken and stored, treatment clothing is issued.
2. All new arrivals are required to take their vows before a Buddha image.
3. For the first five days you are restricted to one room. This room holds up to thirty addicts undergoing the primary herbal treatment. Often there are between 5 and 10 addicts sharing the room. Non-Thai addicts often share the same room.
4. Each addict is allocated sleeping area; a sleeping mat / bed and blanket will be provided. (However, we suggest you take your own blanket and recommend a double sleeping bag liner or cotton sheet folded and sewn to form a liner).
5. During the treatment all male addicts are required to remain in this room and are expected to behave themselves. Should they become violent or aggressive they are likely to be restrained. During the stay in this room no outside contact is permitted. This area is off limits to visitors except the escort that has accompanied the addicts to the Thamkrabok Monastery. All addicts having made a commitment to complete the programme are required to do so regardless of how much they may object. If you promise to stay for 21 days then you are expected to remain at the Monastery for a minimum period of 21 days.
6. Treatment commences with the first issue of herbal medicine. This is taken in a group of new arrivals, generally in the early evening with the moral support of other addicts that have recently completed the treatment. The treatment induces projectile vomiting for five to ten minutes, which is used to purge the body of toxins.
7. The second to fifth herbal treatments are taken on consecutive days at 05.45 am each morning. The majority of addicts undergoing this phase of the treatment tend to sleep throughout most of the first five days.
8. Thai style or Western meals are provided throughout your stay at Thamkrabok. However, you may experience a lack of appetite during the first five days. This is normal and not a cause for alarm, as your appetite will soon return.
9. Each day all addicts are taken for an herbal steam bath (sauna), this is an integral part of the treatment and is continued for a further seven to ten days after the completion of the herbal medicine treatment. (See photo below, right).
10. After the herbal medicine treatment you are then relocated into the compound. This is a larger area where you have more freedom to move around. Should you misbehave in the compound you are liable to be returned to the room.
11. All addicts are provided with vouchers to purchase food and drinks from the canteen inside the compound, where they remain until their discharge after having successfully completed the full treatment programme.
12. Upon discharge you will travel directly to Bangkok International Airport with your escort to return home free of your former addiction.
13. On their return home ex addicts are required to follow a sensible nutritious diet regime for a least two to three weeks to give their bodies an opportunity to adjust to the changes brought about by their treatment at Thamkrabok. This includes the following requirements:
    
    
    • Minimise taking caffeine in any form, tea, coffee and cola should be avoided.
    • Alcohol should not be taken in any form.
    • Avoid very cold or very hot drinks of any kind.
14. Conditions at Thamkrabok are primitive and despite the advice given to addicts prior to their arrival most are shocked at the living conditions encountered. It must be stressed that the Thamkrabok Treatment Centre was established to treat Thai nationals and the facilities provided are poor even by their standards. What would be considered acceptable conditions of personal hygiene are difficult to maintain and remain the personal responsibility of each individual addict.
15. In response to criticism of the conditions it must be stated that Thamkrabok is not a Holiday Camp or a Resort. It is the most successful Drug Detoxification Clinic in the world despite the poor conditions that exist. Nobody is admitted to Thamkrabok without their being advised of the prevailing conditions and having a need for the services that it provides.

Call 01494 471-762 to start the process today or make contact by eMail

© Changing States 2004

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the Thamkrabok Monastery has no control over, and therefore cannot be responsible for, the accuracy or otherwise of information published by Independent Service Providers (including this website). Thamkrabok Monastery is not responsible for the contents or reliability of any linked web sites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them.