Visionary And Founder of what is now BRC Recovery

Mark Houston, visionary and founder of what is now BRC Recovery, was an incredible spiritual teacher. He often described the culture of the recovery center as a vessel, or a container in which adult alcoholic men and women could come to receive the type of discipline, guidance and healing necessary for not just harm reduction, but permanent sobriety.

One of his favorites was the Lakota Indians tradition of the Hollow Bone.

“We are called hollow bones for our people and for anyone else we can help, and we are not supposed to seek power for our personal use and honor.” –Fools Crow, Lakota

The lesson according to Mark was that in order for us to use our power well, we must become a hollow bone. We must prepare ourselves to become a channel so our Creator can use us to be of service to others. Our channel must be
clean, free of resentments, guilt, shame, anger, self pity and fear. These things block us from being our highest and best. The cleaner we are, the more power we move.

One of the things that sets BRC Recovery apart is the fact that every employee is in recovery. We have been where our residents currently are, and our lives, as the result of the recovery process, have been transformed in a way that is indeed miraculous. We are able to use this unique qualification to become vessels, or hollow bones if you will, to channel a message of profound experience, strength and hope to a population that so desperately needs it.

A staff modeling recovery at the highest level is a distinct advantage when addressing alcoholism and addiction in a recovery center setting. The experience, empathy and truth-telling that comes with this design has time and time again proven what the old timers in the 12 Step fellowships have known since the beginning- that the magical identification that happens when an alcoholic/addict sits with another knee to knee is the true essence of 12 Step recovery.

And thus we continue…as grateful hollow bones.

Marsha Stone