At the Kiloby Center, we have found that many gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual clients resonate a lot with our program. There are several reasons for this including the fact that the Center’s founder, Scott Kiloby, is openly gay and that Scott’s husband, Chad, is the Director of Communications at the Center.
Scott is also the founder of a worldwide community of trained facilitators who work with people in 12 different countries via private and group online sessions. This community contains quite a few GLBT trained facilitators. The entire organization is GLBT friendly. The Kiloby Center is a separate facility in Palm Springs, California designed to treat addiction, anxiety and depression within a long term treatment module. Scott works at the Center. Due to Scott’s openness and the openness of all staff members, the atmosphere at the Center is welcoming of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, disabilities and nationalities. The staff fosters an environment of inclusion and appreciation of diversity and places a high value on the principles of love, compassion and acceptance towards all. There is a zero tolerance policy for discrimination, intolerance or harassment of any kind.
The Center’s approach itself, which is based in mindfulness, may be one of the key reasons why the GLBT community is so attracted to our program. For those in the GLBT community who are suffering from addiction, the 12 step program may not resonate because of its encouragement to seek faith in a higher power, which is often construed to be something like God in Christian terms. To be fair, the 12 step program does offer the option of making one’s higher power into something other than God. And some GLBT people find that the 12 step program is just fine for them. However, because the 12 step program has Judeo Christian roots, many GLBT people feel uncomfortable in that program because of a perceived lack of tolerance towards them by certain religious institutions in the West. This lack of tolerance is projected onto the 12 step program, often making GLBT people feel unsafe or uncomfortable with a belief in God as the basis for their recovery. GLBT members sometimes feel unsafe sharing openly about their issues in 12 step meetings. Some GLBT members, especially those from midwestern and southern states, actually experience religious trauma from being raised in certain very strict religious churches or communities. This trauma is like any other trauma (e.g., physical or emotional abuse). It can be very deep-rooted in the body and mind. It often contributes to addiction, which becomes a means of escaping the pain of having been seriously discriminated against while growing up.
Scott’s mindfulness approach, which is called Natural Rest and the Living Inquiries, comes from the East (India and China) so it is devoid of the religious intolerance often seen in Western countries. With this mindfulness approach, GLBT members learn to dismantle addiction, anxiety, depression as well as trauma of any type just by observing thoughts, emotions and sensations in a direct, present and nonjudgmental way. There is no requirement of a belief in God. There is also no rule against having a belief in God or a Higher Power. This makes the approach very flexible, so that everyone can find a place in our program.
When Scott was developing the Living Inquiries, he found that they were quite effective in dissolving the self-esteem issues related to growing up gay. Many GLBT people experience these self-esteem issues, which include thoughts and feelings of being unworthy, not good enough, unlovable, unsafe or not acceptable. The Inquiries target and dissolve these stories so that the GLBT client can live a healthy, happy and peaceful life. They find a natural self-love and acceptance through our work.
Scott’s work applies equally to anxiety, depression, OCD, bulimia and a host of other issues. GLBT people often experience a lack of understanding by therapists regarding what it is like to grow up gay, lesbian, transgendered or bisexual. Being in a program where the staff understands these struggles and knows how to work with them effectively is really important. It helps the client feel heard, understood, accepted and loved.
If you are gay, lesbian, transgendered or bisexual and are looking for a safe place to recover in an atmosphere of trust, compassion, love and acceptance, contact the Center for details about our program. We can be reached at info@kilobycenter.com. Or visit www.kilobycenter.com to submit a contact form to our Center and we will reach out to you by phone.
