By Peter Amato
About the Book: Part guidebook, part memoir, Soul Silence: A Unique Approach to Mastering the 11th Step, is written by Peter Amato, M.A., a meditation master and psychotherapist with 16 years of sobriety. His tried-and-true approach to prayer and meditation is the cornerstone of his Inner Harmony Workshops, which have helped thousands of men and women develop a new understanding of the 11th Step, recommit to their recovery and enjoy lives filled with peace, passion and purpose. “Peter Amato’s book, Soul Silence, is a guide for the countless individuals struggling to navigate through recovery,” says Deepak Chopra.
Buy the Book: www.innerharmonywellness.com, www.amazon.com
Q&A with the Author, Peter Amato
RecoveryView.com: What is the 11th step?
Peter Amato: In a 12-step program, the 11th step refers to one’s relationship to prayer and meditation, with regard to establishing a conscious contact with an integral & universal divinity (wholeness or oneness).
RV: Of all the Twelve Steps, what drew you to the 11th step?
PA: The idea that the step would provide an absolute pathway to an understanding of God or a higher power that I could experience directly.
RV: What is the difference between prayer and meditation?
PA: While both are forms of self-inquiry, prayer is when we verbalize and surrender in seeking. Prayer can also be the voice of gratitude. Meditation is when we are still and listening for direction or guidance. Both are reflections or practices toward understanding of a deeper spiritual perspective.
RV: In Soul Silence, you stress that it’s important to start the Eleventh Step now. Why?
PA: It helps pierce the veil of illusion in moving toward a unified oneness, or an understanding of our own divine, intrinsic oneness, or a direct, internal and eternal experience of God. We experience living from the two sides of right and wrong, and step into a world of love and service. In Soul Silence, the way I teach readers to practice and better understand the 11th step can provide a direct and deeper experience of the first 10 steps.
RV: Who do you feel should read Soul Silence?
PA: Anyone searching for answers to the deeper experience of a better life. Particularly people struggling with life and addiction, as well as people involved in any form of recovery or 12- step program. Soul Silence is a book for everyone looking to embody peace, happiness and Inner Harmony.
RV: What do you hope the reader will get out of the book?
PA: Soul Silence offers a direct path toward an inner experience of what we all search for. The book will offer “a unique way to actually experience the 12 steps,” and bring them to life – a oneness of being and genuine happiness. This book provides a way to move from recovery to self-discovery, while deepening the reason to embrace the 12 steps, as a path to humility and service.
RV: What have been the benefits of prayer and meditation in your own life?
PA: The benefits are beyond words for me. The practice of meditation has taken my life to a completely different experience. I find myself more congruent and unified. I have realized a more integral worldview and a deep wisdom. I have become less egocentric, more accepting and carry less stress.
RV: What do you think is the root of addiction?
PA: The mind, because we are taught to want. Therefore, we suffer a spiritual disconnect, which is innate within each one of us. That is why engaging in a spiritual path is the only way to transform and self-discover our true selves.
RV: Can readers benefit from the material in Soul Silence even if they don’t believe in God or a higher power?
PA: Absolutely, because “Soul Silence” takes one beyond their belief system to a “direct experience”. This is the key to self-realization, in moving beyond the mind, intellect and ego. For some just the opportunity to become still, present, and to have a “direct experience” of their own presence will be a major benefit and its own awakening.
RV: Can Soul Silence help someone who finds it difficult sitting still to pray and meditate?
PA: Absolutely, it’s like peeling an onion. Resistance, fears of the unknown and racing thoughts eventually diminish. The book offers tools and techniques to assist in this life transition. The ego resists change. To sit is a form of surrender and discipline that allows one to connect with a higher calling and more authentic life purpose over time: this is guaranteed!
RV: What are the most immediate benefits of prayer and meditation for someone struggling with addiction?
PA: One of the immediate benefits would be an instant connection to certain clarity. This clarity, or experience of presence, would result in a connection with a higher power, as well as a pathway to a deeper truth and a resolve toward sobriety as a healthier lifestyle.
RV: In Soul Silence, you write that you dedicated seven years of your life to spiritual studies. Can you talk more about that period?
PA: Sure. This was a period in my life when I became a full-time seeker of the deepest truth and the most complete understanding and experience of God. I wanted to study and experience myself as a vessel of the Divine. I wanted to experience bliss, rapture and the sacred. I spent long periods of time studying, practicing and mastering the most subtle and integral experiences of oneness ever known to man.
RV: Who are some of the people who have influenced your life, your work and the material in Soul Silence?
PA: My father, my most influential sponsor, Tom C., Amrit Desai, my Uncle Paul.
RV: You say in Soul Silence that you still pray and meditate on a regular basis. What does the daily practice look like and why do you still find it beneficial after so many years?
PA: To surrender and drop in to this “well-groomed path” continues to be sense of merger as an inside job. It is effortless, it is freedom. Upon awakening, my initial thoughts are guided inward. I take my awareness to a reference point within, where the memory and experience of all my efforts are felt. It is a very deep experience. More often than not, I would like to continue on to a deeper place. Life has it that I continue to choose to stay engaged as a teacher, steeping in my practice. Connecting with my breath as the enoughness to sustain my life and happiness has become the foundation and benchmark of my practice. Just breath, no body, no mind. The benefit is completeness.
RV: How do you suggest a beginner structure his or her prayer and meditation practice?
PA: I would recommend that they find or create a sacred space in their home, perhaps a comfortable chair, a meditation cushion, a corner, a closet or somewhere quiet. This special area could be filled with pictures, statues, mementos and anything that represents love, wholeness and holiness. Sit comfortably and read a short passage or two from spiritual literature as a way of becoming surrendered and present. Then close the eyes, put your breath on a wheel, where the inhale connects to the exhale and the exhale connects to the inhale. Simply observe the breath every time you slip off to a thought, emotion or feeling, and gently escort your mind back to the next inhale. Sit still for 20 to 30 minutes every morning. If you have a tight body, you may want to practice gentle stretching or a few yoga asanas, before beginning your practice and to connect with your breath. Most importantly, don’t take this all too seriously.
