Back to August 2007
Inner Art – August 2007
Echo Malibu
Turns Lives Around
by Rob Brownlie
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"One of the goals at Echo Malibu is to provide a healthy family structure to allow the kids to find their individual voice. In doing so, it offers
them the opportunity to heal in a safe and supportive environment."
-Dr. Jeff Nalin, Co-Founder, Echo Malibu
Some say that a family is based solely on genetics. I have come to believe that a family is based on love and support. Echo Malibu Youth Treatment Center is definitely a non-traditional family.
I have seen miraculous changes in my peers enrolled in Echo Malibu. With the support provided, people can feel safe to open up. This is how Echo acts as a family to treat substance abuse.
I entered Echo Malibu as many drug addicts enter a treatment center. I was angry and confused and I felt I was above everyone else. After a week at Echo, I had completed my first AA Step. Within a month, I had accepted a higher power and enjoyed going to meetings.
At Echo, you are introduced into the tribe-like unit with a welcome group. Everyone gathers in a circle and introduces themselves. They give the newcomer advice. Then he or she is given a chance to tell about themselves.
In process groups, the whole family gathers around to talk about their problems. Of course, it is very common for people to get stung before they heal. There are often bouts of screaming and intense matches of egos. These fights, however, are how people learn to operate for themselves and to make changes.
The next thing a newcomer does after their welcome group is write a life story. It is crucial that the writer tells their true feelings in the life story. A friend of mine in treatment ended up writing two life stories. After her second, she began to truly open up and I noticed incredible changes in her. By being vulnerable to the group, the writer can begin to heal.
Echo hosts a family day every Saturday. This is when all of the youth have their original families come to visit. During this time, there is a huge process group with all of the youth and family members.
The session is intense and amazing. It is where members use what they have learned in order to interact with their loved ones. My month at Echo was a journey. I learned how to improve myself, meditate and interact with others. With each day at Echo, I felt more in contact with my true self.
Instead of a boot camp, Echo provides a supportive family system that encourages youth to choose to stop their substance abuse. When a youth makes the decision to change instead of being told to change, they are more likely to live a life of sobriety. I have chosen this life and I thank the support given to me at my tribe back at Echo.
Rob Brownlie, age 16, is a native of Claremont CA., currently residing in Malibu, CA. He is a creative writer aspiring to become a cutting edge journalist. He can be reached at Robbrownlie@prodigy.net. For more information about Echo Malibu Youth Treatment program, visit www.echomalibu.com