Tham Krabok

The psychology department took students on a five hour drive for a field trip to Wat Tham Krabok, an herbal rehabilitation center for substance abuse victims. It is highly known and revered here in Thailand and is rapidly becoming so around the world. The program includes a minimum of seven days where patients cleanse the body by means of a secret shot made up of 100 different Asian herbs (recipe known by only two people) that works by contracting the stomach when taken and once combined with water, from my understanding, causes something in the blood to react and thus, regurgitation. In my eyes it seems as if this facility has something western rehab centers neglect. And that is fixing the addiction. They may allow the patient to become clean but they don't make an effort to ensure they will not fall into the hands of the drug lords once released. At Tham Krabok they infuse a teaching of a personal spirituality, through Buddhist practices. However they only ask you meditate, and you can to whomever you personally choose. We talked to two young boys, 19 and 20 who are currently housed at the wat and speaking ot them, after only two weeks, their life is already turned around. They believe and can see that this time is different, and stated specifically "I know this is it." They where so honest, so frank, and open about what they had done and where they want to go. Relieved that they where making progress and seem to understand that this experience has indeed forever changed who they are. *photograph is of a fallen Buddha statue's head in the center of the Wat. The traveling monks that run the place (all services are free, to come and stay and be treated) work on creating the Buddhist art that surrounds the place.