ABSTRACT
Happiness, like everything else, is impermanent. It arises when causes and conditions are sufficient and departs when they cease to be. These changes may occur over a period of time or happen in an instant. For me the latter was the case in 1993 during a yearlong meditation/therapy course led by meditation teacher Tara Brach. That year began and ended with weekend retreats. In between, we had once a month, daylong meetings. When I signed up, I had no idea that the therapy component would be psychodrama. Once during that year I was the focus person or protagonist. This entailed having group members enact an incident from my life, someone else playing my part. I chose the theme of the drama—my family’s unexpressed grief. As I watched the actors play out this deep thread in my family of origin, I felt overwhelmed—even after the drama ended. My joy disappeared, and life became two-dimensional. On the edge of depression, I looked for professional help. I asked friends to recommend a helper who drew on Eastern wisdom. Two suggested Rudy Bauer, a therapist and yogi. Rudy was my dad’s name. I had no doubt about the rightness of this recommendation.
