Q&A with Adriana Marchione, MA, REAT, RSMT, Filmmaker

STICK WITH THE WINNERS! –

July 29, 2022 – Adriana Marchione MA, REAT, RSMT has been involved in the arts for over thirty years as a filmmaker, dancer, photographer and is internationally recognized in her work as a movement-based expressive arts therapist and educator. Since 2002, Adriana has taught and directed programs at Tamalpa Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, WHEAT Institute in Canada and founded her own wellness center in San Francisco. She has presented her creative healing approach with a focus on addiction, eating disorders, trauma and grief, at festivals, conferences, and treatment centers including South by Southwest, Studio le théâtre du Corps in Paris, National Council on Drug and Alcohol Addiction, and the prestigious Commonwealth Club.

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug of choice? When did you stop using?
A. I have been in long term recovery for 29 years. Alcohol was my drug of choice, it gave me the highs and lows that I needed to cope with life, and allowed me to let go of my anxiety, my insecurity, and my inhibitions. I got sober when I was 24 years of age.

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?
A. Addiction is a disease, one that affects us mentally, emotionally and physically. I also have experienced it as a soul loss, that takes us away from our true selves.

Q. If you meditate, tell us a little bit about your practice and how it helps in daily life.
A. I meditate every day for a short time (5-10 minutes) as part of my recovery practice. I have been doing this for so long that it is second nature for me now. It offers me a pause, a time to focus on my spiritual life and start the day with a relaxed and positive perspective.