Valerie Mason-John, also known by her Buddhist name, Vimalasara, grew up in orphanages, in foster homes, and on the streets, and was locked up at the age of fifteen. She was an extreme anorectic bulimic, at one time weighing sixty pounds, and hung out religiously in the rave scene. She is the author and editor of seven books, including her self-awareness book, Detox Your Heart: Ways of Working with Anger, Fear and Hatred. She is a TEDx speaker on the theme of self-harm, “We Are What We Think”, a trainer in the field of conflict transformation and has worked in the field of addiction for fifteen years, helping many women and men with their anger issues. She is the chairperson of the Vancouver Buddhist Centre, and regularly leads retreats for people in twelve-step programs and for those working with addiction. She blogs regularly on the topic of addiction and delivers the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention course, renamed the Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) course. She is an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Community.
Paramabandhu Groves is a psychiatrist for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, and has specialized in the field of addiction for twenty years. He is the clinical director of Breathing Space, which is the health and well-being wing of the London Buddhist Centre, and he teaches mindfulness-based approaches to help with depression, addiction, and stress. He developed the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention course for addiction, renamed the Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) course, which has successfully run in both the UK and Canada. He is the author of Practical Buddhism: Mindfulness and Skilful Living in the Modern Era, and has published academic papers and contributed to several books in the field of addiction. He is an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Community.