The holistic approach to addiction recovery means treating the whole person. It means not just working on the physical symptoms, but also the mental, spiritual, and social, with the understanding that they are all interconnected in the healing process. When this is applied to addiction recovery it allows the patient to heal and improve all of these aspects of their life for the ability to maintain and enjoy their sobriety. There are always different reasons that people start to use drugs. For some it may be because they have a co-occurring mental disorder, others may become addicted to pain medication for a very real physical pain that they have, or they may simply be trying to improve their emotional or spiritual state.
Benefits of Using Holistic Treatments
When they take the holistic approach to addiction treatment, the patient uncovers the reason for their addiction. Their treatment team also gives them the knowledge and resources on how to handle it. As a result, they can improve their lives without the false aid of their vice. With the understanding that when there is a problem in one of these areas, there are direct issues in the others. For example, someone with physical pain becomes addicted to opiates, may then start to suffer from depression, stop taking care of themselves, and the process continues and worsens. Holistic treatment offers many different ways to improve all of these.
Holistic Recovery offers therapists for individual and group therapy, medical teams to ensure patients remain physically healthy during their stay, healthy meals that provide energy and nutrition needed in recovery, physical activity to help them stay healthy while also using the benefits of the endorphins released during exercise, meditation and yoga to help with relaxing and calming oneself, and other therapies. By utilizing this approach patients are able to find and maintain a balance in their life which helps with sobriety. Someone with a co-occurring disorder that is never addressed or understood, it would be more difficult for them to stay sober after treatment.
Unique Holistic Treatments That Help
While some people may consider these unique, it is only because not everyone has them available to offer. Those who have used these treatments have seen the benefits and enjoyed the outcomes. These treatments offer new ways of looking at life, experiencing life, coping with stressors, understanding emotions, understanding any co-occurring disorders.
Recreational Therapy
Recreational Therapy is where a nationally certified and state licensed Recreation Therapist uses recreation activities of all kinds to bring about a positive change socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically, and/or spiritually. They use all kinds of activities to allow patients to discover and re-create themselves while practicing skills in a safe supportive environment. The Recreation Therapy process prepares patients in their recovery to initiate their leisure time with constructive activities, which may increase their self-efficacy, competence, and autonomy. It is a purposeful intervention strategy, which we designed to improve the patient’s overall quality of life.
One of the biggest struggles recovering addicts say they have when they are out of treatment and boredom. Through recreational therapy, they can find a new activity or hobby that they can continue outside of treatment. It will also help them meet new friends and stay physically healthy. Some people even find peace and some sort of spirituality being out in nature.
Sensory Integration Therapy
Sensory Integration Therapy uses specially designed sensory rooms, or Snoezelen rooms, to offer a multiple of sensory stimulation for patients to make them more comfortable as well as more aware of their body and their feelings. When patients feel stressed or upset about something they want to use their substance to cope. These rooms teach them different ways to handle those feelings. The patient sits surrounded by comfortable seating, cushions, and a swing. Around them are 65 different colored LED lights, calming imagery such as beaches and mountains, and music or sounds.
All of these things help to make that patient feel more calm and able to explore their feelings of depression, anxiety, pain, and agitation. They have sensory-stimulating things such as weighted blankets, pillows, and other comforting tools. It is an environment that nurtures the body and invites the person to engage in activities that help them to feel good and to focus on strengths, interests, and personal self-care. This room provides patients with additional options for recognizing and reducing their distress and anxiety levels. It also teaches them how to self-regulate and feel more in control of their addiction and their own life.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Another important aspect of recovery is mental health and the therapy that goes along with it. When someone has an addiction but also and psychiatric or emotional illness then they have a co-occurring disorder. If you don’t treat the underlying emotional or psychiatric disorder, you may not be able to stay sober. Some co-occurring disorders include depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Patients should receive individual counseling sessions, and medical attention from medical staff, psychiatrist, and addictionologist. Family members understand how to recognize triggering circumstances and ways to avoid issues before they occur. We design our programs to break the addiction cycle. We also stabilize your moods, and teach you how to cope with mood and personality disorders effectively. Help relieve the pain and confusion of having a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder by treating both conditions simultaneously.
Are you ready for a holistic addiction treatment experience?
At Recovery Ways, we center our addiction rehab around the concept of healing the mind, the spirit, and the body. To truly heal both physically and mentally a dual-diagnosis approach is key in treating any co-occurring disorders. This treats not only the addiction but also any underlying mental health issues. As part of our holistic approach to addiction recovery, we offer:
- Yoga therapy
- Meditation therapy
- Nutritional therapy
- Recreation therapy
If you or a loved one needs a holistic approach to addiction recovery, please contact our admissions team immediately. You can contact them here or call 888.986.7848.
