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In 2020, there were over 275,000 cases of people seeking treatment in the UK for drug and alcohol abuse.
While there are a variety of therapy options, there is no ‘one size fits all treatment model when it comes to addiction. That is because each person comes with a unique set of circumstances that lead to addiction.
Holistic therapy aims to tackle the addiction but also addresses the issues surrounding the whole person. Addiction negatively affects many aspects of a person’s life, and to recover successfully; those areas will need attention and care.
This guide will help you understand the holistic addiction treatment and why it is an integral part of recovery.
Holistic therapy is also known as body-centred psychotherapy. It is an alternative type of therapy that, when used in addiction rehabilitation, addresses the person as a whole, rather than their addiction alone.
Addiction is more complicated than eliminating a drug of choice out of someone’s life. There are underlying issues, physical needs, spiritual neglect, and unresolved emotions that exacerbate their addiction.
Holistic treatment gives people the tools to take care of their physical and mental wellbeing beyond recovery. This type of therapeutic model focuses on the mind, body, and spirit in order to create long-lasting change. Without the comprehensive care of holistic therapy, people might be more likely to relapse.
Holistic therapy comes in many forms, including breathwork, meditation, massage, and exercise therapy.
The holistic approach to drug rehabilitation aims to provide you with useful techniques in all aspects of your life.
There are many challenges that come with recovery, and you will need to be well-equipped to handle them without your drug of choice. Mental, spiritual, and physical obstacles will appear that only holistic care can help you overcome.
Here are some of the holistic drug rehabilitation goals:
These objectives help promote a lifestyle focused on health and wellbeing after treatment. The techniques learned in holistic therapy are keys to success in and after recovery.
With holistic treatment, there are many different techniques that you can try. While holistic recovery will look different for everyone, it is beneficial to try a variety of techniques to see what works best for you. You can also combine these techniques with traditional treatment.
Healing your physical body is crucial in the recovery process. All types of drug and alcohol abuse can cause bodily harm and deterioration. There is a good chance that your vitamins, minerals, and important nutrients have depleted.
Nutritional healing focuses on getting your body everything that it needs to function. This allows your mind to do the difficult job of getting sober.
Restoring your body to health means eating a balanced diet, learning about nutrition, and carrying on these good habits as part of your new lifestyle.
You might also suffer from a co-occurring issue with an eating disorder on top of a substance abuse addiction. Holistic, nutritional healing can help address both of these issues and give you insight into how they affect one another.
Getting regular exercise is a great way to restore your mental and physical health. It helps to reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and improve cognitive function. It can also help give you a boost in self-esteem and physical strength.
This can be especially helpful during recovery when you’re experiencing low energy and a lack of self-confidence.
You can tailor exercise programs to your needs. You might not have the strength to exercise at the beginning of your recovery. Going for a short walk can be the start of your exercise routine.
You can build your way up to incorporating activities you love into your daily exercise routine. Dancing, rock-climbing, hiking, cycling, and swimming are all great ways to get in some exercise and enjoy sober fun.
Meditation is a way to help keep you focused on the present moment. This practice involves focusing on your breath, slowing down your thoughts, and returning to the present.
This type of mindfulness comes in handy during recovery. It can be an effective technique to use when you’re experiencing cravings or having negative thought patterns. You can use mediation almost anywhere and return to this peaceful state whenever you need to.
Not only is it effective for recovery, but it is also useful in other areas of life. It helps to relieve anxiety, insomnia, and stress.
Our rehabilitation centre incorporates meditation into the holistic treatment program.
If you want to get some gentle exercise while helping to relax your mind, yoga is the perfect practice.
The blend of physical movement with breathing techniques can act as a preventative and coping strategy during difficult recovery points. It can also help restore the body’s physical health.
The variety of body poses and the meditative aspect can be used well after recovery for healthy stress relief.
Using your breath as a form of meditation is a way to bring awareness back to your body. The special breathwork techniques help to bring you back to homeostasis and relieve your mind of stress.
This practice has its Buddhist roots, but it is becoming a popular form of holistic therapy in the Western world. It is known as Anapanasati, which translates to ‘awareness of one’s own respiration’.
The technique involves focusing on replenishing new energy with every in-breath and eliminating toxic energy with every out-breath. It can be helpful when you are experiencing cravings.
Art therapy is a creative way to express your emotions. Through painting, sculpting, and drawing, you can work through difficult feelings by moving them onto a canvas.
For some, articulating emotions and memories can be difficult. It’s a way to convey your feelings without having to speak. It can help you untangle your thoughts and confront past traumas.
Working through these will be integral in your recovery and helpful in your important relationships.
With the right guidance, art therapy can help you resolve emotional conflicts, improve your social skills, and develop self-awareness.
Acupuncture dates back to 6000 BC in Ancient China. It was used to treat a variety of physical ailments, as well as mental disorders like addiction.
It works by using thin needles, strategically placed around the body to encourage healing. It can help restore the body to balance, particularly after the abuse it goes through during times of heavy drug and alcohol use.
Acupuncture can be helpful for many different types of detox and withdrawal management.
Everyone loves a relaxing massage, and those in recovery are no exception! A massage can be helpful on both a mental and physical level during rehab.
Detox comes with a lot of pain and trauma on the body. Massaging can help soothe painful and achy muscles. This can be a great form of self-care if you’ve been neglecting your body for some time.
Massages also help to ease emotional stressors. They help to relax the body and relieve mental stress.
Many traditional therapy models can be helpful in helping you cease addictive behaviour, but combining them with holistic treatments can make them more effective. Here are some of the benefits of holistic therapy:
While each individual will have a different experience, it is important for you to try a variety of techniques to find what is right for you. You can also combine these with your traditional rehabilitation.
There are many therapeutic modalities available for those who suffer from alcohol and drug addiction.
However, holistic therapy not only aims to address issues with addiction but also focuses on a person’s individual needs outside of recovery. You can use the tools and strategies that come from holistic therapy well after treatment and in many areas of life.
If you’re ready for holistic recovery, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to start your recovery journey!
Sources
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2020-to-2021/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2020-to-2021-report
https://www.waldenu.edu/online-bachelors-programs/bs-in-psychology/resource/five-mental-benefits-of-exercise
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC4479888/
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Acupuncture-History.aspx#:~:text=The%20theory%20and%20practice%20of,6000%20BCE%20for%20acupuncture%20treatment.
