Substance use disorder is a chronic yet highly treatable illness. If you or someone you know is suffering from the disease, it’s best to seek treatment as soon as possible. Initially, the thought of leaving your home to enter a rehab facility may make you feel anxious, which is why some rehab facilities offer holistic therapies to help patients feel more at ease.
Holistic therapy is an alternative treatment some rehab facilities now offer. It is becoming popular in the country as many treatment centers see the benefits their patients get from a more holistic approach in their treatment program. If you are seeking help for yourself or your loved one, you may want to consider entering an Orlando drug rehab or a rehab facility near you, where holistic treatment is being offered.
To help you understand holistic therapy better, here’s a closer look at this approach and how it can support your rehabilitation.
Holistic Therapy Defined
Holistic therapy is a non-medical approach that complements conventional rehab treatments. It caters to your overall well-being, including physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Although substance abuse is treated medically, the holistic approach recognizes the importance of healing emotional and interpersonal issues. Depending on the rehab you enter, here are some examples of holistic therapy you may find:
- Yoga
- Nutritional therapy
- Guided meditation
- Acupuncture
- Massage
- Spiritual therapy
- Art therapy
In most cases, you can choose the form of holistic treatment you want and feel would aid your treatment, as well as support your long-term recovery. You also need to remember you may need specific treatment and it may differ from what other patients are participating in.
Issues Holistic Therapy Can Help Address
Although counseling can help discover the root of your addiction, holistic therapy can also support explore issues that may have led you to develop drug abuse. Here are some examples of issues holistic therapy can help address:
- Trouble acknowledging feelings – If you suffer from addiction, you may have developed your dependence on illicit substances because you have trouble processing negative feelings. In cases like this, you may experience avoiding problems, and this could eventually lead to stress or anxiety. However, getting into holistic practices like art therapy gives you a different way to express and acknowledge your emotions.
- Challenges in interpersonal relationships – You may also find yourself avoiding confrontations and dealing with your feelings, this can affect your relationships poorly. Here, guided meditation may help you develop a deeper relationship with the self, which can form better relationships.
- Pre-existing mental health problems – One cause of substance abuse is underlying mental health problems. When you use drugs or drink alcohol, you can fall deeper into depression, which can worsen your mental state. Although some mental health problems would require medication, yoga and other types of exercise can improve your mood naturally.
Helps Reconnect with the Self and Others
When you enter rehab, you may be feeling lost and no longer recognize yourself. But through the holistic approach, you may find a way to reconnect with your inner self and learn more about how your drug abuse began.
Aside from guided meditation, you can also practice mindfulness to deal with your emotions. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR) can help you and people you may have strained relationships with. Through mindfulness, you can learn how to acknowledge negative emotions, like anger, sadness, and jealousy, and healthily process them. Also, you learn more about yourself and how you can connect with other people. In time, consistent mindfulness practice can support you in repairing old relationships and creating new ones.
Treats Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
Holistic therapy promotes a healthy mind, body, and spirit. When you combine these with traditional treatment programs, it can have a long-term effect. This is why a lot of holistic practices support overall wellness.
Since substance abuse is often attributed to psychological health, you may see a lot of patients also struggling with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. A holistic approach that focuses on various forms of talk therapy can help you cope with previous traumatic experiences.
A holistic approach can be incorporated with treating the physical conditions of addiction. Some activities that can support treatment are nutritional therapy to help repair your body and regain more strength you would need during detox, yoga to help manage pain, and massage to help the body recover.
You may have felt down and disheartened when you seek treatment and this normal. You may also feel like you failed because you couldn’t overcome the addiction on your own. To help manage these negative emotions you are feeling, you can choose holistic therapy like yoga and other spiritual practices, which can also help relieve stress.
Supports Recovery
As you undergo holistic therapy in rehab, you may also learn how these can support your recovery. For example, meditating every day can help you become more mindful of your emotions and actions. This can be very helpful when you are in the outside world. It can also help curb your cravings and allow you to cope with the changes you are experiencing.
While there’s no solid scientific data that shows how holistic therapy directly helps in treating substance use disorder, you may want to consider choosing a rehab that offers it when you seek treatment because of the mental and physical benefits it can contribute to your health and wellbeing. Before you try anything, make sure you consult a medical professional first.
