Addiction is a whole-body problem – it affects the mind, body, and spirit. Therefore, healing addiction and ensuring long-term recovery requires holistic addiction treatment. Through holistic recovery techniques and programs, you or a loved one can overcome your challenges and enhance your wellness for years. Today, let’s explore holistic addiction treatment more closely.
Understanding Holistic Addiction Treatment
Holistic addiction treatment means treatment programs, techniques, and methods that help the mind, body, and spirit together. “You” are more than just your mind, body, or spirit separately – you’re a combination of all three elements. Any good treatment program, especially one designed for long-term benefits, must consider this.
Holistic addiction recovery follows a “whole person” approach to treating an individual. It might incorporate physical and mental health exercises and recovery techniques and provide other resources to benefit a patient’s spiritual health.
In the long-term, holistic addiction treatment is highly successful and results in better long-term recovery and reduced risk of relapsing.2 Holistic addiction therapies and wellness techniques help people recover from harm and addiction in all aspects, not just one aspect of their well-being.
Now, let’s look at different techniques and elements of holistic addiction as they impact the mind, body, and spirit.
Healing the Mind
Mental health is undoubtedly essential when it comes to addiction recovery. After all, many addictions and cravings start in the mind or may be entirely mental rather than physical or physiological. To recover fully and reduce your risk of relapsing, you must heal your mind and undertake holistic treatment techniques.
When you check into a recovery center or rehab clinic, the professionals responsible for helping you heal may recommend techniques like:
- Practicing mindfulness, which grounds your attention in the moment and your body, enables you to control your thoughts and avoid reactive actions
- Therapy will help you get to the root cause of your harmful behaviors or habits. Once you know why you do something, it’s easier to decide not to do it
- Teaching you creative outlets, like painting or playing music, can help you express yourself and your emotions healthily
Nurturing the Body
Of course, you are also defined by your body. So holistic addiction recovery techniques also incorporate nurturing the body and helping it physically recover from the effects of addiction and harmful substances. Your physical well-being certainly contributes to your overall addiction recovery progress – if you feel good, you’ll be less likely to feel cravings or urges to relapse.
Depending on the program you proceed through, you may encounter or practice physical addiction treatment techniques such as:
- Learning new nutritional methods and plans. Giving your body the nutrients it needs to feel as good as possible is vital.
- Learning new exercise techniques. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and spirit, and exercising regularly also helps you burn through stress, a common trigger for many recovering addicts.
- Sleeping more frequently. Everyone needs enough sleep, and getting 7 to 8 hours every night is a surefire way to reduce stress and feel better during waking hours.
Nourishing the Spirit
But we are also comprised of a spirit or soul. Holistic addiction treatment programs also provide spiritual nourishment and attention. Your spirit can provide many potent benefits for your recovery journey, filling you with the confidence and determination you need to overcome any challenge.
Some beneficial spiritual practices for addiction recovery include:
- Going into nature and allowing yourself to connect emotionally and mentally with the plants and animals around you. This can be beneficial if you don’t follow an organized religion.
- Attending organized religious gatherings if you do subscribe to a religion. Organized religions provide spiritual frameworks and social support, both of which can be helpful for recovering addicts.
- Energy healing techniques, in which you try to be aware of your spirit and – with the assistance of a counselor or specialist – heal the damage done by addictive substances by forgiving yourself, seeking forgiveness, etc.
Incorporating Holistic Practices into Treatment
Many of the best holistic practices are incorporated into comprehensive addiction treatment programs. For instance, if you check into a rehab center, they will give you opportunities or classes to practice meditation, exercise, and more.
However, you can also incorporate some of these methods into your everyday routine. This is an excellent way to build a solid long-term foundation for your recovery and teach yourself healthy habits to prevent relapsing.
Get Professional Help Healing Addiction
Professional rehabilitation and recovery services can provide you with holistic addiction treatment techniques and methods you need to thrive once again. At Clear Life Recovery, we believe in a holistic approach to addiction recovery, and we’re well-equipped and ready to help you on your journey to a better life. Contact us today to learn more.
Sources:
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12924747/
[2] https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/74083/Jorgensen,%20Donna.pdf
