Treatment

Group psychotherapy is an incredibly effective therapy for a myriad of mental, behavioral, and emotional health concerns. It is also an approach that may feel intimidating and overwhelming. Any new experience, especially those where you do not know the process, can feel uncertain. It can feel uncomfortable to be yourself in a group of individuals, even when everyone is in the group for a shared reason, as it asks you to be vulnerable. Although group psychotherapy can feel unfamiliar at first, it begins to feel more comfortable as time goes on and you connect with yourself and others in the group.

If you are recovering from trauma, maybe you have heard that yoga can support your healing process. Lived trauma experiences can create a sense of vulnerability and insecurity, and yoga therapy can serve as a practice to rebuild this sense of safety and strength.

Gestalt therapy is a powerful healing modality within the setting of psychotherapy. While there are many forms of psychotherapy, gestalt therapy encompasses the wholeness of a person, taking into consideration their past experiences, present reality, and future goals. It is a type of therapy that looks at a person's past lived experiences and connects them to what they are experiencing in the present moment.

The threat of relapse is a pervasive thought that can cloud your mind, starting from those initial painful withdrawal symptoms during detox and continuing throughout recovery. While unfortunate, relapses are a common occurrence in recovery, and there is no simple way to cast aside urges, cravings, or reminders of active addiction. Creating a relapse prevention plan as early as possible in recovery is essential for mitigating the chances of succumbing to these detrimental setbacks. However, experiencing a relapse does not mean it is the end of your recovery journey or indicates that you are somehow beyond reprieve. Navigating these experiences and returning to the basics of recovery is essential for reclaiming your life and refocusing on goals set out for yourself.

Setting boundaries is an essential part of the recovery process. Most people think this relates only to setting boundaries with others, but setting boundaries with themselves is a pivotal aspect as well. Personal boundaries are the mental, emotional, and physical limits we decide to hold ourselves accountable to as we navigate the world. Setting boundaries is not always easy, but the benefits they will bring to you are worth any initial discomfort.

It is sometimes easy to forget the weight our words of encouragement and praise carry and their effect on others. Being intentional about sharing the good you see in your loved one’s progress in recovery can assist them to stay motivated as they encounter the ups and downs along their path of sobriety. Actions such as sharing praise or rewarding someone when they exhibit a healthy change in behavior crucial to their recovery, are examples of positive reinforcement.

Your body and mind respond to situations and circumstances, but you can use willpower to mold your choices. Willpower is highly contagious, especially in treatment and especially when it creates positive results. Many people understand that by using your strength and mindset, you can achieve anything. Willpower gives you the motivation to pursue a goal in life and offers self-control, but how does willpower work with addiction recovery? Can it influence others?

Trauma has a way of affecting us in not just an emotional sense but also our physical bodies. Because of its effects on the brain, our mental and physical functioning will change due to trauma. Although trauma can alter our bodily functioning, the body has an amazing healing process when unprocessed trauma gets reintegrated into the mind. In addition, many researchers believe that working to release the energy of stored trauma in the body will also help release the tissues and muscles that have been locked in a holding response pattern since the initiating traumatic event.

When applying your mind to something, you can visualize the outcome before acting upon it. Visualizing yourself in addiction recovery is vital to the success of your recovery goals. When you aim to change a habit you have in your life, visualizing the result can help you achieve it. Visualization creates positive habits and progress towards your self-growth and future, and it makes all the difference in the path to recovery.

Cravings are an unfortunate inevitability throughout the recovery process. They can be extremely intense in the early phases of recovery, such as during detox and residential care, but can persist throughout any stage of recovery. Those who have worked hard to maintain their sobriety for years can still experience cravings from time to time. Each individual needs to remain prepared to combat these intense feelings to avoid regressing to more destructive practices regardless of the length of their sobriety. Cravings can manifest in many ways. While some may stem from identifiable sources or stressors, others may be unclear in their roots and need more focus and dedication to uncover their origins.

In the world of recovery, hitting “rock bottom” has become somewhat of a right of passage to get someone struggling with addiction to seriously consider getting help. However, is hitting bottom, or reaching your lowest personal point in addiction, truly a necessary step to precede getting help? The fact is that addiction is easier to treat when treated earlier, so getting help before hurting yourself or others is a much better option before waiting to hit rock bottom.

Addressing and overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol is a taxing experience, and the ongoing process will have many ups and downs. It is essential that each person find their own methods of maintaining motivation throughout the process and maintain sobriety after one’s treatment program has ended. Motivation is a critical part of every step of recovery and helps keep each person moving to reach their next goal or milestone in their sobriety. However, it is also common for an individual to harbor some resentments or reluctance to participate in a recovery program or be less than enthusiastic about many therapeutic approaches. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is an approach designed to help an individual become better equipped to move through a recovery program successfully and find a personal stake in recovery and reason for achieving sobriety.