Holistic Therapy: Definition, Types, & Benefits

Mindfulness practices like meditation can help reduce stress and cravings, promoting self-awareness and emotional regulation. Clients learn to be fully in the present moment in mindfulness-orientated drug rehab programs, gaining skills to help recognize unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and not act on them. Nanci Stockwell of Advanced Recovery Systems suggests older adults national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa ways to incorporate alternative therapies into a person’s recovery plan and stresses the importance of finding the right therapies for each individual. Holistic health therapy has ancient roots but is relevant, popular, and effective today. The Body Keeps the Score is a must-read for anyone interested in mental health and the mind–body connection.

Holistic Addiction Treatment Therapies

This is thought to stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal itself and correct imbalances that have occurred after extended substance abuse. Acupuncture is used to relax the body during addiction treatment and studies show that it can help reduce cravings and unpleasant physical symptoms during detox. Many traditional addiction recovery programs include holistic services in their clients’ treatment plans, but their core offerings are psychotherapeutic or medicinal in nature. But people can also benefit from holistic-based treatment approaches, which address the whole person, focusing on mental, emotional, and physical well-being in addiction recovery. Complementary and alternative medicines are generally considered safe when performed under medical supervision. As researchon the efficacy of holistic therapies in treating chronic disorders has progressed, more treatment centers have incorporatedthese practices into their curriculum.

What Are Holistic Rehab Programs?

Though more research is needed, the authors suggest that the preliminary results indicate that reiki could be useful for end-of-life care. A 2017 study of 40 healthy adults indicates that diaphragmatic breathing, a common tool in holistic therapy, could improve cognitive function and lower stress responses. Holistic therapy can be a useful supplement to standard rehab, including medical detoxification (detox) services for early and protracted withdrawal symptoms.

Holistic Therapy: Healing Mind, Body, and Spirit

Because even though counseling, group therapy, and other clinical treatments are important, rehabilitation often requires more than just clinical techniques. There’s no shortage of evidence supporting the efficacy of holistic addiction treatment. Because when it comes down to it, holistic care treats the whole person and not just the symptoms. Research suggests that holistic therapy can be effective when used as part of an overall, comprehensive treatment plan that also incorporates more traditional, evidence-based therapies. Yoga uses breathing techniques, body postures, and meditation to improve your health.

Holistic therapy can help address all of these symptoms, whether they’re physical, emotional, or even spiritual. For example, a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may experience physical pain and trembling. We also offer daily and weekly opportunities for to volunteer your talents with us.

Because of the emphasis on emotional and spiritual wellness, holistic programs offer more compassionate, empathetic environments. There’s a focus on how patients are feeling and the role that negative feelings can play in recovery. Most of these programs even encourage relaxation and compassion through the individual treatments offered, such as guided meditation and yoga. One of the main differences between a holistic treatment program and a standard clinical treatment program is that a holistic program is more comprehensive. Conceptually, the idea behind holism is to treat the “whole person” rather than just the symptoms he or she is experiencing. As a result, holistic rehabs help to identify and address certain social, emotional, and spiritual needs that people in recovery might have.

Note that the term “holistic treatment” can encompass a wide range of services that focus on improving a person’s overall mental and physical health. Additional integrative modalities include massage therapy, tai chi, music therapy, naturotherapy and Pilates. Research hasindicated that acupuncture, neurofeedback and meditation significantly improve addiction treatment success rates.

Physical activities such as running, playing sports and weightlifting can assist individuals in reducing stress, increasingself-confidence and improving mood. Manytreatment centers offer recreational exercise activities, such as basketball or volleyball. The technique uses breathing modulations, body postures and meditationto heal a person’s physical, mental and spiritual health. Yoga experts say the activity increases neurotransmitters inthe brain, which helps relieve stress and anxiety. A 2013 study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence showed that holistic treatment may be effective in treatingsmoking addiction.

While activities vary based on the rehab center, common activities include personal fitness, climbing, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, and more. This article explains holistic rehab, including what it involves, the different treatments offered, and how it can help with long-term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Still, you may want to consider the inclusion of specific evidence-based approaches, such as group therapy or medication-assisted treatment (MAT), as these are not available at all rehab centers offering holistic approaches. To find out if a rehab center offers holistic therapies, contact a nearby treatment center.

These activities include outpatient substance abuse treatment, medications, group therapy or individual psychotherapy to address mental health concerns, and 12-Step mutual support groups. Holistic practices aren’t alcohol effects in the brain just for rehabilitation, they can also provide the basis for a robust rehab aftercare program. The term aftercare refers to the stage that follows after an intensive addiction treatment program is complete.

Incorporating complementary, alternative, or holistic treatment into traditional, evidence-based methods is an approach that more and more people are seeking in healthcare. Addiction recovery programs are an ideal setting for integrative holistic treatments because the disease of addiction takes a toll on every area of a person’s life and health. Effective drug and alcohol abuse treatment must address drug addiction’s mental, emotional, and physical aspects for successful recovery. The fallout of problem drinking or opioid abuse is felt in different ways by different people. It can affect or destroy relationships, derail careers, worsen a pre-existing mental health condition, and damage physical health. Tailoring care to address those factors can take away the oxygen that powers substance abuse.

1. There’s a focus on how patients are feeling and the role that negative feelings can play in recovery.
2. Clinicians of holistic psychology believe in using a collaborative approach to help clients gain awareness of these connections.
3. Some of the most effective techniques used to treat anxiety holistically include mindfulness, yoga, breathing techniques, hypnosis, and physical exercise.
4. The strong bond formed with animals can also help people struggling with addiction develop empathy.
5. As a result, many rehab facilities offer holistic therapies as part of their treatment program.

Studies have shown that yogic practices promote recovery from and treatment of addiction. Additionally, yoga can help people feel less stressed, meaning they are more at ease and relaxed while undergoing addiction treatment. Holistic-minded drug rehab facilities have received more attention in recent years. These programs mix science-backed addiction treatment services with new approaches to rehabilitation. Holistic drug rehabilitation programs vary in their approaches, and most also incorporate evidence-based treatment options, such as therapy or counseling.

Holistic addiction treatment centers use alternative medicine and holistic practices such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and massage therapy. These can often be paired with traditional treatment methods for a complete mind and body approach to treating alcohol addiction and other substance use disorders. Holistic addiction treatment centers are an option for individuals seeking a drug lsd abuse is acid addictive and how is it abused and alcohol rehab program that incorporates the health of the mind and body. The term holistic rehab is used to describe alcohol and drug treatment programs that offer unique treatment approaches distinct from more traditional rehab centers. Many substance abuse treatment centers offer holistic treatment for addiction, including holistic therapies like art therapy and music therapy.