Holistic Treatment Options

The more comprehensive the therapy options incorporated into the patient’s drug and alcohol addiction treatment plan, the more effective her overall treatment experience will be. Holistic treatment and therapy options can provide patients with a wide range of unique choices during recovery that can help them explore therapeutic healing in ways they never imagined.

Evidence-based holistic treatment options can improve the efficacy of traditional therapies and improve healing on the emotional and psychological levels as well as address physical health or needs in some cases. Patients often have the option to try out different therapies, moving away from ones that do not resonate with them and increasing involvement in treatments that are interesting, emotionally safe, and therapeutic.

Learn more about the holistic treatment options we offer here at The Orchid. Call now and speak to our therapeutic team about the growth and healing opportunities available to your addicted loved one.

Holistic Treatment vs. Traditional Treatment Options

Many people believe that they have to choose between a drug rehab program that offers traditional therapies and treatment options and a drug rehab that is based on a holistic treatment philosophy. Though there are treatment programs that provide strictly one form of treatment or the other, patients can benefit from both styles of addiction treatment when they opt for a program that includes traditional therapies like personal therapy, group therapy, and 12-step treatment while also offering a wide range of holistic treatment opportunities.

Types of Holistic Treatment

There are almost too many holistic treatment options to list and explore, but an article published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugsreports that the following may be some of the most effective and commonly found therapeutic choices offered in high-end drug and alcohol rehabs across the country:

• Meditation. So much of treatment is focused on hard emotional work that focuses on processing psychological issues, past trauma and pain. Meditation provides a safe and healthy escape from that difficult work, offering patients the opportunity to quiet their minds and exist in silence with no demands, sadness or fear.
• Yoga. Gentle and strengthening stretches combined with focused breathing can ease stress and create an emotional balance that is hugely beneficial to the patient’s ability to focus on the more active and intense parts of recovery.
• Acupuncture and acupressure. Eastern medicine is based on the idea that chi or life force flows through our bodies and that when that chi is blocked, it can cause a wide range of problems from physical ailments to mental health issues – including drug addiction. Acupuncture and acupressure seeks to unblock that energy and help the patient to find balance again.
• Bodywork. It is often said that memory and stress are stored in the muscles, and bodywork and massage works to release the negativity that patients may be holding in their bodies so they feel more relaxed.
• Nutritional counseling. The food that we eat affects both our physical and mental health. Making positive food choices can improve mood, energy levels, and confidence, but it’s not an intuitive process. Nutritional counseling can help patients learn how to make better choices when they eat out, plan their own meals at home, and eat the right foods on a regular basis.
• Animal-assisted therapies. Animals are nonjudgmental. They ask no questions and have no expectations based on the past or appearances. If patients show up to care for them regularly, the animal will respond with affection and an emotional bond that can be hugely therapeutic for the patient.
• Outdoor therapies. Adventure therapies, sport therapies, and recreational therapies provide the benefit of confidence-building, positive peer interaction and exercise, all of which can be of great benefit to the patient as they build a strong foundation in recovery.
• Vocational services. Often the ability to support oneself out in the world effectively plays a big part in relapse or fears of living without drugs and alcohol. In treatment, it is important for these patients to have access to job training and educational programs that will give them some recent positive experience on their resumes and improve their opportunities on the job market.
• Art therapies. Exploration of creativity can speak to patients who are less able to express themselves accurately through words. Additionally, it can offer a positive form of escape for those who find it stressful to live without drugs and alcohol or address difficult issues in cognitive behavioral therapy and other traditional talk therapy options.

Benefits of Holistic Treatment

The more comprehensive and widely diverse the therapeutic options incorporated into your addicted family member’s treatment plan, the more likely she is to experience healing on multiple levels. Other benefits of holistic treatment options in recovery include:

• Increases the opportunity to personalize the treatment plan. Unique people have unique experiences in addiction and in life and that requires unique treatment. Holistic therapies are extremely diverse and allow each patient to find a therapeutic outlet that speaks to her personality and interests.
• The chance to explore mental health issues nonverbally. Talk therapy is effective in one-on-one sessions, couples counseling and family therapy, but in order to explore other parts of the mind and experience, it is necessary to be quiet and allow creative impulse to take over. Often, the results are surprising and extremely effective in terms of providing release, escape and personal exploration for the patient.
• Addresses ailments of the mind, body and spirit. Physical therapies and therapeutic options that address the nutritional and exercise needs of the patient will augment the progress made in mental health and aid in the continued detoxification of toxins ingested during active addiction.
• Provides for spiritual exploration and growth in recovery. Spiritual understanding and growth are a personal journey. It is difficult to address on a group level for those in recovery. Personal and creative explorations in a therapeutic space can allow for a spiritual understanding that happens at a pace comfortable to the individual.
• Offers therapies that can be continued after returning home. Yoga, sports, arts, etc. can all be continued at home. Though they may or may not continue with the focus of ongoing addiction treatment, the patient has the ability to continue to supplement her recovery using these treatments as aftercare support.
• Develops abilities to live independently. When drug and alcohol addiction is the main focus, many patients lose confidence in their abilities to live a “straight” life. Holistic treatment options that provide job skills, education, and information on how to do things like budget and plan menus increases the patient’s ability to see herself living self-sufficiently in recovery.

Holistic Treatment Improves Recovery Outcomes

The more diverse and personalized the addiction treatment program, the more likely it is to support the individual patient in a way that is meaningful and that speaks to her individual needs. Healing is more rapid and progressive under these circumstances, and patients are better able to withstand the temptations of relapse and face obstacles to recovery healthfully when they have a wide range of skills and resources to fall back on. Holistic addiction treatment therapies provide these diverse resources and increase the efficacy of care as well as set the stage for a more positive and directed experience in early recovery.

At The Orchid, we incorporate a number of different holistic treatment options into our therapeutic offerings for each patient. Every individual has the opportunity to benefit from these unique therapies on a personal level and utilize them as necessary to prepare for her return home and her journey rebuilding a life that does not include drugs and alcohol. Contact us today to learn more about holistic treatment options can improve the outcome of rehab for your loved one.