A holistic approach to addiction treatment can be incredibly powerful, especially for those who struggle with co-occurring mental health disorders. Holistic services play a key role in a comprehensive dual diagnosis treatment plan. If you or a loved one is seeking support for addiction, you should understand what a holistic approach is and how it helps.
What Is Holistic Treatment?
Holistic addiction treatment is an all-encompassing approach that considers the individual’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Under the holistic approach, the team treats the whole person instead of focusing only on the symptoms of their addiction.
Inpatient dual diagnosis treatment centers that use a holistic approach usually offer a combination of medical and non-medical services. The goals of holistic addiction treatment are to identify the root cause of the substance use disorder, heal from past trauma that’s holding you back, alleviate your current mental health symptoms, and promote long-term emotional growth. This allows for true healing from addiction and other mental health conditions.
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Types of Holistic Treatments
There are endless holistic treatments that can play a role in the addiction recovery process. The following are some of the most common treatments offered in holistic inpatient dual diagnosis treatment:
Art Therapy
Art therapy uses art as a medium for exploring your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It can be a powerful addition to traditional talk therapy, especially at the beginning of your recovery journey. If you’re not quite ready to verbally process your addiction, expressing yourself through art may feel more comfortable.
Meditation
All forms of meditation can aid in addiction recovery. Meditation quiets your anxious thoughts and promotes physical relaxation. The more you practice, the more connected you feel to your own mind. Meditation is also a technique you can continue to use on your own after moving on from a recovery program.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is one of the most popular forms of meditation and is especially helpful for dual diagnosis treatment. This technique teaches you to acknowledge and accept your thoughts without judgment. It teaches you to sit with uncomfortable feelings without letting those feelings control your behaviors.
Yoga
Yoga is an excellent way to strengthen your mind-body connection and decompress when working through the beginning stages of recovery. This gentle exercise also releases chemicals in the brain that boost your mood and energy.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine that involves placing very small needles into certain areas of the body to reduce pain, alleviate stress, and improve your overall sense of well-being. This can help with early withdrawal symptoms or psychological distress at the beginning of recovery.
Massage Therapy
Like acupuncture, massage therapy promotes an overall sense of relaxation and wellness. Inpatient recovery can be a stressful experience, but these forms of treatment help you feel grounded and centered.
Nutrition Counseling
Nutrition plays a vital role in mental health and addiction treatment. You have to fuel both your body and your mind so that you feel well enough to embrace your recovery. Many people in active addiction neglect their physical health and nutrition, so part of recovery is learning how to care for yourself again. Nutrition counseling helps you make the dietary choices that will best support your mental and physical health.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a state of increased relaxation that allows for more focused attention. While under hypnosis, you become more receptive to ideas or beliefs that support your goals. For instance, it may help you break free from toxic behavior patterns that are fueling your addiction. Hypnotherapy is performed by a trained professional, and many hypnotherapists specialize in hypnosis for addiction recovery.
How a Holistic Approach Supports Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Holistic treatment for addiction has a wide range of benefits. People who feel like traditional recovery methods don’t work for them or don’t fully address their mental health concerns may thrive with holistic treatment. A holistic approach explores all aspects of your addiction. It’s fully comprehensive, which can help you better understand your addiction and overall mental health.
Holistic addiction treatment is also highly individualized. When creating your treatment plan, your team will consider your unique experiences, symptoms, and support needs. This helps you feel seen and heard during your treatment, which can motivate you to stay committed to recovery.
Some people find that holistic treatments are less intimidating than other treatment methods. Because the approach is so individualized, you can advocate to receive the services that feel the most accessible to you. For instance, if you’re not ready to explore your addiction in talk therapy, you could begin by focusing on wellness services like yoga or nutrition counseling. As you get more in tune with your mental health, the other treatment methods start to feel more approachable.
The holistic approach is especially valuable for dual diagnosis treatment. If you have a co-occurring mental health disorder, your addiction treatment must address the underlying mental and emotional concerns. Your addiction and mental health are closely intertwined, and holistic services treat both simultaneously.
Merging Holistic and Traditional Treatment Methods
When people are seeking resources for addiction recovery, they often feel like they have to choose between a traditional or a holistic approach. These two methods of treatment are not mutually exclusive, though. Holistic services can be integrated into traditional inpatient dual diagnosis treatment with great results. Because the holistic approach views the whole person, it can be used to identify and fill in the gaps that are present with traditional addiction treatment.
For instance, you and your team might decide that psychiatric medication combined with meditation is your best treatment option. The medication can help to alleviate your most severe symptoms, and the holistic treatments empower you to take charge of your mental health. Regardless of what you and your team settle on, what matters most is that you’re engaged in your treatment.
Renewal Lodge is an inpatient dual diagnosis treatment center that integrates a holistic approach with traditional services. We understand that everyone’s recovery journey is different, so we take an individualized approach to treatment planning. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.
