When everything you have has been stripped away, what do you have left? Life happens and events out of your control can cause you to lose everything – your home, your job, family, health and anything else you have held close and dear to your heart. In the face of such an unfortunate turn of events, many turn to alcohol and/or other drugs against their own best judgment because there is nothing else to lose.
Recovery helps you regroup and rediscover what’s really important in life. When you have lost everything that’s tangible, there is still the spiritual aspect of recovery which is connected to your spirit, and that’s what holistic healing therapy is about. Through meditation, guidance, and counseling, you can rediscover what really matters to you, intrinsically speaking, and a skilled holistic therapist will help you rebuild a new life based on your values that nothing can take away from you.
Holistic Healing: Addressing Spirituality in Substance Abuse Treatment
Spirituality is defined as “a distinctive, potentially creative, and universal dimension of human experience arising within inner subjective awareness of individuals and within communities, social groups and traditions” (Cook, 2004).
A research article published in Current Psychiatry highlights the importance of addressing spiritual issues that may be at play during substance abuse treatment. For select patients who value faith and spirituality, an addiction psychiatrist who starts a conversation about faith and belief systems “demonstrates an openness to, interest in and appreciation of the patient’s religiousness,” thereby encouraging clients to delve deeper into their spiritual side about the higher power to which they ascribe (Allen, Nieuwsma, Pollitt & Blazer, 2014). This is important because a lack of attention to patients’ spiritual needs may actually drive them away from effective treatment, particularly for dual diagnosis disorders (Post, Puchalski & Larson, 2000).
Healing the Body, Mind, and Spirit
Treating substance use disorders in conjunction with the mind and spirit is essential to long-term recovery. In their publication Pathways to Healing and Recovery: Perspectives from Individuals with Histories of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems (2010), SAMHSA mentions various pathways through which clients can participate in a focus group for the remainder of their recovery. Such pathways include the following:
• Natural recovery
• Faith-based recovery
• 12-step programs
• Non-12-step recovery groups
• Cultural recovery
• Body work – yoga, massage, acupuncture, etc.
• Other holistic therapies – art therapy, music therapy, etc.
If deemed appropriate, the addiction therapist will refer clients to the recovery support service based on their value system and choice. At New Method Wellness, evidence-based clinical treatment is integrated with holistic therapy to provide comprehensive care for the mind, body, and spirit. Unique to New Method Wellness is the 2:1 staff-to-client ratio, which ensures the best client care possible for anyone seeking treatment for substance use disorders. Get in touch with our Outreach Coordinator and take back control of your life!
For more information about our Wellness Methods, visit our website or call 866.951.1824
