Have you or your loved one reached a point where substance use is unmanageable? If so, you might find the following relatable. The substance use has progressed from once or twice a week to every night following work. What initially started as a fun way to get together with friends and unwind on the weekends has progressed to nightly justifications for better sleep and relaxation following the high demands of your day-to-day life. Work has begun to suffer as due dates are repeatedly missed, calling out sick has increased, and arriving late has turned into a routine occurrence. Family life has begun to suffer as there is less and less time spent with loved ones. Lies have been used to justify certain behaviors, and being present has become a thing of the past. Sneaking around and hiding the evidence results in tension and explosive fights. Friends have been pushed aside;, time spent alone has doubled, and the depression and anxiety have taken over. If you or a loved one can relate to any of this, you might be feeling scared, worried, or helpless. What do you do? Who do you turn to? What is the next step, and what are your options? At Apex Recovery, holistic healing therapy is utilized to help people return to a healthy, manageable, functioning lifestyle free of substances. If you are unaware of what holistic healing is, you have come to the right place as this article will outline what it is and help you to decide if a holistic approach is something you or your loved one could benefit from.
What is Holistic Healing? When people think of health, the physical body tends to come to mind, but one’s health and well-being encompasses more than just the condition of your physical being; it involves more than a gym routine and a healthy diet. A holistic approach is a focus on the integral parts as a whole. Holistic healing places an emphasis on the well-being of the mind, body, and spirit simultaneously. Some people may turn to talk therapy or psychiatry when they are struggling, and while these treatments can be effective, they target specific areas of a person’s life and may fail to address other crucial components of the individual. Holistic healing is different and extremely effective because it involves several different types of treatment remedies to ensure there is a healthy balance within the multi-faceted individual. So what exactly does this mean for substance abuse treatment? For some, it may be necessary to have more concrete tools or emotional resolution of underlying psychological issues contributing to their substance use. These people may find themselves wanting something else as a means of substance abuse treatment. If you are one of these people searching for alternative therapies, now is the time to explore the many benefits of holistic healing.
What to Expect with Holistic Healing As previously stated, holistic healing is a form of treatment that focuses on the well-being of the multiple dimensions of an individual, not just one specific area. It can be thought of as the treatment of mind-body-spirit.  At Apex Recovery, this approach is used because the skilled and highly trained professionals at our facility know that substance misuse is a symptom of something much greater. We do not conform with the disease model and instead offers a multitude of treatment services so that the recovering individual leaves our facility cognitively, emotionally, physically, and mentally stronger,. We also make sure our clients are equipped with a new set of tools to prevent relapse and maintain sobriety. Along with the various services that are offered, clients are supported by different recovery meetings to expand their support system as a solid sober network is an indicator of maintained sobriety. Let us take a deeper look at what these holistic services include. Mind The mind is extremely powerful. Our thoughts, beliefs, and views can have a profound effect on our perceptions of the world, ourselves, and others. They can affect how we behave and interact with those around us. As such, it is important to have effective tools and treatments for the mind to establish cognitive and mental stability. Holistic healing addresses this in the following ways:
- Talk therapy – Family, couple, group, and individual counseling is provided to help clients process a multitude of different topics, learn new skills, and deal with emotional turmoil. A variety of treatment modalities are used as treatment is individual to each person; one treatment that works for one person might not be as effective for the next. Theoretical orientations such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) are some of the therapeutic approaches clients would be introduced to.
- Psychoeducation – Clients are provided psychoeducation, workbooks, and book recommendations on topics such as emotions, distress tolerance, anxiety management, grief, and trauma to name a few. Frequently it is found that people resort to alcohol or substance use as they lack the insight to feel, understand, and communicate their emotions. It is fairly common for people to use alcohol or substances as a means to numb or avoid difficult emotions such as pain, anger, sadness, and grief. The psychoeducation and workbooks that are provided then serve to help clients establish emotional intelligence and resiliency so that they are better able to cope and manage their unpleasant emotions without the use of substances.
Body Along with the mind, the body is also very powerful and serves as another key component of holistic healing. Comprised of several complex systems, our bodies are designed to maintain and preserve our species. For the substance user, years of neglect to their physical well-being has likely taken a toll.  Part of the recovery process includes rebuilding physical well-being, which can be addressed in the following ways:
- Massage – Massage has been around for centuries and has many healing properties. Used to promote balance and maintain internal and external health, massage is beneficial in creating a calming and relaxing experience for people who struggle to remain grounded. Massage therapy can help release the physical tension held in the body from emotional trauma and internalized emotional experiences.
- Nutritional Counseling – The body requires healthy consumption for longevity and improved mood, so proper holistic nutrition is essential to prevent illness, depression, and obesity. Clients are provided nutritional counseling to establish proper physical and mental stability from within their diet. This includes assessment, education, and treatment planning of integration of a healthy nutritional regimen into daily life.
- Natural Remedies – Natural remedies such as Ashwagandha, Melatonin, Vitamin B, and Vitamin D are a part of holistic healing and are used to naturally treat conditions such as anxiety, depression, and poor sleep. Compared to prescription medicine, natural remedies are more easily tolerable, have no harmful side effects, are easily accessible, and pose no risk for addiction.
- Physical Exercise – Physical exercise is crucial as it improves overall mood, helps to lower anxiety, and improves physical health. Clients at our rehab facility are provided the opportunity to exercise on a daily basis while setting and achieving new goals related to their physical fitness.
Spirit Many individuals tend to think of spirituality as a religious concept, however, the cultivation and development of a spirituality way of being refers more specifically to an individual’s interior way of being or interacting with the world. At our rehab facilityApex, substance use is treated as a symptom of something greater such as underlying anxiety, trauma, or depression, and addressing these concepts are vital to the recovery process. Due to the body’s innate ability to hold tension, trauma, and stress, the condition of the body can also have a significant impact on how we interact with and perceive the world around us. For this reason, holistic healing includes different somatic treatments to establish overall physical comfort, relaxation, and well-being.
- Yoga – In the Western world, most individuals are familiar with yoga classes taught at their gym or in a studios and often incorporate yoga into their physical fitness routine as it increases flexibility and can improve strength. What many individuals are not aware of, are the psychological and spiritual healing benefits of a yoga practice. Through addressing the body’s deep sensations and emotions, yoga can help resolve feelings and beliefs of self-doubt and despair. By creating a new way to operate spiritually and emotionally in the world, yoga can help increase autonomy, self-efficacy, and promote sobriety.
- Meditation/Mindfulness Techniques – Meditation and mindfulness techniques help to quiet the mind, bring awareness to the present moment, and promote a calming effect on the mind and body. Mindfulness is the practice of being present and aware without judgment in order to decrease internal suffering and anxiety. Through cultivating mindfulness, an individual can find an internal resolve.
- Qi-gong – Qi-gong is a traditional Chinese practice that oriented centuries ago for healing preservation. Comprised of various movements and breathing exercises, this type of somatic treatment promotes health preservation and disease prevention. The deliberate, slow, and gentle movements of this practice provide support towards enhancing self-awareness.
Realizing that substance use has gotten out of hand is never easy, and your recovery does not have to be something you do alone. At Apex Recovery, our holistic natural healing is an all-inclusive approach designed to address the many facets that contributed to the substance misuse in the first place. The holistic approach to treatment will provide you with many different tools to ensure your recovery has a strong foundation. A well-rounded approach to treatment helps to establish balance and increases the probability of overall health, well-being, and maintained sobriety.