For many years, addiction was typically treated in a fairly linear fashion. People with addictions were prescribed cognitive behavioral therapy, tools to practice abstinence, and encouraged to attend group meetings.
This basic addiction treatment program works for a lot of people. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that holistic treatments provide an additional layer of usefulness. Holistic treatments don’t just address the addiction but also any other physical, mental, emotional, or even spiritual components that may influence addictive behavior.
This article will explore a few of the holistic treatments that have been proven to help improve addiction treatment at a medical detox center in San Diego.
What are holistic treatments?
Holistic treatments are treatments that attempt to address the entire scope of a problem. In doing this, they also try. to acknowledge the entire scope of the human being itself. Holistic treatments understand the importance of the mind and body, their interactions, as well as the relationship between emotional and physical health.
A linear treatment, such as therapy, aims to treat addiction single-pointedly by identifying the psychological cause and trying to change it. A holistic treatment might look at any number of underlying factors, related issues, or other aspects of an individual’s health or lifestyle that might help to improve their addiction.
For example, tense muscles probably won’t cause an addiction. However, including massage therapy in a holistic treatment may help to reduce stress stored in tense muscles, thereby reducing the risk of relapse by minimizing discomfort, promoting relaxation, and releasing stored tension both physically and emotionally.
Here are some examples of holistic treatments or alternative treatments that can be included in a holistic plan at a medical detox center in San Diego
Massage therapy
As mentioned, massage therapy can be an important component of addiction recovery. It can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and even help people uncover trauma stored in the body.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture operates by interacting with the body’s energy meridians. Rational science is still yet to fully understand how these meridians work, but studies consistently report improvements in well-being in the patients treated with acupuncture.
Meditation
Meditation therapy is very important for anybody dealing with psychological or emotional issues. Meditation helps people remain grounded while they work through challenging emotional issues such as those underlying addiction.
Nutrition
The standard American diet includes a lot of processed, nutritionally devoid garbage that is scientifically proven to cause physical and mental health problems. Replacing these unhealthy, processed pseudo foods with vitamin-rich, Nutrient-dense whole foods can improve energy levels and reduce issues like anxiety and depression.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a very useful holistic treatment that involves the use of sensory equipment. These devices will read and provide feedback on biological functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. This information can help people understand and improve their body‘s response to cravings, triggers, anxiety, or other issues that may influence their addiction.
Conclusion
The conventional model of addiction treatment still works for many people. However, holistic treatments provide an additional layer of benefits for anybody interested in managing addiction. If you’re really interested in beating your addiction once and for all, don’t hesitate to look into holistic treatments.
