Holistic Substance Abuse Treatment in Maryland
Herbal medicine was the first form of holistic healthcare. Now, holistic treatment includes a variety of care including, psychotherapy, spiritual counseling, alternative therapies, and natural medicines.
The goal of holistic substance abuse treatment at The Freedom Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland is to treat a person by focusing on the mind, body, and spirit. The main goal of holistic treatment at our rehab facilities is to find the root of a person’s addiction, rather than isolating and treating symptoms.
That way, medical professionals can find the other components/risk factors that could be contributing to exacerbating their conditions. We’ve found that utilizing evidence-based treatments, has resulted in successful recovery outcomes.
What is Holistic Treatment?
Holistic treatment is an approach to healthcare that accounts for an individual as a whole. This includes treating their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being instead of treating specific symptoms. Holistic care is rooted in the belief that the aspects of a person’s life are interconnected and by treating all the root causes of a health problem, you can achieve overall health.
For substance use treatment, this means promoting a healthy lifestyle by giving individuals tools to heal themselves with the support of therapy, alternative therapy, such as acupuncture, and medication.
What Does Holistic Mean?
The name for this type of treatment comes from the definition of holistic– treating something as a whole rather than focusing on individual parts. It was first used as a philosophical term to describe the interconnectedness of nature. The word holistic comes from the greek word holos, which means entire.
Treating the Mind, Body, and Spirit
Substance abuse doesn’t just affect your physical body, it also can hurt your mind and spirituality. Holistic treatment is for the mind, body, and spirit because they’re all connected and it’s most effective to treat them all together rather than individually.
It may be easy to imagine how the mind and body are connected. Sometimes your emotional health noticeably affects your body. For example, when you feel depressed your body may get very tired. Your spirit can be thought of as an essence of who you are.
This includes your belief system. Holistic medicine treats your spirit by encouraging you to connect with yourself through meditation, journaling, or some quiet hobby. You can learn more about the types of holistic treatment to understand how it treats the mind, body, and spirit.
Types of Holistic Substance Abuse Treatment
There are many types of holistic treatments that work for substance abuse. Each rehab center that offers holistic treatment for substance use may provide different options. This helps an individual find treatment that is best suited to them. Here are common holistic substance abuse treatments:
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)– This treatment focuses on developing mindfulness skills and using them to manage cravings, negative emotions, and stress. This practice encourages individuals to acknowledge their urges and let them pass naturally rather than by trying to suppress or distract from the cravings.
Yoga Therapy- Yoga combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve physical and emotional well-being. This is very calming and good for spiritual health too.
Acupuncture- Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that involves the insertion of thin needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain and promote healing. This is an especially useful treatment for withdrawal symptoms.
Massage Therapy- Massage therapy uses various techniques to manipulate the muscles and soft tissues of the body to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and relieve pain. Therapies such as this to help the body relax are also very good for mental health and can relieve anxiety symptoms.
Nutritional Therapy- Nutritional therapy involves identifying and addressing nutrient deficiencies and imbalances that may be contributing to addiction or other health problems. It’s not uncommon to develop unhealthy eating habits while using drugs or alcohol, so this type of therapy can help build healthy eating habits.
Exercise Therapy- Exercise can be a powerful tool in addiction recovery, helping to reduce stress, improve mood, and promote physical health. Rehab centers often provide a gym, space to run, or amenities for other activities such as sports.
Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)- These practices focus on developing a greater awareness of thoughts and emotions and using this awareness to promote emotional regulation and resilience. Individuals are taught mindful stretching, body scan exercises, and guided meditation.
Art therapy- Patients are encouraged to draw, paint, and make art as a way to express their feelings. This is useful for exploring one’s mind and spirit and it promotes self-awareness.
Animal-assisted therapy- This practice uses trained animals to interact with individuals. It’s useful in promoting both emotional and physical healing. Animal-assisted therapy also helps with socialization and relieves stress and anxiety.
Life skills development- This practice focuses on teaching practical skills to help manage an individual’s life positively and productively. Often this includes skills such as communication. Problem-solving, decision-making, and time management.
How Can Holistic Treatment Help with Addiction?
Holistic treatment can help with addiction by providing healing to a person as a whole and helping them develop self-awareness as well as skills to cope with cravings and stress that addiction can cause. Here’s how holistic approaches help with addiction treatment:
Reduces Stress
Addiction causes stress but can also be one of the reasons a person starts using drugs and alcohol. Many holistic therapies seek to relieve stress and teach techniques for relieving stress on your own.
Other than meditation, acupuncture, and cognitive therapies that holistic treatments use to relieve stress, holistic care also introduces individuals to new hobbies that they can turn to for stress relief rather than using substances.
Helps Develop Coping Skills
Provides a Spiritual Connection
Aids in Relapse Prevention
Relapse prevention is a focus of addiction recovery. With the stress reduction and coping skills that holistic treatment teaches, individuals are less likely to relapse. Another way holistic therapies help reduce the risk of relapse is by helping people find a sense of purpose. When people find and feel they have a reason to stay sober, they may be more likely to stick with their sobriety goals. This sense of purpose can be anything including volunteer work, hobbies, family, friends, a pet, or a job.
Helps Achieve Overall Health
Why is Holistic Treatment Important for Substance Abuse Recovery?
Addiction can negatively impact physical health as well as emotional and mental health. Holistic treatment is important for substance abuse recovery because it treats a whole person and can help resolve all symptoms of addiction. Holistic treatment also provides tools that prevent relapse.
Holistic treatment also provides an alternative to traditional medicine, which may be preferable to some who seek addiction treatment. Holistic therapies also pair well with traditional approaches to create a well-rounded treatment plan.
Components of Holistic Substance Abuse Treatment
There are four main components of holistic substance abuse treatment.
Improve physical health- Treating the physical body through nutrition therapy and exercise helps recover from the effects of substance use.
Treat mental health issues- Mental health issues can co-occur with addiction, so holistic therapy takes care to treat mental health with cognitive exercises.
Teach emotional regulation- Emotional regulation is part of your mind and spiritual health. It also helps manage urges and develop positive thought patterns and behavior.
Strengthen spirituality- A strong sense of spirituality can be achieved through meditation and exercises that increase self-awareness. In recovery, a strong spirit can help stay the course of your recovery.
Who is a Candidate for Holistic Substance Abuse Treatment?
Anyone who struggles with a substance use disorder is a candidate for holistic treatment. Holistic approaches can treat a wide range of conditions and be useful in treating addiction to any substance. For some cases of substance abuse medical detox may still be necessary but holistic therapy can benefit an individual in rehab.
Will My Insurance Cover Holistic Treatment?
Holistic treatment is considered an alternative medicine so insurance may not cover it. Typically insurance plans only include traditional medicine. However, if the treatment is administered by a licensed practitioner the care is more likely to be covered by insurance. Consult with your health insurance provider before seeking treatment to find out what will be covered.
If your health insurance plan doesn’t cover the cost of alternative therapies and treatments, you may be able to use funds for a health savings account. Often recovery centers offer payment plans to help with the cost of treatment.
Treat Your Mind, Body, and Spirit at The Freedom Center
Recovery from substance abuse has many stages. The first step is deciding to get help and quit any use of drugs or alcohol. This is a great plan and The Freedom Center in Gaithersburg, MD can help you take action. We offer a variety of programs and treatments to help you overcome addiction and begin your recovery.
This includes holistic treatments which you can combine with other treatments from any program. Our team at The Freedom Center helps you create a personalized treatment plan so you can recover however is best for you and at your own pace!
Holistic treatment includes many therapeutic activities that will help prepare you for the outside world after treatment. To learn which type of treatment is right for you and our team can help you start your journey to recovery, call us today!
We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about our treatment facility and discuss the steps to start living a sober life.
