5 Therapies That Help Your Recovery from Addiction
by Hope Rehab Team
The Work of Recovery
There can be no real progress until you stop using alcohol or drugs but just ending an addiction is unlikely to be enough to guarantee a better life. Years of substance abuse may mean you struggle to cope with sober living unless you pick up some new tools for dealing with things.The goal of recovery is not to get you back to where you prior to getting hooked on drugs – if things were so great back then, how did you fall into the trap of addiction? The likelihood is there was something wrong (e.g. you felt uncomfortable in your own skin) even before you picked up, and unless you resolve this issue, any recovery you manage will be weak.
The following five therapies are offered as part of the program at Hope Rehab Thailand. These approaches are designed to not only help you stay free of alcohol or drugs but also to create the wonderful life you deserve.
Mindfulness Therapy
The goal of mindfulness therapy is for you to develop a new relationship with your mind. For many of us, it is our addiction to thoughts that makes life so unbearable that we turn to maladaptive behaviours like substance abuse for relief. By practicing mindfulness, you will start to ‘unstick’ from the thought patterns that have prevented you from loving life, and the more you do this, the more inner peace you will enjoy.
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
There are a number of tools from CBT that can be incredibly useful when facing the challenges of sober living. The most important of these is the ABC technique where you get to see how the triggering (activating event) of unhelpful beliefs can cause you to engage in harmful/hurtful behaviour. Tools like the ABC are easy to use, and they can greatly increase your ability to perform better in life.
Gratitude Therapy
The key to happiness is not about always getting what you want but appreciating what you already have. If you lack gratitude, you may never really experience happiness no matter how much you manage to get or achieve. Gratitude therapy is a therapy where you train your mind to notice the good stuff – it only needs to take a few minutes per day, but it can have a major influence on how you perceive the world.
12-Step Work
The purpose of the 12 Steps is to encourage your spiritual growth through developing a more accepting and honest relationship with the world. Participating in this program means you will be supported by those who are facing similar challenges to you and who are committed to sober living.
Group Therapy
Being part of a group helps you see that you are not alone when facing your problems – this is why one of our mottos at Hope is ‘together we are stronger’. Group therapy can give you the opportunity to see things in a new way and the different perspectives may provide the answer you are looking for. You can also learn an awful lot about yourself by listening to other people who are going through a similar thing.
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Singing Bowl Therapy
Sound therapy is based on the idea that vibration is a foundational principle of our universe. We can use sound as an aid to meditation and relaxation.