Alternative and Holistic Healing Practices
At Searidge we know the value of healing the mind, our front-line tool in the battle against addiction is Psychology after all. That is why we know that when our residents learn to cultivate the right mindset their chances of lifelong sobriety increase tenfold. By employing natural and holistic therapies in our approach to recovery we can help our residents reconnect mind and body are dare we say Spirit as well.
We work with our residents to help them shift the mindsets that have not served them well in the past through psychotherapy and the use of more holistic therapies, and often these newfound practices become important parts of their lives outside of the rehab facility. This opens the doors to forming new relationships and community support, and the people who regularly participate in Yoga or TaiChi for example tend to lead healthier lives overall.
Treating the Whole Self
Our wide variety of alternative therapies presents residents with some techniques that help to reduce stress and focus the mind during and following their time in recovery with us at Searidge Alcohol Rehab. The variety in our program ensures that every resident will be included and discover activities that appeal to them, no matter what level of physical ability or stage in alcohol addiction recovery.
Yoga Therapy
Aside from the physical benefits of increased strength and flexibility Yoga has been shown to enhance blood circulation and improve respiration, which in turn helps heal internal organs that may have suffered under the grip of alcohol. It also awakens the connection we have between the body and the mind, reduces dopamine surges, and even helps to lower cravings. Breathwork helps lower blood pressure and reduces anxiety, releases pleasure-giving endorphins, and is a tool that can be deployed anywhere anytime to replace or suppress addictive behaviors in recovery.
We offer accessible yoga sessions at Searidge Alcohol Rehab. To accommodate every resident’s physical abilities and stage in recovery, we structure our yoga sessions so that, no matter the level, participants will reap significant benefits from the practice of yoga.
Creative Art Therapy
Creative Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that works with different types of art as its primary medium. Our experienced art therapist guides residents to explore and resolve past conflicts and emotional problems through a variety of artistic mediums such as drama, painting, music, and sculpture. While Creative Art Therapy is not an art class, residents may find the more creative aspects of this treatment appealing.
Creative Art Therapy has been shown to help reduce stress, improve awareness and self-esteem manage behavior and improve expression, all qualities that are often impaired by alcohol addiction. It presents a medium through which to learn, share, and recover in a fun environment while modifying dysfunctional behavior and developing social skills while gaining insights into your inner self.
Mindfulness Meditation As An Alternative Alcoholism Therapy
Meditative practices can affect the neuroplasticity of the brain, and the act of learning to sit with feelings that arise, no matter how uncomfortable they are, helps to reinforce discipline, something that is invaluable to those in recovery. Learning how to meditate teaches our residents how to recognize or create feelings that will support more positive behaviors.
This type of therapy perfectly complements our psychotherapies, which require mindfulness to make progress. Mindfulness meditation exercises the areas of the brain commonly adversely affected by addiction, such as memory, learning, emotion, and sense of self. Training these areas promotes the re-growth necessary for recovery.
Acupuncture For Alcoholism Therapy
Acupuncture is a form of therapy that consists of the careful placement of thin needles at specific points on the body. This is believed to release blockages of qi that result in negative symptoms. Acupuncture has been shown to target neurological issues and physical pain. This is administered by experienced practitioners in a completely safe and hygienic environment.
Tai Chi
TaiChi practices help reconnect the inner self to the outer world through mindful motion. The slow motions and held poses of TaiChi increase awareness of the body in its surroundings while improving strength and agility.
Relaxation & Alcoholism Therapy
This therapy emphasizes learning how to focus the mind and relax the body. It helps residents learn how to relieve stress and greatly improve sleep quality, providing a means to access the rest and rejuvenation needed for alcohol addiction recovery.
First Nations Healing For Alcoholism Therapy
Working in unison with more traditional first-nation Mi’kmaq healing methods is yet another natural healing method we employ here at Searidge. Steeped in tradition, these Mi’kmaq/ First Peoples practices combine self-awareness with natural awareness to bring participants full circle through past events, and traumas, and help identify and understand the effects of trauma, both current and ancestral on the self. Through awareness, these issues can be addressed and their negative forces understood. From the Sweat Lodge sessions to Storytelling guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings of wisdom, respect, humility, love, honesty, bravery, and truth, participants are invited to examine and explain factors (e.g., personal, interpersonal, and institutional) that may influence their relationship with alcohol and can color how they interact with the world around them.
Journaling To Chronicle Your Alcoholism Therapy
Journaling provides individuals with a way to release their thoughts and feelings onto paper. When we are dealing with issues of self-worth, the inner voice that tries to tell us we are not good enough can seem to have all the power. However, sometimes the simple act of putting it all out on paper can take away that naggy nasty inner critic’s power. And on the other side of the coin, sometimes journaling opens doors of creativity, and releases those feel-good endorphins.
Other Interests
Searidge Alcohol Rehab provides some flexibility in its treatment programs. For example, if a resident is interested in participating in the 12-step program, we can arrange to drive them to local AA or NA meetings.
Recovery is ultimately a decision you make every morning when you wake up. It is a choice you make to honor the commitment you have made to yourself to stay sober, to forgive, love, and care for yourself and those around you. When you have made that choice, we will help you with the understanding and the tools you need to rediscover the healthy and hopeful individual you always been.