Holistic Treatment in San Diego, California
The Benefits of holistic therapy in San Diego
Despite roots that reach back to Aristotle in ancient Greece, holistic therapy has only gained popularity in recent decades. Since then, the medical community has increasingly conducted studies that showed its effectiveness in reaching a variety of patient goals:
- A 2019 study of 230 adolescent females found that patients who underwent a one-month holistic therapy program experienced significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression.
- A 2021 study of convicted criminals on probation found that those participating in holistic health interventions improved their communications with family members as a result.
- A 2021 review of multiple studies found that yoga, a common part of holistic therapy treatments, helped treat alcohol, nicotine, and drug addiction among women.
Other studies are ongoing or require more data but are beginning to find similar results. Holistic therapy cannot and should not replace traditional ways of treating addiction. However, it can become a vital companion to those other therapies. Holistic therapies can improve overall results and aid the patient in the long run.
The Core Objectives of Holistic Therapy
The goal of holistic therapy in addiction is to achieve a balance within the patient’s mind, body, and spirit. It’s designed to go deeper than other treatments. This treatment method examines every variable that might have contributed to the addiction.
The goal of holistic treatment assumes that a patient’s self-perception is not rooted in a single part of the body. Instead, it is derived from the entire person, including their body, brain, emotions, and spirit.
Treatments are designed to help the patient build awareness of these connections. Therefore they can create a more profound sense of self-understanding that reaches into daily life and habits. This understanding creates mechanisms for self-healing beyond the immediate benefits provided by other addiction treatments.
Specific objectives for these holistic mechanisms may include:
- Finding the underlying reasons that may have led to addiction.
- Increasing a patient's self-confidence and physical fitness strengthens the body and mind against relapse.
- Strengthening the patient's general resistance to cravings can cause or pre-date future relapses.
- Eliminating or reducing the general appeal of drugs and alcohol by better understanding their adverse effects.
In other words, holistic and alternative therapies are typically designed to complement other treatments. It can be used as a long-term addition to the benefits of those treatments. Within addiction recovery, providers build programs designed to prevent future relapses. These relapses may otherwise result from mental health crises of a patient on the mend.
Typical Means of
Holistic Treatment for Addiction
Achieving these long-term types of holistic objectives can come in many forms. This treatment approach can be made in various ways based on holistic practitioners’ direction.
Some of the most common treatment methods include:
- Meditation helps patients to clear their minds and become more at peace with themselves.
- Stress management, including a better understanding of the causes of daily stress and how to alleviate the symptoms.
- Massage therapy relaxes the body to relieve potential physical causes of stress and increase the patient's focus on what matters.
- Physical exercise increases the body's fitness level to make it more resilient to future cravings.
- Nutritional therapy, building a healthier diet to provide strength for fighting addiction and focus on healing.
How to Pair Holistic Therapy With
Traditional Addiction Treatments
A more comprehensive view of the patient still requires traditional means of addiction treatment. Conventional therapies are combined with these more holistic healing therapy types. Aligning both sides of the coin is the best way to help patients in addiction recovery find recovery.
Holistic therapy is most successful when used with conventional medicine for treating substance use. For example, when recovering from drug addiction, medical providers must be by the patient’s side to manage immediate withdrawal symptoms. While also addressing the potential immediate physical effects of the addiction.
Medically-assisted detox and comprehensive medical care are just some of the many treatments needed for the first steps of recovery. Mental health counseling can also play a vital role in that initial period. Counseling can help the patient get into a healthier state of mind and body before focusing on more long-term goals.
Holistic practices, then, goes hand-in-hand with these more traditional treatment methods. Even as the patient’s immediate needs are taken care of, efforts like meditation and physical exercise can create a stronger foundation. The comprehensive approach to treatment is beneficial in the long run.
To get there, patients need professionals by their side who understand the comprehensive nature of addiction recovery. At Akasha Recovery, we treat the mind, body, and spirit through a supportive space. We use medical expertise and the necessary partners to get our patient’s life back on track.
Contact us today to learn more about our approach and holistic treatment in Encinitas, CA.