Regaining control of lives lost to substance abuse is just one aspect of the long recovery process required for effective addiction treatment. For many that have entered Southern California drug addiction treatment centers for detox and inpatient rehab, getting ahead of compulsions that caused the drug addiction is vital to recovery. Usually a recovering addict is able to understand how their addictions have completely disrupted past work, family, and social lives. Recovery from addiction should be treated much like recovery from a serious, life-threatening illness. The disease of addiction requires life-long psychological, physical, and emotional therapies and treatments.
Why Addiction Therapy is Important
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Types of Addiction Recovery Therapies
There are different types of therapies that have proven to work well for individuals seeking drug addiction recovery. Some are individual therapies, but most are designed for group settings as group therapies have long proven to be more successful. The ultimate goal of any addiction therapy service is to support individuals with peer relationships while providing challenging, goal focused treatment plans.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) trains recovering addicts to recognize how their emotions, thought patterns and social situations can be triggers for illicit drug cravings. With the help of therapists, individuals can learn how to avoid these negative, dangerous situations and replace them with options that do not threaten to derail recovery.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is as the name implies, therapy aimed at triggering internal motivation for recovery that encourages rethinking addictive behaviors. This type of counseling is often used in conjunction with other group sessions such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Biofeedback Therapy
Biofeedback Therapy is a specific kind of therapy sometimes utilized to help individuals understand their mind and body’s response to stimuli that causes stress, such as cravings. Once a person understands the way their system responds, they can learn to implement relaxation exercises to control these impulses. Involuntary functions contribute to addiction behaviors and addressing these underlying triggers and combatting them with biofeedback therapy can greatly increase success.
Types of Addiction Recovery Therapies
For some, the therapy process can be overwhelmingly stressful. Sharing one-on-one can be uncomfortable in a traditional office setting, and individuals may hold back, slowing the recovery process. For therapies to be successful, patients will need to work through repressed issues and traumatic past situations before a true recovery can begin. Experiential therapies take place outside traditional settings and allow therapists to interact with patients through different outlets.
Common experiential therapies include rock climbing, surfing, challenge courses, horseback riding, hiking, music and art therapies. Through these, and other recreational therapies, addicts can often discuss emotional and psychological stumbling blocks without feeling threatened. Facing issues that will otherwise derail personal recovery is important for building self-awareness and coping mechanisms. To learn more about our extensive Experiential Therapy programs, please contact us today.