Holistic Approaches to Addiction Recovery: Integrating Yoga, Art Therapy, and More

 Being addicted to substances can be a person’s worst phase in life. It not only affects your body but also your mind. Moreover, it leads to problems in both personal and professional lives. 

According to statistics, nearly 40-60% of substance addicts tend to relapse at least once after undergoing treatment. 

This is why a better approach, called holistic addiction recovery, is so important. This approach focuses on healing both the body and the mind instead of just treating the addiction. 

So, if you want to know how holistic addiction recovery can help a person lead a better life, keep reading this think piece!

1. Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are some of the most common forms of holistic therapies that addiction counselors suggest. You can be in tune with your body through constant meditation and keep your mind at peace. 

Yoga not only strengthens your resolve to quit addiction, but it also balances your body’s hormones, keeping you healthy. 

If you’re not sure how to start mindfulness and meditation, you can try out simple breathing exercises in the beginning. Next, move on to mild stretching and keeping your mind thought-free. 

Practicing mindfulness also helps you to keep stress cravings at bay, promoting your overall mental health.

2. Massage and Acupuncture

When you’re going through a dark phase of addiction and its recovery, there’s nothing more rejuvenating than the thought of a relaxing massage. 

Massage and acupuncture therapy release the knots and pent-up frustration in your body and mind by gently kneading or rubbing the different areas. 

If your body has experienced accidents or injuries due to substance abuse, such as weakened bones or muscles, then acupuncture will help restore the balance in your body, also known as qi, according to Chinese traditional medicine. These methods have been proven to get rid of withdrawal symptoms and reduce tension.

It’s best to find a Malibu recovery center that offers such holistic treatments instead of trying it at home. They’ll be able to offer you expert help, making sessions more worthwhile.

3. Nutritional Therapy

A healthy body leads to a healthy mind, which is why it’s so important to focus on the nutrients that you’re giving your body. 

If you constantly eat junk food or drink alcohol (in case of substance addiction), your body will become even more unhealthy, and you’ll want to relapse again. 

Instead, calm your mind by focusing on a balanced meal rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. 

It’s also crucial to drink ample amounts of water to ensure proper kidney functioning. In nutritional therapy, a licensed nutritionist will look at your addiction patterns and suggest dietary changes that will help control your cravings.

4. Physical Exercise

Incorporate at least 30 minutes of physical exercise every day. It flushes out harmful toxins from your body and releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine. 

Reliable recovery centers actively promote physical exercise to their patients to lead better post-recovery lives. 

Based on your body weight and lifestyle, different types of exercises will be recommended, but if you want to start with something small, try brisk walking or jogging every morning or afternoon. 

Along with that, try out activities like cycling or playing an outdoor sport with a friend. This will refresh your mind and help you socialize with people once again.

5. Recreational Sports

Many patients recovering from addiction often complain that regular workout sessions or gymming don’t help them stay fit. If you also feel that you want to take things up a notch, why not talk to your medical professional about recreational sports? 

Many recovery centers have sports programs, such as horseback riding, canoeing, or hiking. Based on your interests and current physical and mental conditions, you can always sign up for adrenaline-filled sports. 

Recreational therapy might vary from center to center but the end goal remains the same, which is to provide patients with a hobby that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

6. Movement Classes

If you’re a fan of dancing, then movement therapy can be a great way to get rid of addiction. 

Also known as dance therapy, this focuses on making the patient move to different tunes or beats to uplift their mood and take their mind off depressing circumstances. 

Many shy patients often find themselves being able to express their innermost feelings through dance or movement therapy, which is why it’s such a big hit. 

Some basic dance therapy forms include hip-hop dancing, Zumba, or even tai chi. Tai chi is quite popular as it’s an ancient Asian form of movement therapy that gets the body moving to remove areas of stagnation or underused muscles in the body.

7. Art and Music Therapy

If you’re someone who isn’t verbally able to express their anger, sadness, or substance abuse patterns, then art and music therapy forms are there to help you. 

Countless patients have said that relaxing music helps them fall asleep better. Moreover, music is known as the universal language of humans, so it can also help others understand your pain and the reasons behind your addiction. 

Art therapy is also a common form of holistic addiction recovery process where patients are encouraged to draw whatever comes to their mind. It releases negative energies and thoughts from the mind and helps the patient clear their thoughts.

8. Spiritual Therapy

Holistic well-being often acknowledges that the human spirit is the main essence or the core of who we are. 

Ancient Indian and Eastern traditions believe that substance abuse and addiction are caused due to tainted spiritual beliefs and a lack of awareness. This is what spiritual therapy focuses on. 

It tells the patient to explore their purpose in life or a higher calling, often through religious and non-religious methods. 

For example, a spiritual counselor or healer might ask you to describe your addiction journey in painful detail so that you can let all the negative energies out of your mind. 

Spiritual perseverance will give you a sense of purpose and urge you to be more healthy.

Conclusion

Along with these different forms of holistic addiction recovery, patients need to understand that regular medical checkups and support group meetings are also important. So, don’t wait anymore, and check out your nearest holistic addiction recovery center today! You can visit showbizztoday.com for more trending posts.