It’s a common misconception that drug substance abuse treatment only takes place inside a therapist’s office. Sure, there’s going to be a lot of talk therapy. However, experiential approaches augment the healing experience. Case in point is wilderness therapy for substance abuse.
Holistic Care Is Essential for Lifelong Recovery
Holistic addiction treatment center specialists acknowledge that chemical dependency doesn’t just harm the body. Rather, it also affects the mind and spirit. Therefore, focusing on a care approach on whole-person healing is crucial. It makes lifelong recovery possible on multiple planes.
How Wilderness Therapy for Substance Abuse Supports Healing
The point of wilderness therapy in Asheville NC can rely on is a change in lifestyle. There’s more to healing from chemical dependency than just giving up drugs. Besides that, there’s the development of a new lifestyle. Doing so requires changes to the core of your being.
Wilderness therapy is a facet of treatment that can make it happen. It takes you out of your comfort zone. You might go hiking, camping, backpacking, or do a ropes course. These are all activities that stretch your confidence.
You’re in an unfamiliar setting. As you engage in the activity, you become aware of the surroundings and the actions of peers. You might marvel at the endurance you didn’t know you had. In the process, your self-esteem gets a healthy boost.
As you’re in the wilderness, there’s no cell phone or family problem. You’re away from the stressors that contemporary life brings. Therefore, you learn to relax and gain perspective on some of the stressors you struggle with. You reflect on your options and the choices you might have made in the past.
Incorporating Wilderness Therapy with Evidence-Based Modalities
Wilderness therapy for substance abuse can’t stand alone. It must be part of a treatment protocol that focuses on whole-person healing. Possible modalities include:
Medication-assisted treatment that lets you deal more efficiently with cravings
Cognitive behavioral therapy as a way of removing dysfunctional connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions
Relationship counseling, which encourages you and those closest to you to resolve problems that relate to substance abuse
Group therapy that provides an outlet for dealing with anger, frustration, and the need to socialize
Dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders that might affect substance abuse
Relapse Prevention as Part of Rehab
With the goal of long-term abstinence from drugs or alcohol in mind, relapse prevention focuses on triggers. These might be the disappointments at home or work. For some, a trigger relates to a traumatic event from the past. During rehab, you learn to anticipate them.
Similarly, you benefit from talking through possible ways of dealing with the situation. Most importantly, you recognize that peer support can help talk you through a bad moment. Almost all rehab graduates enroll in support groups after finishing the program.
But before you can do so, and benefit from wilderness therapy for substance abuse, you need to get help. Make the call to a good-quality facility today!