When someone uses the phrase holistic when referring to therapy, it can be easy to misinterpret the meaning. It isn’t a direct retort to traditional therapy techniques at all. Instead, holistic therapy simply means approaching the individual from all angles, including mentally and emotionally. It is still evidence-based and used by highly trained medical professionals.
At Emerge Healing Center, this is a large part of our program choices as we know how much trauma/PTSD and other mental health conditions can affect addiction. That’s why we offer Holistic Therapy practices for all of our clients.
The Use of Holistic Therapy
Opting to have a Holistic treatment program is growing more and more popular. People are learning that the body is connected in all ways. They want a treatment that touches on all aspects of them, including mental, emotional, and physical.
This idea of holistic medicine may seem new, but in Western medicine, it began in the late 1960s. People began to realize that modern medicine focused too much on drugs and technology to heal instead of looking at what might be causing an illness.
Today, due to its well-rounded methods, this type of therapy is used to treat many things, including addictions, depression, trauma, anxiety, and more. It’s important to remember that “Holistic Therapy” is often an over-arching term for more specific types of therapies. These include mind-body therapies, spiritual therapies, somatic therapies, and others. At Emerge Healing Center, our Holistic Treatment choices touch on all of these and are tailored to the individual in treatment.
What’s included with Holistic Therapy Programs
So, what does Holistic Therapy mean practically? Countless types of activities and techniques fall under its branches. At Emerge Healing Center, we combine our holistic offerings with traditional therapies to ensure the best healing process.
Types of activities that are typically incorporated into a Holistic Therapy treatment program include:
- Massage
- Meditation
- Acupuncture
- Reiki
- Hypnosis
- Dance
- Music
- Tai Chi
- + More
These activities often fall under the broader terms of Mindfulness, Trauma-informed yoga, therapeutic fitness, art/music therapy, Psychodrama, and Breathwork. All of these therapies are available at Emerge Healing Center.
Breathwork is a rising therapy and can help a lot with mindfulness. Breathing may seem intuitive, but focusing on the breath consciously and even influencing it in specific ways can facilitate physical, mental, and emotional healing.
Typically the process of Breathwork includes breathing through your nose while inflating your belly rhythmically and with an open posture. It’s recommended to be practiced with a guide, who can help you focus and ensure you’re breathing correctly, similar to a guided meditation. Additional types of Breathwork practices include Box or Square breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, Three-Part Breath, and Bellows Breath.
At Emerge Healing Center, we have a specified Breathwork therapist, Branton Box, who can walk clients through the practice with step-by-step guidance. The benefits of Breathwork are vast. They include reduced stress and anxiety, improved sleep, higher self-esteem, increased feelings of relaxation, and even improved attention. Research also supports the practice of Breathwork, finding that deep breathing reduces stress levels and promotes relaxation.
The use of Breathwork beyond treatment should not be overlooked, especially for individuals healing from a Substance Addiction. Learning to slow down, process emotions, and regulate themselves can significantly reduce the risk of relapse in substance addiction clients.
For a short description of the other holistic therapies, see below.
- Mindfulness: The practice of living in the moment and consciously acknowledging your senses to relax and help handle triggering situations.
- Trauma-informed Yoga: A movement-based practice that improves physical health while reducing stress and chronic pain.
- Therapeutic Fitness: A high-intensity interval training program to improve physical health while releasing endorphins and increasing brain health.
- Art/Music Therapy: Creating art and music, even if you aren’t skilled in these, creates healthy pathways in the brain that help you navigate negative emotions.
- Psychodrama: This is a unique therapy where clients use dramatization to gain insight into their lives, actively working to build new positive patterns.
Benefits of Holistic Therapy
Now you may be wondering why someone should choose to do Holistic Therapy over traditional addiction treatment. First, it’s important to note that Holistic Therapy is not a replacement for traditional treatment. At Emerge Healing Center, we would still recommend a program that includes treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Outpatient therapy, Rapid Resolution Therapy, and others, depending on the individual.
Holistic Therapy truly means approaching the person from all angles. View it as a supplementary option instead of a replacement. The major benefit of it is that it teaches clients how everything is connected and heals many aspects of themselves. For people healing from substance addiction, it also gives individuals good practices in place to use daily, especially in aftercare, so they can prevent relapse and other negative scenarios. By utilizing holistic practices, they are setting themselves up to be healthier instead of just fixing a problem when it arises.
The statistics on Holistic Therapy are also telling. Recent research is finding that 4 in 10 people are choosing to do at least one holistic drug treatment. It also is more cost-effective wrapping these treatments into one program, as the majority of addiction clients typically end up needing some type of additional therapy in the end.
Next Steps
If you or a loved one are currently dealing with alcohol or drug addiction, and are interested in Holistic Therapy, contact us today. We’d love to talk with you and see how we can help in your steps toward an addiction-free and happy life.
