The recovery process can include many different methods that can help you notice and change behaviors that often lead to substance abuse. Part of addiction is biological. It is a disease that affects the brain and body.
However, addiction is also behavioral. Therapeutic modalities help you address environments, behaviors, and choices that can help aid in addiction recovery and other mental health disorders that may be occurring with addiction. Finding a treatment center to help address both the biological and behavioral aspects of addiction is essential for your recovery.
Often referred to as “talk therapy,” psychotherapy is a term that includes many treatment techniques. The goal of psychotherapy as a whole is to help clients identify and make changes in their behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
Psychotherapy can include one-on-one sessions with a licensed mental health professional or in a group setting. The setting and specifics of psychotherapy vary to meet the needs of each client. However, it may include some of the following:
- Increasing awareness of thoughts, emotions, or behaviors
- Creating new problem-solving strategies or coping methods
- Looking at how you interact with yourself and others
- Exploring things that are troubling for you with emotional support
- Exposure therapies, learning to tolerate items or ideas that cause distress or anxiety
- Meditation or other mindfulness techniques
- Examining emotions and behaviors and how they impact each other
Benefits of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a broad range of therapeutic techniques that help clients to discover how they feel and act. Research has shown it to be beneficial for an extensive range of pathologies, including addiction treatment and other mental health disorders.
Seeking out help is a considerable step in treatment, and once you have, psychotherapy may be a part of your treatment plan. While addiction is biological, it is essential to learn tools to better understand how your behavior interacts with addiction.
For many, substance abuse can be a way to cope with other issues in life, including stress or emotions. Psychotherapy is a method that can help by improving overall awareness of emotions and behaviors. Only when you are aware of your feelings and behaviors can you start to see how they could be different.
The other aspect of psychotherapy that is particularly useful for addiction is that it can teach you different methods to deal with situations you have previously used substances to cope with. This may include learning how to feel and express feelings, tools to make changes in your life, or how you interact with others.
These tools are all important for you to re-enter your life and continue on the path of sobriety. Treatment is the beginning of addiction recovery, and we believe in teaching you the skills you will need for long-term recovery.
Mental Health Disorders
A piece of addiction treatment is to treat other mental health disorders. Addiction is commonly found to co-occur with other mental health disorders, which can make it more challenging to recover.
Addressing overall mental health is essential for addiction recovery and overall mental health well-being. Each client will have different needs, but mental health treatment can have overall positive effects, including the following:
- Lowering overall stress
- Improving communication and relationships
- Decreasing symptoms of other co-morbidities like depression or anxiety
- Increasing happiness
- Stabilizing mood
These positive outcomes of mental health treatment aid in addiction recovery. When you have other mental health disorders that impact how you feel and interact with others, it can lead to addiction or vice versa. Psychotherapy improves treatment outcomes and long-term recovery by addressing these co-morbidities or maladapted coping methods.
Psychotherapy: A Piece of Treatment
At Twilight Recovery Center, we believe that every client’s treatment plan will look different. Our goal is to meet your needs to help you live a fulfilling life. As such, psychotherapy is often a part of the holistic treatment plan and looks different for each person. The following are examples of methods that treatment may include:
- Behavioral therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Humanistic therapy
- Integrative and holistic therapy
Each type of psychotherapy has a place in treatment, but not in every treatment plan. A combination of multiple treatment modalities is essential. While you may learn improved awareness and new coping mechanisms in psychotherapy, experiential therapy like equine therapy can help you to integrate what you have learned into new situations.
Due to this relationship, we believe that each therapeutic modality brings something to the table. At Twilight Recovery Center, we are here to help you build increased awareness and skills that you can take into your life to achieve long-term sobriety.