Holistic Healing Methods for Therapeutic Purposes
Holistic Healing Methods for Therapeutic Purposes
So often modern medicine goes for the quick fix. They go for painkillers. They go for surgery. They get paid to prefer certain drugs and equipment over others. However, humans are adaptable. We can heal and change and grow more significantly than we give ourselves credit for. Every condition has its holistic response. Of course, there are a lot of situations in which surgery, powerful drugs, and prolonged treatment are needed, but there are a lot of holistic healing methods for therapeutic purposes. Below are some of them.
Substance Abuse Treatment
Substance abuse is best treated from a comprehensive and holistic approach. After the period of detox withdrawal, the real work begins. Not only do people struggling with addiction require individual counseling, group meetings, and some sort of 12-step based program, they also need to be treated as the whole person that they are. This can be done through dual diagnosis treatment and through other means.
Dual diagnosis is when not only the substance abuse, dependence, and addiction are treated, but when the underlying issues that led the person to this point are also treated. It could be anything. Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are all common co-occurring disorders. It doesn’t matter what the person is going through. Dual diagnosis treats the whole person.
Furthermore, there are specialized addiction treatments. Whether you need treatment for addiction to a specific drug, ADA drug addiction treatment for people with disabilities, or a holistic center that focuses on dual diagnosis, there is substance abuse treatment for everyone. A holistic approach to substance abuse matters.
Mindfulness Training & Practice
One of the most effective practices in all mental health is also a simple one—mindfulness. While mindfulness is a simple concept, it is difficult for a lot of people to practice. Mindfulness is essentially the ability to be in the current moment. This is difficult for people for many reasons, but if you use meditation and other grounding techniques, this holistic method can improve the lives of all kinds of people.
Meditation is when you sit down on a flat surface, close your eyes, focus on your breathing, allow your mind to wander, but always bring it back to the moment. You use your ears to hear what’s around you. Meditation is a great way to practice mindfulness, but so are grounding techniques. Grounding techniques are anything that bring you back to the moment. Holding onto an ice cube is one. Taking a hot bath or submerging in cold water is another. You can also be trained in mindfulness by a therapist. It improves the mood, anxiety, stress, and overall health.
Physical Therapy
While the term “physical therapy” can mean several things, it typically refers to a person’s recovery after an injury. Let’s zoom out a bit. Whether you have been injured or not, the ability to heal ourselves physically shouldn’t just be used after an accident. Physical therapy can also be used to work on years of office chairs and couches. It can be used to mend the body after years of physical labor.
Chiropractors are dismissed, but they can help adjust the back and neck to avoid future problems. Yoga is good for these purposes too. It will lower inflammation, pain, and discomfort. Stretching is good for the body in many ways. Whatever physical therapy means to you, it’s vital to work on the body consistently—not just after an injury.
Psychotherapy
The mind and the body are intertwined. It has become more fully understood that the body carries mental and physical trauma both. We struggle with our upbringings and childhoods. We have chemical imbalances that make us depressed, anxious, and delusional. A holistic treatment that is very valuable in its effectiveness is psychotherapy. Often called talk therapy, the term doesn’t quite describe the holistic treatment of psychotherapy. It’s about reworking your brain and behavior to help you live a happier, healthier life.
The four of these healing methods represent a part of the greater whole. When you are working on your body, mind, and spirit, you will be able to live a better life. You will be able to avoid the more extreme procedures medicine has to offer with holistic upkeep. So, before you get to the point of no-return, why not try holistic healing methods first?