As our understanding of substance use disorder (SUD) grows, so too do we realize the importance of mindfulness-based therapy in its treatment. It is a way to free those who feel trapped in their substance abuse, allowing them and their loved ones to begin the healing process. For many, it’s also a way to understand the nature of SUD and why it developed in the first place. Mindfulness and the therapies based on its techniques are highly effective and scientifically backed. However, not many people truly understand what mindfulness is or how it is used in treatment.
At South Shore Recovery Center, mindfulness-based therapy is a key part of outpatient care, which has allowed countless people to reclaim their lives. Educating the public about the benefits of mindfulness-based therapy, as well as SUD in general, allows hope to reach those who may have felt alone and scared. It’s important to remember that anyone can recover from SUD and its co-occurring disorders as long as they accept that they must change and seek professional and quality treatment.
De-stigmatizing mental health treatment in general is another important goal. Modern mental health treatment facilities are not the scary places portrayed in popular media. Places like South Shore Recovery Center are committed to providing a supportive and compassionate environment staffed by qualified and understanding professionals. The same can be said for those who struggle with SUD, who may fear being judged or shamed for their disorder. As public awareness grows, more people will be willing to help those who are struggling.
To truly understand why mindfulness-based therapies are so effective, we first examine what mindfulness is. This is essential to grasping the key goals behind these therapies as well as why they are so important in SUD treatment. The more aware we are about current mental health care treatments and techniques, the more aware we are of ourselves. Such knowledge can be lifesaving for yourself or the people you love.
Mindfulness-based therapy utilizes the power of mindfulness to bolster mental resilience and cope with stressors. The goal of mindfulness-based therapy is to provide the patient with the tools they need to overcome their difficulties without relying on unhealthy coping skills. It’s a whole-body therapy that focuses on the connection between the body and mind. This helps patients be more aware of their current mental and physical state. Mindfulness is especially useful for patients who have difficulty understanding or regulating their feelings. It’s an essential part of holistic treatment, as mindfulness techniques are a foundation for many holistic therapies.
The focus of mindfulness-based therapy, of course, is mindfulness. This is a technique that allows a person to take an active and open awareness approach to the present. Mindfulness allows someone to observe their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment. A person practicing mindfulness can accept these feelings without assigning a “right” or “wrong” to them. However, a person can choose to cope with these feelings and sensations in a healthy or unhealthy way. Mindfulness-based therapy teaches patients how to choose healthy options, allowing them to cope with difficult situations without risking their health.
Building mental resilience is another important aspect of mindfulness-based therapy. A person’s ability to “bounce back” or recover from challenging life experiences is attributed to mental resilience. This includes becoming more flexible in emotional and behavioral responses to challenges as well as the ability to self-adjust to external and internal demands. Patients are given the time to practice and train their mental resilience skills during mindfulness-based therapy. This is done through role-playing or group activities.
Finally, mindfulness-based therapy is about acceptance of yourself. Therapy is not a place to label yourself as a good or bad person. Instead, it’s a place of self-discovery. You learn aspects about yourself that would have remained hidden without professional help. Mindfulness allows a person’s true self to shine through, building a foundation of confidence and self-compassion. It often takes a patient undergoing mindfulness-based therapy to understand and accept that they deserve compassion and respect.
Mindfulness-based therapy is flexible enough to treat a wide variety of mental health disorders and illnesses. Mindfulness as a practice is encouraged to bolster overall mental health and improve our ability to cope with stress. However, its importance in helping those struggling with SUD is quickly being noticed by many mental health care and addiction treatment facilities. This is especially true at South Shore Recovery Center, where the success of patients who received care there speaks for themselves.
SUD is not the result of isolated incidents. There is always a reason behind why someone will develop SUD or addiction. Most commonly, it comes from a source of pain or fear. Other times, it comes from unhealthy relationships or environments. Patients in mindfulness-based therapy will begin a process of self-discovery to find the root cause of their substance use and abuse. Once this cause has been identified, the treatment for the SUD and co-occurring disorders can begin.
These therapies and techniques don’t just help those struggling with SUD. They also help treat co-occurring mental health disorders. These disorders run adjacent to SUD, worsening its symptoms or being the root cause of SUD itself. This is known as a dual diagnosis. Treating a dual diagnosis requires that both disorders receive treatment at the same time. Attempting to treat one or the other will result in problems such as treatment burnout or worsening of symptoms. Thankfully, co-occurring disorders, such as depression and anxiety, see treatment success with mindfulness-based therapy.
Mindfulness-based therapy also works to address specific aspects of SUD that can be distressing and difficult to cope with. Cravings can be a life-long struggle for many who are recovering or have recovered from SUD. The skills learned during mindfulness-based therapy allow them to cope with their cravings and resist the urge to use once more. This goes along with relapse prevention, which helps former patients remain sober. Skills such as building a support network, recognizing unsafe environments, and resisting peer pressure are all learned as part of mindfulness-based therapy.
Providing patients with a tool kit that they can rely on for the rest of their lives is an essential part of treatment. SUD can cause permanent damage to a person’s body and mind. That’s why people will struggle with cravings long after they have stopped using substances. Accepting that you will experience these struggles, remembering that you are not a bad person for that, and then coping with them healthily is the goal of every SUD treatment program.
Part of this tool kit is learning how to recognize dangers to yourself and your recovery. Peer pressure can be a significant factor behind why a person may relapse. Toxic relationships may actively work against a person’s recovery. Having an unsafe environment or an environment that encourages substance use can also damage someone’s recovery. It’s important to recognize these dangers and be able to remove yourself from them to protect yourself. Saying no to a friend or cutting out relationships entirely is never easy. Mindfulness-based therapy, however, will give you the confidence and the self-love needed to make hard choices to protect your health.
These therapies also work to simply help you feel better. Several people right now would refuse help because they believe they don’t deserve it. These therapies lift a person’s spirit and remind them that their experiences are valid. They need to be reminded that they deserve to be treated with compassion and respect until it becomes a fact in their mind. Learning to let go of stress and to seek sober activities and people who give you joy also keeps people in recovery. After all, a happy and engaged person will have little time or desire to want to use substances, as they will be too busy living life to do so.
Overall, the goal is to promote wellness, uplift patient’s confidence, and give them the keys to take charge of their lives. Without mindfulness-based therapies, patients may feel lost or feel that they have to rely solely on others to achieve recovery. Sometimes, the most difficult lesson to learn is that a person has plenty of power within. They just needed someone to show them how to access and use that power to achieve recovery.
There are two types of mindfulness-based therapies offered at South Shore Recovery Center. These are mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Both therapies have the goal of helping those in treatment manage cravings, be more aware of their current selves, and healthily cope with stress. With a holistic approach to treatment, patients learn to regulate their emotions and reduce their risk of relapse. Despite these similarities, there are a few differences that separate these therapies from each other.
MBSR is a type of group therapy that focuses on mind and body awareness. This is done by becoming more aware of the body by using techniques and practices such as meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga. The goal of this is to reduce the physiological effects of pain and stress so the patient can focus on what matters at the moment. This therapy originally began in hospitals to help patients recover from injuries and illnesses. However, its ability to treat those struggling with other ailments, such as SUD, made it branch out beyond hospitals and into the mental health care field.
MBCT is a type of cognitive therapy similar to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). However, this therapy takes a mindfulness approach that incorporates techniques such as meditation, breathing exercises, and present awareness. The goal of this therapy is to help patients recognize and break away from harmful and negative thought patterns. Eventually, a patient will learn how to recognize and circumvent harmful thoughts before they can take hold. MBCT is typically given to a patient on an individual basis but may also be the basis for some group therapy sessions.
Of course, researchers are hard at work discovering new techniques and therapies that utilize mindfulness. Mental healthcare facilities can and will update their therapies as new methods of treatment are found and tested. Mindfulness as a technique is flexible enough to become part of other therapies, so the family of mindfulness-based therapies is sure to get bigger.
”We employ mindfulness-based therapies as a prominent treatment modality in addressing substance use disorder due to its effectiveness, benefits, and the life-changing impact it brings to individuals on their path to lasting recovery.” – South Shore Recovery Center
The reason why patients who seek treatment at South Shore Recovery Center achieve lasting recovery is because mindfulness-based therapy works. It gives the power back to the patient and allows them to no longer feel helpless. This encourages them to take an active role in their treatment and recovery. Many feel afraid to seek treatment because they worry that all control will be taken from them. The truth is that these therapies return control to the patient. They now have more choices than they ever had before and can choose exactly how they will recover.
Mindfulness-based therapies have a high success rate in SUD recovery because patients can discover the underlying cause of their SUD. This, in turn, allows them to receive accurate treatment so these causes are not ignored. Those struggling with co-occurring disorders and trauma utilize mindfulness-based therapy to learn ways to cope with these disorders for a healthier mindset. When used in conjunction with other therapies, patients receive complete and comprehensive treatment, all of which is designed to meet each patient’s individual needs.
It also sets them up for success long after treatment has been completed. The skills learned in these therapies can be applied to other aspects of life. Having a job or going to school becomes easier once you learn how to relax and let go of stress each day. Starting families and making friends becomes possible once someone has a firm grasp of their self-worth. Finding and seeking joy brings meaning to our lives, which pushes out the desire to seek and remain in misery. Patients don’t just learn how to overcome a SUD; they learn how to become healthier and happier people.
The journey to recovery always begins with three steps. Taking the first step requires you to recognize that you need professional help. The next is to reach out for help, both to your loved ones and to a mental health care facility. Finally, the last step is to accept this help. This is especially important if you or a loved one notices any worrisome signs that can indicate SUD. Some common signs include:
If you notice these signs in yourself or a loved one, it’s time to reach out for help. Remember that no staff member at a mental health care facility will berate, judge, or belittle you for seeking help. These staff members want to help you and will keep what you tell them private. If they cannot help you at the facility where they are staffed, they will help you find resources so you can find the help you need. Reaching out for help at South Shore Recovery Center is as simple as filling out a web form or making a phone call.
It takes time and hard work to recover from SUD, as it is not a disorder that can be overcome in a single night. Being open and honest with your treatment providers is one way to speed up the process, but it’s also important to remember that everyone is different. Some may need more time to achieve recovery than others, and that’s okay. It’s important to run your race and view treatment as a journey to self-improvement and discovery. So don’t wait; the best time to reach out for help is today.
Many types of substance use disorders (SUDs) exist, all of which are the result of various addictive substances and drugs. Those who struggle with SUD may feel as though they cannot be treated or may even be afraid to reach out for help. There is hope, as anyone can recover from SUD as long as they are willing to accept professional help. Here at South Shore Recovery Center in Plymouth, Massachusetts, patients gain access to quality and compassionate mindfulness-based therapy that will allow them to achieve long-lasting recovery. If you or a loved one is struggling with SUD, don’t wait. Reach out to South Shore Recovery Center today by calling (774) 515-2878.
DISCLAIMER: South Shore Recovery Center is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to provide Outpatient Counseling and Day Treatment Services.
