Most insurance plans will cover either all or a portion of the treatment.
Content Reviewed By:
SUD treatment executive, national news contributor & keynote speaker.
Navigation:
- Overview
- What Does Holistic Rehab Look Like?
- What Is the Purpose of Holistic Rehab?
- Shouldn’t All Rehab Be Holistic?
- How Do I Find Holistic Rehab That’s Right for Me?
- What Are Some Other Examples of Spiritual Anchoring in Holistic Rehab?
- Filling What’s Missing for Long-Term Sobriety and Balanced Mental Health
- Find Holistic Rehab Centers
Overview
Holistic alcohol and drug rehab centers take a mind-body-spirit approach to treatment for substance use disorder. As the term suggests, holistic rehab treats the whole patient, not just the symptoms and consequences of alcohol or drug use. The reality of addiction is that it impacts every aspect of a person’s life, including their physical and emotional health, their relationships, their careers, their social lives, and all others. Holistic alcohol and drug rehab takes an individualized approach to treatment. The American Hospital Association and many organizations recognize holistic treatment as an effective and viable means of treating alcohol and drug addiction.
What Does Holistic Alcohol and Drug Rehab Look Like?
Each person’s holistic alcohol and drug rehab experience will be different, based on their care needs, substance use history, mental health needs, and other factors. In addition to group therapy, individualized counseling, and other supplemental therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy, some of the more common therapy techniques may include:
- Acupuncture
- Animal Assisted Therapy
- Art Therapy
- Biofeedback
- Breathwork
- Equine Therapy
- Experiential Therapy
- Guided imagery
- Hypnosis
- Massage
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Music Therapy
- Nutrition Therapy
- Neurofeedback
- Tai chi
- Reiki
- Sound Therapy
- Yoga
- Wilderness & Adventure Therapy
Each one of these therapies can have healing value to people experiencing the fallout of alcohol and drug use disorder. Holistic rehab is also used for trauma therapy, family issues, and other factors that commonly drive substance use.
What Is the Purpose of Holistic Rehab?
The purpose of holistic rehab is that it helps to heal every aspect of your substance use disorder while providing an all-encompassing framework for healing so that no element of your care slips through the proverbial cracks. Addiction affects everyone differently. Perhaps a prolonged and untreated course of alcohol abuse has taken a toll on your heart health, muscles and joints; perhaps you started abusing benzos because of an anxiety or panic disorder; maybe a dormant childhood memory that you thought was resolved created a self-destructive pattern of behavior that led you to illicit drug use. Holistic rehab provides a comprehensive, personalized care plan that addresses the “befores and afters” of substance use, meaning the circumstances that led to your initial alcohol and drug use, as well as its physical and psychological impact.
Shouldn’t All Rehab Be Holistic?
While the point of rehab should always be to treat the patient, rather than just their addiction, the reality is that not all programs are equipped to deal with the entirety of patients’ complex care needs. Moreover, the extent to which a person benefits from holistic rehab will depend on their own unique treatment requirements and case history. In other words, holistic alcohol and drug rehab looks different for everybody. To that end, it’s crucial to find a rehab that provides your exact degree of holistic care, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment.
How Do I Find Holistic Rehab That’s Right for Me?
Finding a holistic rehab center that can meet your needs starts with knowing and clearly communicating what those needs are. Here are four helpful questions to ask during your research for a program:
- What kind of clinical care do I need? – Has your addiction led to long-term physical health or quality-of-life issues? Make sure you find a program that can either address these issues during your care or provide seamless access to quality medical care during or after your treatment.
- Do I need inpatient or outpatient help? – Outpatient provides the flexibility of scheduling that many need to maintain their lives during the rehab process, but for some patients, it may simply not be enough. If you’ve been to outpatient rehab before or simply need a more in-depth level of care, inpatient may be the most appropriate option.
- What kinds of therapies are best for me? Once you’ve assessed what your clinical needs are, look for a program that can provide therapies to meet them. This may include clinical programming, like cognitive behavioral therapy, family programming, dialectical behavior therapy, and more, as well as supplemental therapies that can help relieve the physical and emotional impact of addiction.
- What will help motivate you to stay in treatment and recovery? There is a spiritual element to recovery that cannot be discounted. For some people, this is rooted in religion; for others, it can be rooted elsewhere, such as community service, mindfulness, or similar concepts. Incorporating these elements into recovery helps provide a motivational anchor to stay present in recovery.
Answering these questions will help you develop a comprehensive roadmap to what kind of holistic rehab program works best for your treatment needs.
What Are Some Other Examples of Spiritual Anchoring in Holistic Rehab?
- Spending time outdoors and engaging with nature (going to a park or beach, gardening, hiking, biking, etc.).
- Yoga and breathing exercises (yoga at any level of proficiency help to align the mind and body, build strength, increase mobility, and relieve pain.
- Quiet meditation (don’t get bogged in trying to meditate the “right” way. Just try to take a few minutes a day to clear your head and be present in the moment. Meditation can be great before work or taking on other responsibilities for the day.)
- Openly practicing and expressing gratitude
Keeping a journal or engaging in creative pursuits like painting, drawing, writing poetry or playing an instrument can also help feed your spirituality and drive to stay sober.
Filling What’s Missing for Long-Term Sobriety and Balanced Mental Health
If you or your loved one is struggling with substance use disorder, chances are that there has been something missing in your life that needs fulfilling; an unmet, unexpressed, or even dormant emotional need that led to self-medication with drugs or alcohol. Holistic rehab centers strive to address these challenges to help patients increase their self-awareness while addressing the immediate and long-term impact of addiction. It not only helps to provide immediate relief so you can start building and strengthening your recovery foundation; it also enables you to develop long-term coping strategies. The most important thing is to get help that works for you as a unique individual.
Find Holistic Rehab Centers
Use our nationwide directory to find a rehab facility that has holistic treatment options.
