Holistic medicine is an approach to healthcare that involves taking all parts of the individual – the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual – into consideration. It has led to a diverse array of alternative health services such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and yoga – all of which are intended to cure or prevent ailments through a non-traditional approach. So what does holistic treatment mean specifically in relation to drug rehabilitation? This umbrella term offers both patients and the professionals that work with them non-traditional ways of self-awareness and self-control that traditional addiction treatments lack.
The Philosophy of the Holistic Approach
The philosophy behind holistic medicine is the belief that our bodies and mental states are deeply interconnected. Imbalances in one aspect can affect the other and treating ailments in isolation won’t provide complete healing. Despite only recently becoming embraced by Western medicine, holistic medicine is not new. These practices date back thousands of years to ancient Chinese culture.
Allopathic medicine (a.k.a. conventional Western medicine) focuses on alleviating symptoms using drugs, surgery, and radiation. Holistic medicine, on the other hand, is treatment with consideration that physical ailments can be caused by emotional and mental ailments (or vice versa) – something that medication alone cannot fix. As such, holism is frequently massociated with ‘natural healing’ and ‘natural remedies’.
Despite its obvious ties to wellness, a holistic approach can be applied to a wide variety of industries such as business and education.
How Holistic Treatment Centers Work
Treatment centers that use a holistic approach have not eliminated traditional drug addiction treatment methods such as medical detox, therapy, in-patient, or out-patient care – quite the opposite actually. Holistic treatment centers have rather expanded on these basic tenets of addiction recovery to include other aspects of a patient’s lifestyle as part of the recovery process. Nutrition, emotional stability, and the promotion of an overall well-balanced lifestyle would otherwise fall outside the typical scope of a drug treatment center.
To better promote the development of these other areas of wellness, holistic treatment centers offer a variety of therapy modalities. There are specific niches of therapy or activities that can help restore a sense of balance in mind, body, and spirit. This can include creative arts therapy, music therapy, equine therapy, and more. Other non-therapy based aspects of holistic treatment can include a focus on nutrition and fitness on restoring a healthy mindset within an individual.
The Benefits of a Holistic Treatment Center
Traditional methods of substance abuse treatment rely on medical and therapy-based intervention. While certainly useful, their reach is limited. Traditional methods may not equip the individual to deal with the external or indirect factors that contribute to their drug abuse. Holistic treatments give the individual more control over their healing process and can better enable them to overcome hurdles and setbacks with increased discipline, self-awareness, or better outlets.
No one treatment plan works for everyone. Holistic addiction treatment promotes the truest sense of a personalized recovery program in that it is built around the individual. Holistic addiction treatment takes this understanding even further by promoting long-lasting recovery through positive lifestyle changes. If you’ve been to rehab multiple times and have failed to find success through traditional addiction programs, contact us today for a personalized recovery plan.
