Close your eyes, breathe, clear your mind, and focus on the now. These are the steps followed by CCAdicciones patients when they practice mindful meditation as part of relaxation and Mindfulness therapy. These are techniques that help combat addictions and are used as a psychological therapy for addiction recovery.
A person with an addiction may struggle to control negative emotions due to low emotional control. Relaxation techniques promote good emotional balance and help keep anxiety at bay. The purpose of these activities is to accelerate the patient’s rehabilitation and help them gain more control over their mind and actions so they can enjoy a life free from addictions.
What Are Relaxation Therapies and Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a meditation technique based on observing reality, on becoming aware of what is happening in the present moment. It is a full attention technique because it focuses on what is occurring “here and now.” It is giving total attention to today. The goal is to achieve a deep state of consciousness through meditation to connect with ourselves and reach a state of relaxation and inner knowledge.
It is used for addiction recovery as part of an addiction recovery treatment because it is effective against certain thoughts and behaviors.
Mindfulness in Addiction Recovery
The disease of addiction is difficult to control; it does not depend solely on willpower and determination, as is often mistakenly believed. Practicing Mindfulness offers multiple health benefits that lead to improvement of the disease.
Benefits of Practicing Relaxation Therapies
Using a complementary relaxation and Mindfulness therapy to overcome an addiction will allow:
- The ability to focus on the now. A patient undergoing a detoxification and addiction recovery process may feel overwhelmed by the situation. Feeling trapped in the past by their addiction and worried about the future, about the uncertainty of whether they will succeed in overcoming their dependency. Mindfulness helps the person focus on the present, on their recovery process without feeling guilty about their past or anxious about their future.
- It helps control stress and anxiety. Mindfulness helps combat stress and anxiety because it brings us to a state of calm, tranquility, and mental serenity that reduces cortisol levels, which is the hormone released in stressful situations.
- It promotes the management of negative emotions. Generally, an addict struggles to manage negative emotions such as sadness, anger, disappointment… Consuming substances or engaging in addictive behavior can be an escape route to avoid facing these emotions. Unpleasant feelings will not disappear, but the person will face them differently. They will have a good tool to do so and will be better prepared.
- It prevents relapses. It helps prevent relapse in addictions because it provides better emotional management and increases self-control capacity.
- Self-knowledge. It improves self-esteem and helps improve concentration. Additionally, self-knowledge is related to the previous concept because it will also help avoid relapses. Risk situations that could lead to a relapse in addiction will be identified.
- It reduces insomnia. It calms the mind and brings peace, allowing for good sleep quality.
Direct Effects on Addictions
Relaxation techniques applied to addictions have a positive impact on improving a dependency. Author Vega González Buesco outlines 8 steps to follow for Mindfulness to help addiction recovery, which are:
- Accept the suffering of life
- Be aware that people create additional sorrows
- Recognize that suffering can end
- Begin the path of recovery to leave any addiction behind
- Transform incorrect actions from the past that drove the addiction into new, more appropriate behaviors that will allow for a healthier life
- Have positive values as a life philosophy
- Try not to deviate from the path of recovery
- Help others share the benefits obtained from the change
Addiction Treatment
Mindfulness-based therapy is effective for addiction recovery as long as it is combined with a detoxification treatment, because it is used as a complementary therapy. Our experience has allowed us to merge various therapies and treatments into one exclusive to CCAdicciones. It is a toxin-free treatment designed for people who need to detoxify or withdraw from harmful substances in the short or medium term, whether they are in an abuse or dependency phase.
A medical team will analyze each person’s situation to offer them the treatment that best suits their particular needs. Additionally, our addiction expert professionals will accompany you throughout the entire process, even after you officially complete the recovery process at the clinic. We offer various treatments, whether it involves substance addiction, such as cocaine, alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, ketamine, or new drugs, or behavioral addiction, such as gambling addiction, sex addiction, or technology addiction.
Other Services
CCAdicciones is located in a calm, relaxed environment where tranquility is felt and is surrounded by nature. The patient will be admitted to our addiction-specialized clinic in Roda de Berà, with personalized medical monitoring and continuous support from professionals. In addition to relaxation techniques, CCAdicciones offers other services that will contribute to recovery, such as individual and group therapies, sports therapy, or family support.
Thanks to CCAdicciones’ medical services, our patients have 24-hour care to find the path to recovery.
A Way Out of Addictions
If you suffer from an addiction, whether with or without substances, CCAdicciones is a detoxification and addiction recovery center that will offer you personalized treatment according to your addiction, case, and circumstances.
Contact us if you need help to regain control of your life or that of someone in your close circle. Overcoming addiction is possible with professional help.
