Neuro-counseling in Addiction TreatmentThe Bel-Aire Recovery Center is proud to offer new neurotherapy techniques for addiction treatment. Scientific research has determined that addiction is a disease. The approach to treating it is different from other medical conditions. There is no cure for addiction, like other chronic conditions. A person with a substance abuse disorder (SUD) can manage it, though, by being vigilant and using techniques to maintain their sobriety.
If addiction is a brain disease, then a treatment method for coping with it should come from brain monitoring and developing brain skills. This is where alternative approaches, including neurofeedback for addiction, come in. This method of treating addiction helps clients identify and understand reactions their brains may have to certain things. It allows them better to manage their thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt when exposed to stimuli. The word comes from “neuro” (brain/neuron/nerve) and “plasticity” (easily molded). A person’s brain works through several networks made through connections throughout life. Plasticity works when people are exposed to and learn new things. The brain rewires itself to create new pathways.
Children find it easier than adults to learn or pick up new skills. They have the strongest abilities to forge new pathways in their brains. The brain’s networks must be reinforced and maintained. Retaining that knowledge or skill will be easier if the path is maintained.
People may find it difficult to remember things they learned in school, such as a second language. They lose that skill if they don’t use their second language regularly. The brain is busy making thousands of new connections. Some older ones must be suspended to make room for the new pathways.
As someone develops a habit, their brain creates a path supporting it. Over time, the path becomes more worn as the habit is engaged in repeatedly.
Addiction is a neuroplastic event. The brain becomes trained to do a specific behavior, such as using a drug or drinking alcohol repeatedly. Eventually, the person prioritizes this activity over everything else in their life. In a treatment program, the client learns how to retrain their brain to develop a new pathway to support them in recovery.
Extensive psychotherapy and other holistic treatments are necessary to establish other pathways in the brain to make a “recovery” pathway. The client’s brain starts to learn to participate in everyday pursuits that give people meaning in sober lives, such as:
The brain becomes retrained, and the client’s lifestyle changes.
Neurofeedback therapy (also called neurotherapy) is a holistic approach to treating several conditions, including addictions and mental health concerns. This type of treatment is based on the idea the brain can be trained to function more efficiently when provided with real-time feedback on its activity.
The feedback helps clients become more aware of their subconscious thoughts and behaviors. As a result of neurofeedback therapy, clients can make small, positive changes in their brain activity to improve mental health.
Neurofeedback is based on the biofeedback method, which monitors real-time systems and responses in the body to allow people to control involuntary functions. Biofeedback information is used to regulate and monitor:
Theory Behind Neurofeedback Therapy
Patients who understand how their brain works related to other bodily functions have more opportunities to control their bodily functions.
Neurofeedback therapy has several benefits, such as:
Some people with depression also have suicidal thoughts. Depression can be complicated to treat. Neurofeedback therapy is a safe option for safely treating depression, as it is drug-free and has none of the side effects associated with antidepressant medication use.
Neurofeedback therapy for addiction is provided by a specialist who understands how brain waves affect a person’s reactions. During the therapy session, the client wears a neurofeedback machine connected to headgear, which measures the client’s brain activity.
The therapist explains brain activity to the client, who then tries to control specific brain waves using interactive images. The brain waves the therapist and the client focus on are primarily favorable. They focus on harmful waves less frequently, but occasionally, they are targets.
Psychoeducation is the process of educating clients and their families about addiction while they are in rehab. A therapist provides education about addiction during individual and group sessions. Bel Aire’s Family Program provides valuable information to the client’s loved ones about addiction and how they can provide help and support.
Psychoeducation programs in addiction treatment give clients the chance to learn about their disease. Group and individual sessions address the following:
Mindfulness and Addiction Recovery
Mindfulness and being present refer to the same thing. They refer to remaining focused on what is happening using several strategies and techniques.
The two main concepts of mindfulness that act as remedies for numerous types of psychological distress are:
When someone is present, they aren’t thinking of anything in their past or future. Someone in a mindful state faces life’s challenges directly. Mindfulness allows someone to sit with their uncomfortable emotions, accept them, and cope using positive coping skills. This strategy teaches clients to face their issues rather than suppress them.
Clients in addiction treatment can use specific mental and physical tools, such as mindful breathing and meditation, to turn their attention to the present moment. Using these strategies can help them develop inner calmness and self-control.
Clients can use these techniques to develop an ongoing sense of peace.
Mindfulness improves clients’ abilities to reduce stress. Mindful clients in recovery stop ruminating about the past or becoming anxious about the future.
Mindfulness helps clients identify their emotions as they arise. The person’s response is more thoughtful rather than reactionary.
Mindfulness increases a person’s self-awareness. This strategy makes it easier to identify triggers and patterns.
Holistic Integration in Addiction TreatmentResearch has shown that addiction involves compulsive drug-seeking and use despite harmful consequences. Addiction is classified as a brain disorder since it creates changes in the brain’s reward and motivation systems. It also impacts other areas of a person’s life, such as physical health, mental health, relationships, career, and more.
Traditional treatment approaches alone may not be enough to treat addiction for all clients effectively. The conventional treatment approach involves behavioral therapy (individual counseling, group therapy sessions, and medications) targeting the brain’s reward and motivation centers. They may not address all the needs of people living with addictions when they enter treatment.
The holistic approach to treating addiction recognizes that addiction affects the person’s mind, body, and spirit. It focuses on treating the entire person as opposed to simply treating the symptoms of their addiction. The holistic approach can help clients develop the strategies and tools to get (and stay) sober.
Holistic therapy is helpful when trying to get to the root of a person’s addiction. No one ever sets out to develop an SUD when they start using drugs or alcohol. A person may begin using chemicals as a way to cope with stress, emotional problems, or trauma.
Holistic therapy helps to address these underlying causes. It also gives them strategies for managing cravings, improving sleep patterns, reducing stress, and raising their overall quality of life. These elements make it less likely that a client will relapse when included in the treatment plan.
Holistic addiction treatment generally includes five fundamental factors to treat the whole client:
Addiction treatment includes improving clients’ physical health through regular exercise, providing healthy meals, and a regular sleep schedule.
This part of holistic addiction treatment focuses on staying emotionally balanced. Clients learn better ways to cope with life stress and how to process their feelings appropriately. They may participate in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and other types of psychotherapy used to help clients manage their emotions and develop healthier ways to manage stress.
Clients learn how to establish healthy boundaries and build new skills. They also work on developing a plan for a life of sobriety, which includes planning for further education and enrolling in vocational training programs to help clients become independent and self-sufficient.
The social part of holistic addiction treatment teaches clients how to build positive and supportive relationships, develop sober living networks, and reduce social isolation. Clients may participate in support groups or family therapy to achieve this goal.
The spiritual health factor also focuses on helping clients find purpose and meaning in their lives. Clients are encouraged to connect with themselves on a deeper level. People approach this differently; they may use religious or spiritual practices, mindfulness, or meditation to develop a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life.
The holistic treatment approach complements other treatment strategies by addressing different areas of the client’s life that may impact their recovery. Evidence-based treatments (medical detox, behavioral therapies, and medication-assisted treatment) are effective in addiction treatment. Addiction is a highly complex disease, and effective treatment involves emotional, social, and spiritual elements.
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