Holistic Approaches to Addiction Recovery

So, you’ve taken the first step and decided to get sober? Or perhaps maybe you haven’t made the final decision yet and you just want to read up on some of the options you have for when you do decide to start recovery. Once you make the choice to be sober, life can seem a little uncertain but I want you to know that you are on the right path and I am so proud of you for even thinking about recovery. I know recovery can be super stressful for some and my goal is to help make the process as smooth and stress free as possible. In this blog I want to talk about a few issues that come up when you start this process of recovery and ways that you can cope with them successfully.

First, Let's talk about guilt & shame. Guilt and shame are such ugly words aren’t they? They bring up pain or embarrassment about something you did in the past or something that was done to you. Whatever it is that you did or was done to you was against your own core values and when you think about it, an uncomfortable feeling comes over you. There may even be times when it is just down right unbearable to live with. This is a point in time where addiction can sneak it’s way into or back into your life to make things worse. As human beings we need to release these negative feelings somehow so that they don’t cause depression,other mental and physical illness’ or a relapse. What would happen if everytime you thought about the situation that caused you to feel guilt or shame you now felt peace and understanding about it instead? What would your world be like then? Do you believe that is possible?

With guilt and shame comes two more very ugly words... stress and anxiety. How do you cope with stress & anxiety without your drug of choice? Have you ever asked yourself this question? What did you come up with? Was it a healthy alternative? When it comes to stress & anxiety we all get it at some point in life but what about the ones who have it so bad to where it affects their day to day life for months or even years at a time. It can be so debilitating! No one wants that in their life and so some of us seek something else, anything else that will just ease the stress a little bit. Drugs, alcohol, porn, food etc is so easy to find these days and almost everyone knows someone who knows where to get it. What do you think life would look like if you chose something else to eliminate your stress instead of your drug of choice? What would that mean to you?

Guilt and shame, stress and anxiety can be brought on by certain triggers. Triggers can be people, places, things, sounds, smells or anything else that brings on those negative emotions associated with past trauma. Triggers can cause you to relapse or prevent you from even trying to quit for good. The wonderful thing about the holistic approach is there are a multitude of ways to address any triggers you may have and allow the emotions that you feel about the trigger to be lessened or even replaced.

We can’t forget to talk about physical pain. Physical pain is definitely a big reason some people get addicted to something. When it comes to pain a lot (but not all) of us have what is called a root cause for the trauma or pain. What is a root cause? A root cause is the earliest or the deepest cause of behavior change. Imagine if you could figure out the root cause to something and then learn how to let it go and move forward in life! What would that mean to you? What could it do for your life and your relationships? Imagine that all the discomfort you felt in your body was now relieved and pain was no longer an issue for you. How beautiful would life be then?

Another thing that comes up in recovery is the need to release emotional blocks because they are a big big part of the recovery process... What are emotional blocks? Emotional blocks are repressed or unhealed wounds that need to be recognized and dealt with. They need to be cleared so that they don’t stay stored inside your mind and cause you more distress. They are tricky because it’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint what exactly is blocking you from moving forward. The wonderful thing with holistic practices such as hypnosis is you do not need to know the exact cause of the block or what is being blocked. Your subconscious mind knows and it is so powerful that with the proper tools you will be able to remove release and resolve blocks you didn’t even know existed!

In recovery self care and love is very important for the overall process as well. What was the last thing you did for yourself? When was the last time you took care of you? Do you love who you are today? Do you love who you are becoming? Self care is so important and when you begin to start your recovery you are taking the first step to self care. It’s the little things that count like dressing up for no reason or taking long hot bubble baths, maybe even taking yourself out to eat. Self care is vital to your sobriety. There is something in you that you love enough to want to stop using so love yourself enough to make sure you always have a full cup to pour from and that you find what you need within yourself.

With recovery comes the naysayers. The ones who mock you while you are making this life change.If you are worried about any naysayers just know that people can say some mean things and it can hurt really bad. It could hurt so bad that you develop a fear of what others think of you. When it comes to addiction you may have fears about people thinking you are “stuck up” now because you don’t talk to them anymore. Or they may say that you will never change or that you are high when you are not. You may have fears about coping and healing your past traumas or even dealing with the world sober. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Fear of judgement is something we were taught in our youth not something we were born with. The good news is that there are so many ways to address fear. With hypnotherapy you can eliminate fears and replace the fear with peace and motivation. Imagine not being afraid anymore!

People who judge you are only projecting their own insecurities onto you and you have a choice to accept that judgement as absolutely true or to see it for what it is, insecurities on the judgers part. You are doing what you have to do to stay sober and that is a beautiful and wonderful thing that should be admired and complemented. You are taking a big step and making a big change. People are going to hate on you and that’s okay because they don’t know the real you. The one you have been hiding out of fear of being exposed. The unique and beautiful qualities that have been shoved deep inside because of trauma or pain. Maybe one day they will see you for who you really are and feel bad about being cruel to you but it doesn’t really matter in the end because you are on your own journey that has nothing to do with them. Their judgement can teach you to embrace the stones of hate that are being thrown at you and to become a stronger, wiser and more loving human being because of them. You are so strong now. I know this because you want recovery and you are seeking help. Your soul needs recovery and you are searching for answers. That takes courage and strength and wisdom. There is hope inside you!

The future can look scary when you first start this journey of recovery and we all know the future is uncontrollable so I’ll just repeat the wonderful advice I have been given over the years “Take it one day at a time and do not worry about tomorrow.” It sounds easier said than done but I can tell you first hand that it is very possible to not worry about the future with lots of mindfulness and practice you too can get to a point in life where you no longer worry about what might or might not happen. You just start to trust the process of life and/or your higher powers plan for you.

I must say every time I have ever tried to control circumstances in life I was hit with disappointment after disappointment and I mentally suffered from it until one day I just decided to let go of expectations. I stopped expecting people or things to be a certain way. I just let things be as they are and if difficulties came up I embraced them and the feelings that came with them. I looked deep into the situation and looked for meaning or a lesson that could teach me something. I grew into and embraced changes as they came. Look back on your life, all the pain and suffering taught you something it molded you into who you are today. A strong and determined individual! It gave you a gift that no one could ever give you or take from you. If you look within yourself and be honest with yourself you will find the gift that you were given and it is beautiful.

So what are you waiting for? You want sobriety and you don’t want to be stressed out about it right? . Let’s work together to release guilt and shame, relieve stress and anxiety, remove emotional blocks and fear, love and be proud of who you are, control cravings and triggers and reduce withdrawal symptoms, learn more about who you are and what your life could be like using hypnotherapy and other holistic modalities such as eft, nlp, life coaching etc.

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is where I help you get to a state of deep relaxation and increased focus & I talk with your subconscious about the issues you are having and the changes that you want to make. Contrary to what you might have heard, hypnotherapy is not mind control, in fact all hypnosis is self hypnosis so if you don’t want to be hypnotized then you will not be. And vice versa. The results of hypnotherapy with addiction are amazing. Programs utilizing hypnosis have shown a consistent 60-70% success rate. - National Medical Association https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2608811/?page=3

There are a lot of very good therapies or modalities you could try that have science and studies to back them up. Things like Hypnotherapy, imagery, meditation, breathing exercises, life coaching, nlp, eft, aromatherapy just to name a few. These are all different tools used to help alleviate stress, anxiety and a whole world of other things.

There are so many videos out there that can help you become aware of things about addiction and yourself that you may have not known. I personally love to listen to Gabor Mate’ talk about addiction and Brene’ Brown talk about vulnerability on youtube so you may want to check them out too.

Did you know that on average it takes around 6 sessions to alleviate 98% of symptoms with hypnotherapy? What would it mean for you if you were to eliminate 98% of your stress, anxiety, cravings, withdrawal symptoms, etc in just 6 (or less) sessions? Add alternative healing to your treatment plan you already have for an even better outcome. Don’t have a treatment plan? We can work on that together and find what you need to be happy sober...

Here is a link to several guided meditations on youtube for stress and anxiety. Pick one or listen to them all and see how you feel afterwards. Decide for yourself if you want to explore it further.

Of course guided meditations are not personalized to fit your needs like hypnotherapy is and therefore are not as profound but you can get an idea of what hypnosis can be like. If you would like a personalized hypnosis session to tailor to your needs then contact me and let's get you started on your journey of sobriety.

https://www.youtube.com/resultssearch_query=guided+meditation+for+stress+and+anxiety+

If no one has told you this I want to say it “You are worth it” “You deserve a good life” & “You have the strength inside of you to make this change stick”. I want to help you get there and I want it to be as stress free as possible for you. I want to teach you everything I can about self hypnosis, eliminating negative thought patterns, motivating you and staying there by your side through it all to make sure that your recovery is successful! Use the tools I teach you to create a new life for yourself, a new way to see the world and people and new ways to deal with unresolved issues.

With Grace & Love,

Rebecca

"And in just a moment you were gone, but in my heart you still live on"

"In Loving memory"