Addiction is a mental health disorder that often stems from a past traumatic event that people want to forget. They turn to drugs and alcohol to help them and often become lost within their addiction and cannot find a way out alone. The more alone they feel, the more they turn to drugs and alcohol, creating a powerful addiction and painful withdrawal symptoms. Recovery after detoxing is a long process that involves behavioral therapy to help patients understand why their addiction started and how to confront those feelings. Meditation for addiction recovery is an extremely effective and proven method for treating addiction.
At Arkview Recovery Center, our goal is long-lasting recovery, which is only possible through a combination of behavioral and medication-assisted treatment. We don’t just treat the addiction. We help you uncover the reasons behind your addiction and teach you how to cope with your feelings instead of ignoring them through programs such as meditation. If you are ready to make fundamental changes in your life and start down your recovery path, call 717.744.0756 or complete our online form today to learn more about our drug and alcohol detox program.
3 Meditation Techniques for Recovery After Detoxing
1. Breathing Meditation
Breathing meditation is an easy way to calm down and regain your focus. If you feel stress or anxiety building, sit in a quiet room or with noise-canceling headphones in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and breath in and out, concentrating on your breath. Count to four for each breath in and out and pause for a count of two in between each breath. If you find your mind wandering, don’t worry. That’s completely normal. Bring your focus back to your breathing. Practice this for three to five minutes whenever you feel anxious or want to take a quick break.
2. Guided Meditation
This form of meditation is guided by someone who will walk you through various scenarios that you can imagine yourself doing in a positive and healthy way, like ignoring your cravings and focusing on your recovery.
3. Moving Meditation
Meditation is not just sitting quietly and breathing. There are other forms of meditation that are more physical and can help build your strength and balance. Walking is a form of moving meditation where you focus your attention on part or all of your body while walking. Other forms of moving meditation include:
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Qi-Gong
Stretching
Also, detox meditation music is available online, which can be very beneficial to listen to while you practice your meditation.
How Does Meditation for Addiction Recovery Work?
Meditation has been around since 5,000 BCE. It is deeply rooted in eastern cultures, and there is plenty of recorded evidence that meditation was useful in treating many ailments before modern medicine was prominent. Today, meditation has become more accepted in western cultures for its evidence-backed benefits for helping recovery after detoxing.
Starting meditation recovery as part of your addiction treatment can:
- Help calm you down when anxiety hits
- Prevent cravings from taking over
- Increase attention span to help keep you focused on recovery
- Get a better understanding of your addiction
- Center yourself and learn your own strength
As you progress through the program, continuing meditation can help with:
- Rebuilding your physical and mental strength
- Increasing flexibility
- Reducing withdrawal symptoms
- Decreasing chances of relapse
Choose Meditation for Addiction Recovery at Arkview Recovery Center
At Arkview Recovery Center, our addiction treatment programs can help you in every stage of your addiction, from detox to outpatient and beyond. Our addiction treatment programs use meditation for addiction recovery and a mindfulness approach to help treat the whole person and not just the addiction. Your treatment programs will include meditation recovery, plus:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family counseling
If you or a loved one needs help with their addiction recovery, speak to one of our caring therapists today at 717.744.0756 or complete our online form to learn more about meditation for addiction recovery and how it can help your recovery after detoxing.
Kyle is Lead Therapist at Arkview Recovery Center. He holds a Master of Social Work degree from Temple University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He has years of experience working directly with individuals who suffer from addiction and mental health disorders. Being in long term recovery himself, Kyle is very passionate about the recovery process. He is heavily involved in the local recovery community in which he enjoys his commitments to service and giving back. His specialty is in group therapy and developing clinical staff. Kyle brings to Arkview a holistic approach to recovery, specializing in mindfulness, reality therapy, and solution-focused therapy.