Each individual will have a unique approach to effective treatment and recovery practices for overcoming the effects of addiction. Whether an individual is overcoming the use of drugs or processing the effects of alcohol on their life, engaging in the right programs, strategies, and experiences is crucial for a truly transformative recovery. Effective use of experiential therapy can make a huge difference in the efficacy of each individual’s treatment. Exploring the options available can ensure that each individual can create their best treatment and recovery plan.
What Is Experiential Therapy?
Getting actively engaged and involved with dedicated therapeutic modalities is essential to embrace their transformative effects truly. While education throughout the recovery process is essential, actively practicing strategies and exploring new experiences is necessary for effective sober change. Experiential therapy is a category of various strategies that help an individual get involved with their whole self to create the best possible approach to sobriety.
These therapies use various tools, activities, or other resources to empower those in recovery to explore past experiences, anxieties, depression, current stresses, new perspectives, and their best practices and health. By involving the whole self in treatment, each individual can better explore the most important and pertinent skills throughout recovery. They can also personalize their unique experiences in outpatient treatment and bring these skills into practice outside of a dedicated treatment setting.
Forms of Experiential Therapy
The term “experiential therapy” encompasses a wide array of skills, with each individual being able to choose and explore new options at each stage of their recovery. Finding the best practices will be a personal journey. Even if an individual does not reap the same benefits as a peer in one particular practice, it is always possible to adjust their approach to a new experience that can be more effective for their continued sober efforts.
Addiction uniquely affects each individual, and there is no “cookie-cutter” approach to change. Instead, finding the best collection of skills is necessary for each individual, with a dedicated recovery program being most effective when they are taken personally.
Art Therapy
Artistic outlets can be a great experience for those in recovery. For some, using art to express complex emotions or feelings that they may not have the vocabulary to express otherwise can be essential for processing these emotions and preventing them from building up in their mind.
Others may utilize art to form new communication strategies with family members, professionals, and peers. From expressing difficult emotions to exploring various artistic forms, each individual can find new modes of expression and create tangible representations of challenges and new perspectives to challenge and overcome the effects of addiction.
Using Meditation in Daily Life
Meditation can be a powerful skill to practice throughout addiction recovery. Having an opportunity to detach physically and emotionally from the stresses of daily life outside of the treatment facility during outpatient care can have myriad recovery benefits.
Using a dedicated meditation space can also empower those in recovery to practice mindfulness and explore their physical and emotional needs. Processing and relinquishing difficult emotions before they can manifest into other behaviors or taking a moment to acknowledge and work through urges and cravings prevalent throughout recovery is a powerful skill and experience for creating feelings of agency and control over the stresses of daily life.
Engaging in Psychodrama
Psychodrama is a unique and powerful form of experiential therapy where individuals are encouraged to act out scenes from their past and explore new perspectives and how these events may continue to impact their thoughts or emotions. Redpoint offers a dedicated six-week training in psychodrama to help those overcoming addiction better understand its continued effects on an individual. They can also process grief, trauma, and other personal challenges to continue engaging in a holistic form of healing while getting actively engaged with peers.
The Benefits of Somatic Experiencing
Somatic experiencing is a unique experience throughout recovery as an individual is guided not only through difficult thoughts and emotions but also encouraged and empowered to understand better how these feelings can manifest tangibly in their body. By helping individuals better connect their emotional state and physical body and attentiveness, they can better understand the connection between their emotional and physical needs. They can also embrace a more mindful approach to their continued health and sobriety. Professionals may use guided imagery, talking, and more in conjunction with a calming and safe environment to guide an individual through challenging feelings or memories.
There is never just one path to a healthy, sober future. Exploring the various opportunities where needed can ensure that each individual can create their own best recovery plan to use inside and outside a treatment facility. Each of these experiential therapy options and more can be instrumental in creating this individualized approach to sobriety. Working with professionals can help each individual create their collection of best practices for a healthy, sober future.
Experiential therapies offer new practices and ways to get involved in active recovery efforts. We at Redpoint are dedicated to personalizing your recovery program and finding the most effective experiences for your sober journey. We understand that no two journeys with addiction and recovery will be the same, and we are committed to providing flexible options, locations at Fort Collins, Glennwood Springs, and Longmont, and encouraging different avenues in which to explore how you can develop your best healthy and sober life. For more information on the experiential therapies offered that may benefit you or to speak to a caring, trained staff member about any questions or concerns, call us today at (303) 710-8496.
