It was in the year 1879 when William Wundth distinguished psychology as an independent subject from biology and philosophy—this year also commenced the first department of experimental psychology at the University of Leipzig.

Although matters like cognitive therapy and holistic treatment weren’t in the picture, Willian Wudnth’s theory of introspection as an idea to understand someone’s mental element has helped the field immensely.

Almost after two centuries, the touch of psychology and the help it can bring to understand and cure mental health conditions is yet to reach all. Due to the immense popularity of social media, and the world almost becoming a global village, many understand regular therapy’s impact through trends.

Most importantly, they are helping break the age-old taboo that one who is suffering from any mental health disease can only visit a therapist. When in reality, someone suffering from something as common as social anxiety can get help by visiting a therapist regularly.

Soon from vaguely occurring phenomena, therapy is now becoming a matter of self-care for many. Just like journaling, opening up to a therapist and finding out one’s weaknesses and mental drawbacks is helping them lead a much better and informed life.

Healing From Within

Just like going to a doctor, dentist, or gynecologist is regular, so should be a therapist because our mind needs attention and treatment too. However, there are some who are in a very vulnerable state of mind at the moment. These are yours:

Patients with severe anxiety and depression can be dealing with a conditioning of high-functioning nature. This means they have become so mundane that they hide in plain sight and are an everyday matter. However, caring about your life with this won’t take you far before you have a mental breakdown.

They are recovering addiction patients who have been through the regular medical detoxification and checkups required to heal their minds. Therapy is something that can now proceed to heal their minds.

Elderly patients who are dealing with neurological degeneration,for example, patients who have Alzheimer’s, retrograde amnesia, and dementia are told to visit therapists regularly.

Today we will be dealing with the second kind on our list. In this excerpt below, we will be giving you an account of how therapy can help someone recovering from addiction:

• How it can help them manage and fight the triggers.
• Helping them motivate them to stay put on the path of recovery rather than falling into the deep end of relapse.
• Different types of recovery therapy can help.

Therapies That Nurture Self-Discovery In Recovery

Here are different types of therapy that can help a recovering patient towards self-discovery and resilience.

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

If self-discovery had a name, it would probably be called CBT. That is how effective this form of therapy is in helping patients find their triggers, expose their buried trauma from the past and start the healing process. But, most importantly, it helps recovery patients to understand different mental coping mechanisms in the face of relapse, temptation, and withdrawal symptoms.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a widely used therapeutic approach for treating various mental health and behavioral issues, including addiction. It helps individuals identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors contributing to their addiction.

In the context of addiction treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aims to modify distorted beliefs about substance use, develop coping skills, and address triggers that lead to addictive behaviors. It’s often integrated into comprehensive treatment programs to support individuals in their recovery journey.

2. Motivation Therapy

There is an old saying that no one can force someone to leave the harmful clutches of addiction unless they really wish to. One can always hear from their loved family members, peers, and friends that they are messing their body up with different substances.

However, if the patient himself/herself doesn’t realize the harmful effects and wishes to get better, no one can help them. This is why psychologists would much rather prefer patients to sit for Motivational therapy to help build intrinsic motivation (the one that comes from within).

Therefore, rather than imposing a time for therapy and making it an obligation, therapists make getting better for recovering patients an option. This means, during their recovery journey, if suddenly one day they feel lost or unable to cope with their relapsing urge, they give the therapist a call.

These sessions can be conducted over the phone, or the therapist can visit someone at their work or desired place. The act of calling the therapist for help explains the client’s readiness to change. Now the therapist can use this and positively weaponize to help the client look at the recovery process in a much more optimistic light.

3. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Getting violent with oneself or others is one of the most unfortunate but common effects of heavy substance issues. This is why recovering patients should take assistance from a dialectical behavioral coach to help them identify the cues which trigger cue violence and how to pacify them on their own with proper info.

There are four main skills which the therapist will focus in:

Mindfulness: Being present in the moment and assessing what is happening around the environment and what is happening internally. Most importantly how the two correlate.

Distress Tolerance: Distress is a common part of human life. Yes, we understand that distress could be more triggering than usual while recovering from an addiction. This therapy will help such patients tolerate and pacify it at the moment.

Interpersonal Effectiveness: After all, dealing with anger is not just a matter of personal development, but also to repair interpersonal relationships. Afterall, a loved one of an addiction-affected patient goes through a lot of mental turmoil as well.

Emotion Regulation: This type of therapy treatment helps build better emotional resilience. So that the patient has control over their emotions at all times, and not just during times of distress.

4. Holistic Therapy Treatment

Holistic therapy is a new and contemporary treatment that doctors on the overall healing of the individual. They believe that healing is not just a matter of mind and body but the soul as well. This means the individual who has been affected by the deadly clutches of addiction should also learn to handle and recover from the trauma before moving forward with their sober life.

Finding sobriety is not just a matter of not drinking or smoking. It is about starting one’s life journey all over again with a new purpose and goal. Trying holistic treatment can help such patients find meaningful hobbies and activities to carry forward in their new life. Plus, find distraction at times of difficult relapse.

Some of the common and very effective holistic treatments are:

– Yoga.

– Aroma Therapy.

– Acupuncture.

– Music Therapy.

– Art Therapy, etc.

Why Focus On Therapy Post-Addiction Recovery

Even after you step out of the inpatient addiction rehabilitation facility, continuing therapy is mandatory. After addiction recovery, therapy remains essential. It helps address underlying triggers, prevent relapse, and build coping skills for lasting sobriety—therapy aids in healing emotional wounds, enhancing self-esteem, and managing co-occurring disorders.

By fostering self-awareness and resilience, post-recovery therapy equips individuals to navigate life’s challenges without turning to substances. It reinforces the commitment to a healthier lifestyle, strengthens relationships, and supports ongoing progress. Post-recovery therapy promotes sustainable change and empowers individuals to lead fulfilling lives free from the grip of addiction.