Going through a detoxing program for drugs or alcohol can feel chaotic, painful, and frightening. It may not seem like it, but meditation and detox are a natural pair. By its nature, meditation is calming and can help tame some of the fears and worries associated with detox. If you think a meditation therapy program would make the detox process more comfortable for yourself or a loved one, call Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida today at 866.294.5306 for more information.
Why Should Addiction Therapy Programs Include Meditation?
Meditation alone is not enough to ease withdrawal symptoms for the vast majority of patients, but it can help. Meditation can be a powerful tool when a treatment team combines it with medical supervision, counseling, and pharmacotherapy. When patients meditate during detox, they may experience fewer or less severe symptoms as well as a more positive attitude toward the process.
5 Ways a Meditation Therapy Program Can Help with Detox
There are many reasons meditation and detox are an excellent combination.
1. Helps Patients Focus
Meditation helps to improve concentration by teaching people to cope with disruptive thoughts or feelings. Being able to sort through the physical and psychological issues that pop up during detox helps people stay focused on their ultimate goal, living a substance-free life. The combination of mediation and detox enhance a patient’s sense of personal empowerment and purpose.
2. Reduces Anxiety
Committing to a detox and recovery program will naturally create anxiety for anyone. Even when you know it is destructive, facing a life without a substance you’ve become dependent on is stressful. The most common anxieties include:
- Being away from friends and family
- Their careers
- The future/re-entry
- Going through with treatment
Meditation practices teach people how to control anxiety without the use of drugs.
3. Subdues Anger
Like anxiety, anger is a normal detox reaction. It is partly physical. Your body may be sick with withdrawal symptoms, and feeling sick can be upsetting. It is also psychological. Participating in addiction therapy programs can bring up a number of unresolved issues, hurt feelings, and traumas that may have led to substance use in the first place.
Meditation does not stop people from feeling appropriate anger. It helps people control their reactions to anger and decreases the urge to lash out or get stuck in the kind of negative thinking that leads to more anger.
4. Promotes Clear Thinking
The physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal can make a person feel confused, disoriented, restless, and overly emotional. While this is all normal for the process, it can be challenging to make clear decisions when feeling this way. Furthermore, detox patients have important decisions to make. Even deciding to stay in detox one more day can be a challenge. Meditation helps to clear the mind of clutter, including all the worries and what-ifs. This practice paves the way for better decision-making at a time when it is crucially needed.
5. Improves Self-Awareness
Many people using substances have an almost constant chatter happening in their minds. Negative self-talk and inner monologues about finding, paying for, and using drugs or alcohol don’t leave much room for quiet reflection.
Meditation shuts out all those other voices, even if only for a short time, and allows individuals to connect with their inner self. Detox and recovery will be easier as a person gets to know who they truly are, their talents, goals, and dreams beyond substance use.
Seek Detox Services at Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida
Some type of mindfulness practice is necessary for long-term recovery. That’s why Serenity House includes a meditation therapy program in its comprehensive medically supervised detox. The benefits of meditation not only help during the process of withdrawal, but they can also help during the life-long process of recovering from substance use disorder. Call Serenity House Detox & Recovery Florida today at 866.294.5306 and begin your journey of mindful recovery today.