When you suffer an injury like a cut or a broken bone, you count on your body having the ability to heal from such a trauma. You might need some antibiotics or a splint to aid the healing, but otherwise, the body takes care of itself.Likewise, when you suffer a mental trauma or grief, you might expect the mind to recover so that life can go on. This is not always the case, though, and sometimes the effects of such trauma linger and continue to affect your life. It is as if the mind is unable to move past the debilitating event.
The mental anguish of being unable to move past grief and trauma may have prompted you to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs and may, therefore, be the root of your addictive behavior.
Helping the Mind Process Trauma
Eye Movement Desensitizing and Reprocessing (EDMR) is an innovative psychotherapy that helps an individual’s mind move past a traumatic event. The therapy was developed for the treatment of PTSD and is now being used in addiction treatment, as well.
The concept is this:
When a traumatic mental event occurs, your brain may not be able to work through the emotions and memories. You are “shut down,” unable to mentally process what has happened to you. With EMDR, a credentialed therapist can stimulate your brain to begin processing these emotions and memories and guide you to replace them with thoughts that are less stressful.
EMDR Use in Addiction Treatment
Drug and alcohol abuse often results from self-medication, which is used to dull the effects of trauma. Unless the trauma is dealt with successfully, the suppressed memories remain as relapse triggers, which derail addiction recovery. EMDR in combination with other therapies has been shown to effectively treat trauma and allow addicts to move on to live full and productive lives in recovery.
Innovative Therapies for Addiction Recovery
Your personal addiction story is unique, and you need individualized treatment that fits your lifestyle and values. At Complete Harmony’s peaceful seaside retreat, you’ll find caring, credentialed therapists and an innovative, non-traditional approach to achieving addiction recovery.
With cutting-edge clinical treatment, evidence-based therapies and self-awareness activities, you’ll learn to resolve underlying issues and make peace with yourself. Call 866.930.4673 to speak with an admissions specialist and begin the enrollment process. Recovery, inner peace, and a new, sober life await you.
