Allergic to the Sun? You Can Still Heal in Hawaii
There is little doubt that sun exposure can be highly beneficial in many ways. However, that does not mean that everyone enjoys spending time in the sun. For many, being outside causes unwarranted stress and anxiety. The good news is that even people who choose to forgo outdoor activities can heal in Hawaii.
Heal in Hawaii at the Cellular Level
Healing at the cellular level is all about healing the entire Self rather than just individual components. This means healing physically, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually.
Healing at the cellular level is also about holistic health and wellness. Essentially, “holistic” means “whole,” and to heal one’s whole being takes focused treatment that addresses both external and internal issues. These issues include the root/core causes of addiction and mental illness.
Getting to the Root/Core Causes of Addiction and Mental Illness
Mental illness and addiction are rarely just about external factors or behaviors. For example, people who struggle with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are often more influenced by what is internally causing them to drink rather than the drink itself. As is often said in recovery meetings, “It’s not about the drinking; it’s about the thinking.”
Many people also have underlying issues that they are unaware of, or at least unaware of how much they are affected by them. This applies to trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example.
Many people don’t realize just how many people are affected by trauma in the U.S. and abroad. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “General population studies have shown that a large proportion of people in developed countries have been exposed to at least one TE [traumatic event] in their lifetime (estimates from 28 to 90%), with the most common events being the unexpected death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents and being mugged.” The same is true with the prevalence of PTSD.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Center for PTSD, “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.” Also, “About 5 out of every 100 adults (or 5%) in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD.” These issues of trauma and PTSD are also best treated in an individualized and comprehensive manner.
The Importance of Individualized Addiction and Mental Health Care
Individualized addiction and mental health care are essential if one is going to heal at the cellular level. It only makes sense; how is one going to address their specific issues if those specific issues are not first identified?
This is why a comprehensive and individualized intake is so important when one is starting their recovery journey. Now, this intake should focus on one’s family history, work and/or school life, home life, and social and environmental elements. A proper and professional intake is also one of the best ways to ensure that a comprehensive recovery plan is created.
The Multi-Angled Approach: The Importance of Comprehensive Addiction and Mental Health Care
When it comes to addiction and mental health recovery, it is important to pull from as many areas of treatment as possible. This includes psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), experiential therapies like art therapy, and holistic healing methods like yoga therapy and meditation.
It should also be noted that all of the therapies mentioned can be done indoors and without having to interact with nature. Of course, Hawaii Island Recovery does offer many outdoor activities.
“Outdoor” to “Indoor” Recovery in Hawaii
Yes, a big component of healing in Hawaii can be healing outdoors. For example, surf therapy and nature immersion therapy are very popular. However, one can get similar benefits to surf therapy by engaging in water activities indoors. This is because it offers an opportunity for healthy physical movement.
According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology, “It is well-established that regular physical activity can enhance mood and alleviate mental health issues. Aerobic exercises such as jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, surfing, and dancing have all been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve mood, and lessen cognitive decline. Similarly, a systematic review and meta-analysis utilizing longitudinal and cross-sectional studies found significant relationships between exercise and lower levels of mental health symptoms and greater psychological well-being for youth…” So, yes, of course, there are plenty of ways to heal away from the sun in Hawaii.
Allergic to the Sun? You Can Still Heal in Hawaii
Healing in Hawaii is more about healing holistically than healing in the outdoors. Now, this means that one needs to address all of their issues in multiple different ways, with multiple different means, methods, and modalities.
This includes utilizing therapies that focus on a healthy and well-balanced diet that focuses on gut health. It also means focusing on getting essential vitamins and nutrients.
Heal in Hawaii: Vitamins and Nutrients
Many people don’t realize just how vitamin and nutrient-depleted people who struggle with addiction and mental illness can become. This can be especially true for individuals struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
According to the peer-reviewed journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Chronic alcoholic patients are frequently deficient in one or more vitamins. The deficiencies commonly involve folate, vitamin B6, thiamine, and vitamin A… Alcoholism can affect the absorption, storage, metabolism, and activation of many of these vitamins.” One way to combat these vitamin deficiencies is via supplements.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we offer pharmaceutical-grade supplements to help ensure that all of our client’s physiological needs are being met. This can be especially important for those who prefer to stay inside because it ensures that one’s vitamin D (much of which is absorbed from the sun) levels are being met. Another way that we ensure that our clients maintain healthy nutrient levels is via nutritional therapy.
Heal in Hawaii: Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional therapy is all about ensuring that one is both satisfied with what they eat and physiologically fulfilled by what they eat. Is what they are eating helping them to heal at the cellular level?
Nutritional therapy is also about as much as what one leaves out of one’s body as what one puts in. According to the Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP), “Nutritional Therapy uses food to prevent and reverse diseases that plague most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression. In order for food to be therapeutic, it must be nutrient-dense, measured in part by the nutrients and anti-nutrients, contained in consumed foods. Nutrients are plant and animal sources providing macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, probiotics), and fiber,” and “Anti-Nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity.”
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we don’t just focus on the health benefits of food; we also focus on ensuring that we are offering the most flavorful and satisfying local foods that Hawaii has to offer. This is why we have world-class chefs who personally make meals for each of our clients. Another unique way that we ensure our clients’ nutrient and vitamin needs are met is via infusion therapy.
Heal in Hawaii: Infusion Therapy
Infusion therapy is a cutting-edge way to help an individual replenish all of their essential vitamins and nutrients. These infusions include nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) infusions, Myers Cocktails, and glutathione infusions. All of these infusions offer opportunities to improve mood, reduce stress and tension, reduce inflammation, and eliminate toxins.
Glutathione infusions can be particularly helpful in eliminating toxins. According to Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, “It is hard to overstate the importance of glutathione… It plays a crucial role in shielding cellular macromolecules from endogenous and exogenous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. While it directly quenches some free radicals, of perhaps greater importance is that it deals directly with the causes of oxidative stress such as mercury and POPs [persistent organic pollutants].” There are also many other effective means and modalities that can help one recover out of the sun, such as CBT.
Heal in Hawaii: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT is an essential evidence-based therapy that works at getting at the underlying issues that were previously mentioned. These issues are intimately related to the way one negatively views oneself and the world around them.
CBT helps to address negative cognitions (thoughts) and emotions (feelings) so one can ultimately address their negative behaviors. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a class of interventions that share the basic premise that mental disorders and psychological distress are maintained by cognitive factors… According to Beck’s [a creator of the therapy] model, these maladaptive cognitions include general beliefs, or schemas, about the world, the self, and the future, giving rise to specific and automatic thoughts in particular situations. The basic model posits that therapeutic strategies to change these maladaptive cognitions lead to changes in emotional distress and problematic behaviors.” Another similarly helpful therapy is DBT.
Heal in Hawaii: Dialectical Behavior Therapy
DBT is a therapy that focuses on making changes and adopting acceptance in one’s recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal the Mental Health Clinician, “The term ‘dialectical’ means the interaction of conflicting ideas. Within DBT, ‘dialectical’ refers to the integration of both acceptance and change as necessities for improvement. Dialectical behavior therapy aims to address the symptoms of BPD by replacing maladaptive behaviors with healthier coping skills, such as mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance.”
This “mindfulness” component is essential in DBT. It can also be greatly supported by other types of therapies and practices that focus on mindfulness. This includes meditation and yoga therapy.
Heal in Hawaii: Yoga Therapy
The iconic yogi and philosopher B.K.S. Iyengar famously said, “Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together.” Yes, yoga is about taking all of those pieces (the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) and putting them together holistically to heal at the cellular level.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. Originally, it was solely a spiritual and/or religious practice, but it has since moved into the realm of recovery. It is also ideal for those who wish to stay indoors because it can be practiced anywhere.
Yoga therapy offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent reduce or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.” Another holistic healing method that can be practiced anywhere is meditation.
Heal in Hawaii: Meditation
Meditation is an ideal way to bring all essential aspects of healing into one practice. It can also be practiced anytime, which makes it highly accessible.
The benefits of meditation are hard to understate. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency.”
Heal in Hawaii: Physical Exercise
There is little argument that physical exercise can be highly beneficial. This is why we offer state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab.
According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Sport and exercise are known to be long-term beneficial to physical and mental health and the overall well-being of both individuals and society as a whole. During physical activity, hormones are released, and other physiological processes occur, leading to an overall improvement in mental health, and improving sleep quality.” While it is more creative than active, another therapy that can be highly beneficial is art therapy.
Heal in Hawaii: Art Therapy
Art therapy is an ideal way for one to get in touch with those root/core causes that were previously mentioned. It is also a therapy that does not require any outdoor activity or engagement.
According to the peer-reviewed journal Cureus, “Art therapy is used most commonly to treat mental illnesses and can aid in controlling manifestations correlated with psychosocially challenging behaviors, slowing cognitive decline, and enhancing the quality of life. Art therapy can help people express themselves more freely, improve their mental health, and improve interpersonal relationships. The basis of art therapy is established on the idea that people can recover and feel better via artistic expression.” Art therapy also combines well with all of the other means, methods, and modalities that have been previously mentioned. It is a perfect therapy for the multi-angled approach to recovery.
Heal in Hawaii at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Saint Francis of Assisi famously said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” That is what we believe here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab as well – anything is possible, and anyone can recover. The key is to reach out and ask for help.
Yes, the sunshine is a beautiful thing here on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, but it alone is not going to make one recover. No, that comes both from within and from the help of others. Recovery is possible. There is hope and there is help. It’s time to live the magical life that was always meant to be.
When one thinks of Hawaii, one most likely thinks of the outdoors, sunshine, and the Pacific Ocean. Yes, these are all big components of the Hawaiin experience, but they are not the only components. This is especially true for those looking for recovery in Hawaii. There are many ways that clients can heal at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab without being in direct sunshine. This includes many types of therapy, such as nutritional therapy, infusion therapy, and yoga therapy. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help. You don’t have to do this alone. For more information about healing at the cellular level, call Exclusive Hawaii Rehab at (808) 775-0200.