Getting Past the Stigma of Psychedelic Therapy
Therapy has had a long history of stigma associated with it (including the stigma of psychedelic therapy). This needs to change if there is going to be growth in the wellness industry. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cureus, “Addressing the stigma surrounding mental health can significantly enhance the effectiveness of psychiatric care. To this end, developing programs and strategies that foster a culture of understanding and acceptance may encourage more individuals to seek help when they need it, improving early detection and intervention, which are crucial for better health outcomes.”
The Prevalence of Addiction and Mental Illness in the U.S.
Addiction and mental illness remain highly prevalent in the U.S. This includes co-occurring disorders. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “7.7 million adults have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders… Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses. Among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders.”
The good news is there are many effective means, methods, and modalities that can help heal mental illness and addiction. However, the key is to focus on healing at the cellular level.
Healing at the Cellular Level
When it comes to healing at the cellular level, it is important to understand that health and wellness is not something that can be healed only skin deep. Healing at the cellular level is about getting to the root/core causes of one’s issues and improving physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
A focus on healing at the cellular level is a focus on interconnectedness and healing holistically. For example, one cannot fully heal physically unless they heal mentally, and one cannot heal mentally if they are not healed emotionally. A spiritual component can also help all other aspects of healing.
So how does one heal holistically? One way to do so is via holistic healing methods like yoga and meditation. For example, yoga offers benefits that can address all of the previously mentioned components of Self. Yoga 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.” It can also help get to the root core cause of one’s issues.
Getting to the Root/Core Causes of Mental Illness and Addiction
Addiction and mental illness are about a lot more than the negative behaviors that often come with them. They are about underlying issues. Again, this is why addressing these underlying issues is so critical.
So, how can underlying issues be addressed? There are many ways. The key is to use many different types of modalities, such as the previously mentioned practice of meditation.
Meditation can help heal an individual both externally and internally. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “Meditation, as described in the ancient Vedic texts, is an exercise of consciousness that results in the expansion of consciousness beyond the day-to-day experience of duality. It is an experience of unity, which reduces stress and brings increased creativity and efficiency to the functioning of the inner faculty… The process of meditation goes beyond the mind to the deepest level of the inner Self.”
Now, whether one engages in mediation or not, the key is to ensure that their recovery plan is individualized and comprehensive. This is how one can heal at the cellular level.
The Importance of Individualized and Comprehensive Recovery
Now, the stigma of psychedelic therapy should never get in the way of the best recovery plan possible. This includes a plan that pulls from all areas of the treatment industry, including psychotherapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), experiential therapies like surf therapy and horticulture therapy, nutritional therapy, and holistic healing methods.
Considered by many to be the Father of Western medicine, Hippocrates famously said, “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.” This is why an individualized intake process is vital for starting a recovery plan off right.
A proper intake includes a better understanding of one’s home, work, and social life. An intake also helps determine if one needs a safe and comfortable detox. It is important to remember that many people who struggle with addiction and mental illness are extremely depleted of essential vitamins and nutrients. This can be especially true with people who come into treatment for 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.” This is why we utilize pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and supplements here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab: to help our clients heal physically at the cellular level.
Getting Past the Stigma of Psychedelic Therapy: Better Understanding Psychedelic Therapy
Psychedelic therapy is part of a broad realm of overall therapeutic practices. It utilizes a variety of psychotropic substances to help individuals become more open to psychotherapeutic practices.
Psychedelic therapy is gaining traction. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), “In clinical research settings around the world, renewed investigations are taking place on the use of psychedelic substances for treating illnesses such as addiction, depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since the termination of a period of research from the 1950s to the early 1970s, most psychedelic substances have been classified as ‘drugs of abuse’ with no recognized medical value. However, controlled clinical studies have recently been conducted to assess the basic psychopharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy of these drugs as adjuncts to existing psychotherapeutic approaches.”
This is positive news because it is helping to reduce the stigma of psychedelic therapy. However, much stigma still remains.
Getting Past the Stigma of Psychedelic Therapy: Better Understanding the Stigma of Psychedelic Therapy
According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, “Psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide, have been historically stigmatized in the United States. Recent years, however, have served as a renaissance of renewed interest and dedicated research regarding the use of psychedelics as potential agents in the treatment of psychiatric maladies. The early data suggests the utility of hallucinogenic agents for treating anxiety, depression, nicotine use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amongst other conditions.”
Getting past the stigma of psychedelic therapy is crucial. One of the ways that this is happening is with ketamine-assisted therapy.
Ketamine-assisted therapy has shown significant efficacy in recent years. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry (BJPsych), “In the past two decades, subanaesthetic doses of ketamine have been demonstrated to have rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, and accumulating research has demonstrated ketamine’s therapeutic effects for a range of psychiatric conditions.”
Studies have also shown positive results with ketamine-assisted therapy. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cureus, “A total of 11 studies with 854 adult patients in three different countries (the USA, the UK, and Russia) were analyzed… Seven studies included patients with alcohol use disorder, one study focused on heavy drinkers, and three studies elaborated extensively on alcohol withdrawal. The overall proportion of patients achieving abstinence and reduced consumption was most favorable in people receiving combination ketamine and psychotherapy treatment.” These positive results go up when ketamine-assisted therapy is used with other modalities.
Getting Past the Stigma of Psychedelic Therapy: Using Psychedelic Therapies With Other Modalities
As previously mentioned, it is important that recovery plans be comprehensive. This includes recovery plans that utilize psychedelic therapies.
When recovery plans utilize multiple means, methods, and modalities the chances of healing at the cellular level go up because there is a greater chance of landing on a therapy (or combination of therapies) that is effective. However, a recovery plan should always include therapies that are evidence-based. One of these therapies is CBT.
Utilizing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT is an essential therapy because it helps get to the underlying issues of addiction and mental illness. It addresses the negative way one views oneself and the world around them.
CBT is about changing cognitions (thoughts) and emotions (feelings) so one can eventually change their 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. [T]hese 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.”
Just like psychedelic therapy, CBT is much more effective when part of a bigger recovery plan. This includes experiential therapies like art therapy, horticulture therapy, surf therapy, and nature immersion therapy.
Utilizing Nature Immersion Therapy
Nature has long been known to have mental and emotional benefits. According to the U.S. National Park Service, “5 minutes walking in nature improves mood, self-esteem, and relaxation. Frequent exposure to nature reduces anxiety and depression while promoting a sense of wellbeing and fulfillment.” Also, “Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels by 15%.” Of course, these are not the only benefits.
Nature immersion therapy offers a chance to heal at the cellular level. It is also an ideal way to recover on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, where there are some of the most amazing waterfalls, overlooks, trails, and beaches in the world.
Nature immersion therapy can help one emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning… While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN).” Another way to achieve this “CN” is via surfing.
Utilizing Surf Therapy
Just as there are some of the most amazing places to walk and hike on Hawaii’s Big Island, there are some of the most amazing places to swim, boogie board, and surf. This is why surf therapy makes so much sense here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab.
The benefits of surf therapy are vast and varied. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”
Utilizing Horticulture Therapy
People have long used horticulture and gardening as a means of relaxation and stress relief. It is an ideal way to center oneself, which is why it is also ideal for healing from issues of mental illness and addiction.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have a vast 30-acre luxury property that is perfect for horticulture therapy. There are amazing citrus and coconut trees, guava bushes, pineapple patches, and vegetable boxes just waiting to be cultivated.
The benefits of horticulture therapy cannot be understated. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.” Another therapy that can be highly beneficial is art therapy.
Utilizing Art Therapy
Art therapy also faces stigma as people are skeptical of it. However, it has long shown efficacy. It also goes well with psychedelic therapy because psychedelics can open one up to being more open with their creative side.
Art therapy offers many benefits. 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.”
Getting Past the Stigma of Psychedelic Therapy: Healing Holistically With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we are dedicated to getting past the stigma of psychedelic therapy, which is why we offer it extensively at our luxury recovery center. We know that utilizing psychedelic therapy in a holistic healing plan makes the chances for long-term recovery go up exponentially.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term recovery over short-term fixes, which is why all of our recovery plans are comprehensive and individualized.
On the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, we know that recovery can be right over the horizon line of our cherished Pacific Ocean. Long-term health, wellness, and joy are out there. The key is to take the first step and go out and get it. There is hope. We can help.
Psychedelic therapy remains heavily stigmatized in the social sphere. This is due to many reasons, one of the biggest being a lack of information surrounding its efficacy. The reality is that psychedelic therapy can be highly effective at helping people recover from issues of addiction and/or mental illness. The key is to utilize it with other effective modalities. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this alone. For more information about psychedelic therapy, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.