High Profiles: How Can Psychedelic Therapies Help Shift Perspective for Post-Treatment Life?
The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” It is important to remember that recovery is never about the “finish line.” In fact, the finish line is a fallacy. Recovery is about the journey, and an individual who is healthy in their recovery will enjoy the ride in its entirety. This is why preparing for post-treatment life is so important. Yes, it is possible to recover from addiction and mental health issues, but what comes next?
The Importance of Individualized Mental Health and Addiction Care For Healing at the Cellular Level
Now, the reality is that “one-size-fits-all,” “cookie cutter” treatment rarely works. This is because it does not take any individual elements into account. Also this is one of the reasons why relapse rates remain so high in the U.S.
According to the peer-reviewed write-up, Addiction Relapse Prevention, by Doctors Nicholas Guenzel and Dennis McChargue, “One primary concern in addiction treatment is the high rate of relapses within a short period after even the most intensive treatment. Many studies have shown relapse rates of approximately 50% within the first 12 weeks after completion of intensive inpatient programs that often last 4 to 12 weeks or more and can cost tens of thousands of dollars.” These relapse rates are also due to a lack of individualized and comprehensive post-treatment care.
Having a Plan for Post-Treatment Life Right Away
It is important to have a plan for post-treatment life right away. A reputable recovery center will not only focus on a client’s time while they are there but also what their post-treatment life should look like. This includes the types of therapies that they engage in, such as psychedelic therapies that can change a person’s entire outlook moving forward.
It is also important to take into account the personal dynamics of what post-treatment life may look like on an individualized basis. This is where the intimate as well as the apparent details matter.
Understanding the Importance of Personal Dynamics Regarding Treatment and Recovery
Many recovery centers only focus on a person’s disorder or their addiction. This does the individual a disservice because it disregards what makes them unique. It is also a recipe for a less-than-effective treatment and potential relapse.
No two individuals have the same mental health or addiction stories. This is true even if they have the same diagnosis. So, why then should their recovery plans be the same? The answer is that they shouldn’t.
For long-term recovery success, it is important to take into account one’s family dynamics, career and work life, lifestyle choices, and recovery goals. Someone who has a “high profile” career will require a recovery program that includes stress management for their post-treatment life, for example. Of course, there should also be different recovery paths for those looking to recover from addiction, those looking to recover from mental illness, and those looking to recover who have a dual diagnosis. The good news is that psychedelic therapies have been shown to be effective in treating issues related to all three of these categories.
What Exactly Are Psychedelic Therapies?
Psychedelics have been used for thousands of years in religious, spiritual, and cultural practices. Yes, they have also long been used for recreational use as well. However, it wasn’t until the mid-20th Century that they began being studied as ways of treating issues related to addiction and mental illness. But, due to politics and other socio-conservative reasons, these studies were put on the back burner, only picking up steam again relatively recently.
According to the clinical article, Psychedelic Medicine: A Re-Emerging Therapeutic Paradigm, “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.” Two of the most prominent of these therapies are ketamine and psilocybin therapy.
Getting to Know Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine therapy is quickly becoming more mainstream as people continue to see all of its positive results. These include positive results across a broad spectrum of issues ranging from anxiety disorders to eating disorders to substance use disorders (SUDs).
The 2022 article, (2022). Ketamine for the Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Comprehensive Systematic Review, displays some of these positive results. For example, regarding anxiety disorders, “Following the 0.5 mg/kg or 1 mg/kg doses [of ketamine], 10 out of 12 patients reported a 50% or more reduction in anxiety and/or fearfulness. In a double-blind study, 12 patients with treatment-resistant generalized anxiety disorder and/or social anxiety disorder received three ascending doses of ketamine and midazolam at 1-week intervals. Eight out of the 12 patients experienced at least a 50% reduction in anxiety and/or fearfulness.” Similar astonishing results were found across the board, including for those struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and SUD.
In other studies reported in the previous article, the results of ketamine therapy and AUD were, one might say, beyond promising. According to the article, “One study examined ketamine in combination with aversive therapy approaches that aim to establish negative links between alcohol consumption and alcohol’s detrimental effects. It was reported that 70% of participants in the ketamine group remained abstinent at 1 year compared with 24% of participants who received aversion therapy alone.” Similar results are being found across the entire realm of psychedelic therapy, including psilocybin therapy.
Getting to Know Psilocybin Therapy
Psilocybin (also known as “magic mushrooms”) is one of the oldest types of psychedelics that we know of. It is also considered one of the safest.
According to the 2021 article, The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin, “Of all psychedelic drugs, psilocybin is reported to have the most favorable safety profile. Despite the lack of studies investigating the comparative efficacies of psilocybin and psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, the vast evidence-based data that exist for psilocybin alone suggest that psilocybin may be the most efficacious psychedelic drug for treating such disorders.” It has also been shown to have an efficacy profile similar to ketamine in all of the types of issues that it treats.
So, the studies tell us the broad strokes of what these therapies can do (reduce relapse, mental illness remission), but what are the real-world benefits that come from these therapies, especially in how they can help high-profile individuals with their post-treatment life?
How Can Psychedelic Therapies Help Shift Perspective for Post-Treatment Life?
A change in perspective is a big part of what therapy is all about. This is as true of “traditional” mental health therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as it is with psychedelic therapies. Psychedelic therapies just tend to get an individual to that shift in perspective in a more timely manner.
The following are just a few of the ways that psychedelic therapies can help shift one’s perspective for their post-treatment life:
- Helps with serotonin release which can improve overall mood
- Can help regulate sleep patterns
- Helps individuals with psychosexual issues
- Increases optimism
- Reduces daily stress and anxiety
- Can help one better connect to a sense of spirituality
- Helps build communication skills
- Can improve relationship and homelife issues
- Helps with the mind-body connection
- Inspires creativity
One can see how all of these factors can be highly beneficial for post-treatment life and long-term recovery. These outcomes can even be heightened when psychedelic therapies are used in tandem with other modalities and treatment options like nutrition therapy.
Post-Treatment Life: Taking Nutrition Home
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have a maxim; “Food is medicine.” We believe this is true for our clients while they are at our luxury recovery center as well as when they head back into their everyday lives.
This is why we have licensed nutritionists and dietitians both on-property and on-call 24/7 to answer any dietary questions and to show clients the tools and skills they need to continue their focus on nutrition after they leave the recovery center. Also, this focus includes what we put into our body, as well as what we leave out.
Food is truly one of the primary elements that we need to heal at the cellular level. According to the peer-reviewed article, New Approaches to Nutritional Therapy, “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.”
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we ensure that the foods we offer are not only nutrient-dense, providing all of the essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that we need, but also that they are up to five-star standards on the plate. This is why we have renowned world-class chefs preparing and cooking all of our food on the property. In fact, some of our food is even grown on the property, which many of our clients take part in nurturing and growing.
Taking Horticulture Therapy Home
Horticulture is truly one of the original lifebloods of humanity. Without it, we don’t exist (at least not in the way in which we see ourselves today). Also, because it is such an innate part of us, it is an essential way in which we can reconnect to our innermost selves and get to the root/core causes of many of our issues.
Horticulture therapy also simply has some straightforward visible benefits. 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… Horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment.” Also, “It could increase self-efficacy, self-esteem, and quality of life.”
One can see how these benefits run parallel to the benefits that psychedelic therapies offer, which is what makes them such good adjunct therapies. It should also be noted that Exclusive Hawaii Rehab has some of the most amazing spaces to experience horticulture therapy, with rows of citrus trees, pineapple patches, and bunches of ripe guava bushes. All of them are always ready for cultivation and continued mindfulness.
Post-Treatment Life: Taking Mindfulness and Mediation Home
Mindfulness and meditation can be a big part of recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, “Mindfulness training [mindfulness meditation] is a promising intervention option for SUDs and relapse prevention. Mindfulness can be conceptualized as a state, trait, and practice. The state of mindfulness is cultivated during mindfulness practice and is characterized by non-judgmental, non-reactive, present-centered attention and metacognitive awareness of cognition, emotion, sensation, and perception.”
However, many people avoid mindfulness practices like meditation because they feel as though they cannot access what is inside them that they need to participate. This is simply not true. It just takes time, focus, and perhaps most importantly, focus.
One way that people have found that better helps them access a state more conducive to meditation is via their participation in psychedelic therapy. Psychedelic therapies can help to get past the mental blocks that hold some people back. These therapies can also address the root causes of traumas that some people have a fear of uncovering in the process of meditation.
Another specific benefit of meditation is that it can go anywhere that we go. Yes, the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island may be one of the most beautiful places to meditate in the world, but the beauty of meditation is that beauty can be carried with us after we leave. This can be especially helpful for those who have high-profile positions that need serious stress relief on a daily basis to maintain their recovery journey and avoid any potential relapse. Another mindfulness practice that also involves the physical body and can be taken anywhere is yoga.
Taking Yoga Home
Many high-profile individuals, from celebrities to athletes to high-powered executives, practice yoga. But, yoga has been helping people for thousands of years, beginning as a spiritual practice, eventually transitioning into a fitness activity, and now as a healing form of therapy.
The benefits of yoga can be both immediate and can be heightened through focused practice. According to the International Journal of Yoga, “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.”
Again, these benefits should look familiar as they mirror the benefits of nutritional therapy, horticulture therapy, mindfulness meditation, and ketamine and psilocybin therapy. While not everyone’s recovery plan at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab will look just like this (it is all individualized), it is a perfect combination for healing at the cellular level.
Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Remember, life is a journey, and recovery is a way of life. Psychedelic therapy allows us an opportunity to fully embrace both of these realities.
Lao Tzu also tells us, “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” When that step begins with Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we already have the journey in mind.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we are open to anyone who needs help. However, we also cater to high-profile clientele with very demanding and busy lifestyles (celebrities, people within the “Forbes-level” business world, elite athletes, etc.). We have found that psychedelic therapies can reduce the stressors associated with those lifestyles and also offer a shift in perspective to self-love and self-care that can be critical in recovery (in an intense industry or with high-profile social status) post-treatment. If you feel like you or someone you love is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help. For more information regarding the benefits of psychedelic therapies, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.