Successful Interventions: Understanding the Before, During, and After
There is a traditional Hawaiin proverb that goes, “Aloha Aku No, Aloha Mai No.” It is similar to the concept of “namaste” in that it means, “When I offer my love to you, you offer your love back to me.” This sentiment is the foundation of successful interventions. They are initiated and performed out of love, and with the right treatment and support, that love is returned in full.
Healing at the Cellular Level: Starting the Recovery Process off Right
Part of healing at the cellular level is setting up a strong foundation upon which all aspects of recovery can be built. This includes recovery that addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual “self.” When recovery focuses on this interconnectedness of self, then recovery can ultimately happen at the cellular level.
One of the best ways to start the recovery process off right is with an intervention. This helps both the individual struggling and their loved ones connect on the same level and focus on the same goals – effective treatment and long-term recovery. Interventions are also an ideal transition to the next stage of recovery. Often, this stage involves a safe and secure detox process and residential care (though some people may transition directly into an intensive outpatient program).
Better Understanding Interventions
Many people may be familiar with the popular television show, Intervention. However, what the show does not display is all of the intricate work that goes into staging an intervention.
Interventions should always be aided by professionals. Without this type of professional help, an individual may push back and ultimately do something risky or dangerous.
An intervention is a complex process from start to finish in which a professional guides families and friends through the process of asking their loved ones to get help. It also includes the building up of boundaries if a loved one is unwilling to accept help. Of course, there are also many other components of successful interventions.
What Do Successful Interventions Look Like?
A successful intervention is always going to look individualized and comprehensive. It is also going to look very organized from start to finish. This organizational component is also another reason why a professional interventionist should always be employed.
Successful interventions are also going to ensure that the individual and their loved ones remain safe throughout the entire process. This often means creating boundaries before the intervention even takes place. These boundaries may include cutting an individual off financially, not letting them in the home if they are drinking and/or using, and not helping out in any legal situations. Of course, these boundaries will feel difficult to employ, but it is important to remember that it is for the health and well-being of everyone involved. Sometimes, setting boundaries like these can even cause an individual to accept help before an intervention takes place.
A successful intervention is also going to allow everyone to be engaged during the process. This includes the individual struggling. Everyone should get to speak who wishes to at the intervention, and once that has happened, then the individual should have the opportunity to respond (but only after everyone has spoken).
Ultimately, a successful intervention is going to conclude with a loved one accepting help and entering treatment. However, sometimes a loved one refuses to accept. At this point, it is important that the boundaries stay in place. Many times, these boundaries cause an individual to accept help a while after the intervention, which should also be considered a success.
What Are the Benefits of Successful Interventions?
There are many benefits to staging a successful intervention. The following are just a few of those benefits:
- A loved one behind their treatment journey
- Family and friends can begin to get the help they need
- A professional diagnosis can be made to determine the next steps
- Detox can happen (if needed)
- A loved one is in a safe space
- Family and friends can create a safe space for when a loved one gets home from treatment
- The whole family can come together to recover post-treatment
- One’s work and school situation can be rehabilitated
- The chance of relapse is greatly reduced
Now, the good news is that post-successful intervention and post-successful treatment, the chances of a relapse are reduced significantly, which is good because relapse rates are currently high in the U.S. According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment.” Also, ”For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within 1 year of treatment.”
What Happens After Successful Interventions?
After a successful intervention, an intervention professional is going to accompany the individual to the predetermined recovery destination. Many times, an individual will try to push back and explain that they must get their affairs in order prior to leaving for treatment.
This is when they discover that their loved ones have already packed everything they need for treatment. Also, they have figured out any financial or insurance issues. This will leave no “wiggle room” for an individual to avoid leaving. It is important to remember that the window in which a loved one is willing to get help can be small, so everything must be ready to go. Also, another reason why a professional should always be utilized.
It is also important that the right recovery center be chosen. Family and friends are going to know the treatment facility that will best fit an individual character, and a professional will be able to determine which recovery center has the right means, methods, and modalities to specifically address their needs. When all of these factors are taken into account, the chances for a successful recovery not only become possible but plausible.
Avoiding Another Intervention With Effective Recovery Means, Methods, and Modalities
It is important that a recovery center be chosen that focuses on individualized and comprehensive recovery plans. This means plans that utilize the intake process to learn everything about the individual, including their home and work life, their anxieties and apprehensions, and their recovery goals. It is important to see the individual and not just their addiction or mental illness. As the ancient Greek philosopher and doctor Hippocrates said, “It’s far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has.”
A recovery center should also utilize multiple modalities from multiple fields. This includes utilizing methods from the field of neuro-psychotherapeutics, the world of experiential therapy, and the realm of holistic wellness. An effective recovery center should also not shy away from new cutting-edge therapies like ketamine therapy.
Utilizing Ketamine Therapy for Long-Term Recovery
Ketamine therapy has gained more and more traction in recent years. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, “The potential for ketamine to be used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders was first noted in the 1970s and has been the focus of formal investigation since the 1990s, with investigative and off-label use in the context of mental health increasing across North America and Europe since that time. The first approval by the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a ketamine-derived therapy for mental health came in 2019 for intranasal esketamine (the S-enantiomer of ketamine) as augmentation therapy for treatment-resistant depression, which has increased clinical and public interest internationally.”
Ketamine therapy has also been shown to be highly effective at treating addiction. According to the clinical journal Neuropharmacology, “Despite methodological limitations and the relative infancy of the field, results thus far are promising. Ketamine has been shown to effectively prolong abstinence from alcohol and heroin in detoxified alcoholics and heroin-dependent individuals, respectively. Moreover, ketamine reduced craving for and self-administration of cocaine in non-treatment-seeking cocaine users.”
Also, because more is being found out about ketamine therapy, it should be used as a “complementary therapy” to other evidence-based therapies and known-to-be-effective treatment methods. This includes the employment of nutritional therapy.
Utilizing Nutritional Therapy for Long-Term Recovery
At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe that “Food is medicine,” which is why we focus on the individual nutritional needs of all of our clients. This includes having onsite dieticians and nutritionists to support and answer any questions clients may have.
Nutritional therapy is not just about the foods that are eaten but also about the foods that are not. According to the Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JPN), “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… Anti-Nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity.
It is also important that food go beyond simply being nutritious. Food must also be satisfying and delicious. This is why, at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have world-class chefs who make meals catered specifically to each client’s needs and wants. The foods are also organic and, when possible, locally sourced.
Utilizing Nature Immersion Therapy for Long-Term Recovery
The Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island is an ideal place to engage in nature immersion therapy. It has some of the most amazing waterfalls, beautiful beaches, and breathtaking overlooks in the country (it even has a live volcano!).
There is little doubt that immersing oneself in nature can be highly beneficial for one’s emotional state. According to the National Park Center, “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 lowers cortisol levels by 15%.”
Of course, nature immersion therapy offers physical benefits like increasing strength and stamina, but it also offers other benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides physical health improvements, nature exposure can bring about positive influence upon psychological constructs such as boredom, friendliness, wellbeing and liveliness. However, across more than one hundred studies on nature/wildlife exposure, stress mitigation has been shown to be one of the most consistent and important psychological benefits.” Also, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning.”
The benefits of nutritional therapy and nature immersion therapy just strengthen the importance of choosing the right recovery center after a successful intervention. This is also true with surf therapy.
Utilizing Surf Therapy for Long-Term Recovery
Just as the “green space” of Hawaii’s Big Island is so unique, so too is its access to the incredible Pacific Ocean and all of the water activities it has to offer. This includes activities like swimming with local green sea turtles, tropical fish, and majestic manta rays. It also includes swimming, paddleboarding, and surfing. Surfing is unique in that it now has its own recognized therapy.
Surf therapy has many benefits. 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.”
It is the interest in activities like surfing that should be considered when choosing the right recovery center after a successful intervention. The enjoyment of wellness practices like yoga and meditation should also be considered.
Utilizing Yoga and Meditation for Long-Term Recovery
Yoga and meditation have been utilized (often together) for thousands of years. Initially, they were utilized solely for religious and spiritual reasons, but they have since moved into the realm of recovery.
First, there are many benefits to yoga. 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.”
Second, the benefits of meditation can be just as incredible and extensive. 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.”
Utilizing comprehensive treatment plans and making recovery innovative and integrated is crucial. Choosing a recovery center that also holds to this maxim can be the difference between successful interventions and ones that fall short.
From Successful Interventions to Successful Long-Term Recovery With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
There is another traditional saying on Hawaii’s Big Island that goes, “E Hoomau Maua Kealoha.” This means may our love be long-lasting. That concept is also the goal of successful interventions – may our recovery be long-lasting.
At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe strongly in the benefits of successful interventions, which is why we have intervention specialists who can work in all 50 states. Recovery is a beautiful journey, and it can all start with a successful intervention. The key is to reach out and ask for help. When this happens, we are always ready to answer the call.
There are many essential components that make up an effective and successful intervention. These include working with professional interventionists, being prepared to send a loved one off to treatment as soon as they say “yes” (what to pack, etc.), and connecting with the right recovery center to ensure that the intervention was not conducted in vain. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. For more information about what makes up a successful intervention, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.