What Does Success Post-Rehab Look Like?
The iconic and prolific American author James Baldwin famously said, “No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” This is critical when it comes to recovery in the moment, but what many people may surprised to hear is that it is also critical when it comes to success post-rehab. It is because by doing the next right thing at the moment, one is setting themselves up for success in the future.
What Does Healing at the Cellular Level Look Like for Long-Term Recovery
Healing at the cellular level is all about healing the entirety of capital S: “Self.” What this means is that one is healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. This is known as holistic healing (“holistic” meaning “whole”).
Healing at the cellular level is also crucial if one is to experience success post-rehab. This is because one must truly be healed down to the root/core level if they are going to be able to experience any of the external benefits of recovery after the initial treatment process concludes. Healing at the cellular level must also be individualized.
Individualized Mental Health and Addiction Care for Success Post-Rehab
When it comes to the addiction recovery industry, it is important to remember that it is a multi-billion dollar industry. Unfortunately, there are many predatory recovery centers and treatment facilities operating today. These are treatment facilities that often only offer overarching “one-note” recovery plans that certainly cannot meet everyone’s individual needs.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we understand that recovery must be individualized if it is going to be successful both in the moment and offering success post-rehab. So, what does individualized recovery look like?
Essentially, individualized recovery is going to begin by taking a personal inventory of what is going on both in their life and the lives of people around them. These details will come from one’s familial, educational, occupational, and spiritual lives. After that intake occurs, it can be determined whether the individual requires a medically supervised detox. This is important because trying to detox on one’s own may not only be unnecessarily uncomfortable, but it could also be deadly (this is especially true with alcohol use disorder).
After a detox (if necessary) takes place, it is time to determine the next steps. For many individuals, this next step involves a residential rehabilitation center where they can engage with the modalities that they need. If it is a reputable recovery center, these means, methods, and modalities will be many.
A Comprehensive Multi-Angled Approach for Success Post-Rehab
The multi-angled approach to recovery simply refers to the way that one engages with the different modalities of their treatment plan. It is rarely recommended that an individual only focus on one modality of recovery. Rather, it is recommended that a comprehensive approach be taken.
This means focusing on many types of treatments. These treatments should come from all areas of effective evidence-based and holistic recovery. This includes psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy and surf therapy, and holistic healing methods like acupuncture, yoga, and meditation.
Focusing on a multi-angled approach also helps to ensure that relapses are less likely to occur. Many people don’t realize just how prevalent relapses can be. 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.” Focusing on relapse prevention also involves focusing on the underlying root/core causes of addiction.
Getting to the Underlying Root/Core Causes of Addiction for Success Post-Rehab
It is often said in 12-Step recovery that addiction “is about the thinking much more than it is about the drinking.” Addictions like alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) are about getting to the underlying root/core issues of what caused the addictions in the first place.
This is what healing at the cellular level is all about. It is about going deeper and addressing those issues that are going to stop the want to drink or use both internally and externally. However, before one can hope to heal at the cellular level, one must be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of their own or a loved one’s addiction.
The Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
While the signs and symptoms of addiction are often unique to the individual, and their severity, there are some universal signs of the disease (and, yes, most addiction professionals agree that addiction is indeed a disease). The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Isolating away from family and friends
- Having cognitive struggles, such as issues with short-term and long-term memory
- Being overly anxious, nervous, and “stressed out”
- Feeling depressed, sad, lonely, and worthless
- Experiencing otherwise unexplained physical symptoms, such as headaches and gastrointestinal problems
- Changes in appetite
- Issues with sleep patterns, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (insomnia)
- Experiencing suicidal ideations
As one can see, these are significant symptoms. Now, this is why getting help as sooner rather than later is highly recommended. This could mean the difference between short-term consequences and long-term side effects.
It is also important that one addresses these issues with modalities that not only help in the present moment but also help in extended recovery. This is what success post-rehab is all about.
Continuing to Engage With Recovery Modalities for Success Post-Rehab
Many people are under the misconception that once an individual is done with their stay in residential treatment or their engagement with day treatment, the recovery process is concluded. This is simply not the case.
People who wish to have success post-rehab must continue to engage with modalities that were helpful in the first place. This includes modalities from the psychotherapeutic realm like DBT and CBT.
Understanding Long-Term Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT can be particularly beneficial because it gets to the underlying issues of addiction that were previously mentioned. It does so by helping individuals address the underlying issues of how they negatively view themselves and the world around them. Also, it helps the individual cognitively shift their thoughts and these change their behaviors and their emotions.
CBT makes the individual an “active participant” in the process, which greatly adds to its efficacy. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns…. Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.” There are also beneficial experiential therapies.
Understanding Long-Term Experiential Tools
Experiential therapies can be highly beneficial for success post-rehab because they can often be utilized in most locations. Now, experiential therapies differ from psychotherapies because they focus on experiences (as the name implies) rather than discussion and “talk.”
Experiential therapies can also be fun, which should also be an essential part of one’s recovery. This is because there are many types of experiential therapies out there and thus there are many new experiences to be had. These include experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy, surf therapy, and horticulture therapy.
The Benefits of Nature Immersion Therapy
Nature immersion therapy can be particularly beneficial for those looking for success post-rehab. This is not merely a random statement either. It is supported by facts. 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 well-being and fulfillment. Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels by 15%.”
Nature immersion therapy also offers a sense of cognitive stability and natural connection. 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).” Surf therapy is also a great natural experiential therapy.
The Benefits of Surf Therapy
Surfing has long been a sacred tradition here on Hawaii’s Big Island. This is because connecting to the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean can be a spiritual experience. It can also be a healing experience for those looking for addiction success post-rehab.
Like nature immersion therapy on land, surf therapy offers a unique set of 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.” Another beneficial experiential therapy is horticulture therapy.
The Benefits of Horticulture Therapy
When one walks onto our luxury 30-acre property, they are going to be greeted by some of the most beautiful landscapes on Hawaii’s Big Island. One of the many reasons for this is that we have client-cultivated fruits and vegetation all over the property. This is because we engage in the unique practice of horticulture therapy.
Horticulture therapy offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Horticulture has been long used as a therapeutic activity for people with mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and depression. 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.” Horticulture as a form of centering has been used for thousands of years, just like yoga and meditation.
Understanding the Long-Term Use of Holistic Healing Methods
One of the beauties of utilizing holistic healing methods for addiction recovery is that they can often travel with an individual wherever they go. This, of course, can certainly aid in success post-rehab.
Now, many people can be skeptical of holistic healing methods for recovery. This is merely because Eastern medicine was long stigmatized by the Western medical community. However, this is no longer the case, as most professionals agree that supplemental holistic modalities can be highly beneficial. This is especially true of yoga and meditation.
The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation
Yoga and meditation have been practiced for thousands of years. Originally they were utilized as sole religious or spiritual practices. However, they have since moved into the realm of addiction and mental health recovery.
Regarding yoga, the iconic yogi and spiritual leader B.K.S. Iyengar famously said, “It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.” Yoga also offers a vast array of benefits for success post-rehab.
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.” Meditation also offers similar benefits.
The renowned psychologist and author Wayne Dyer said, “Meditation is a vital practice to access conscious contact with your highest self.” According to the International Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “The practice of meditation has become popular in many Western nations, especially the USA. An ever-increasing body of research shows various health benefits associated with meditation and these findings have sparked interest in the field of medicine…. According to Vedic science (the knowledge of the Vedic texts of ancient India), the true purpose of meditation is to connect oneself to one’s deep inner Self.”
There are also other holistic healing methods like acupuncture, massage, aroma therapy, and music therapy. Generally, a combination of many of these modalities is often recommended for healing at the cellular level, which is what success post-rehab is all about.
Achieving Success Post-Rehab With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why we only offer individualized and comprehensive recovery plans that utilize the multi-angled approach.
Recovery is not a “one-and-done” process. It is a joyous life-long journey, and it is a journey that one will not want to miss. Also, it is a journey that can start right here on Hawaii’s amazing Big Island. Recovery is just over the horizon. We can help make it happen.
Healing at the cellular level with Exclusive Hawaii Rehab is all about focusing on maintaining an active life in addiction recovery. This includes the importance of continued goal-setting, staying connected to a recovery community, and how our clients are supported through each stage of their addiction recovery journey. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the right road to long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through the recovery process alone. For more information about how to achieve success post-rehab or any other questions or concerns about recovery, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.