More and more clients today are looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to handle long-term stress management. Reliance on holistic therapies comes with few, if any, side effects and can be used long-term without any tolerance or risk of dependence.
For that reason, many people today are seeking out mindfulness-based stress reduction, a holistic therapy that helps people become more aware of their feelings, the root causes of those feelings, and what is within their control to change.
What is MBSR for Recovery?
MBSR for addiction recovery is a meditation therapy that can help with:
- Stress management
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain
Studies have found that the use of MBSR can be used to help clients cope with stress and other symptoms more effectively.
Clients using mindfulness-based stress reduction can learn to:
- Pause when they feel stressed
- Take time to turn their attention inward
- Notice where stress manifests in the body and in what way, such as tension in the chest, an upset stomach, or a clenched jaw
- Recognize these feelings and their potential cause, such as an upcoming trip, work problem, or too many things to do
- Figure out what is within their control and what they can do to change those causes, such as removing things from a to-do list, carving out a few minutes to go for a walk, resolving one part of a work issue, or discussing a problem with another person
- Learn to be mindful, meditate in the moment, accept the discomfort, and let go of all else
How MBSR Can Be Used in Recovery
MBSR for recovery can be particularly useful when applied to situations after or during treatment when a client feels triggered or is at risk for relapse. For example:
Jonathan is experiencing a great deal of stress. It is interfering with his ability to sleep and is making him irritable. Using his mindfulness strategies, Jonathon takes a minute after lunch to find a quiet place to sit, close his eyes, and meditate. During this time, Jonathan reflects on why he’s feeling so agitated and irritable and comes to the conclusion that he is experiencing these feelings because he is worried about the costs of an upcoming trip with his brother. He notices that he is holding his stress in his shoulders, and isn’t breathing very deeply.
His mindfulness helps him change his breathing for the better. It also helps him determine that he should speak with his brother about his concerns. When he does so, Jonathan’s brother acknowledges the issue, and they compromise by cutting the trip short a few days to cut down on costs. After speaking with his brother, Jonathan feels an immediate sense of relief, his chest no longer feeling tight and his shoulders feeling relaxed.
Because Jonathon used MBSR for recovery, he did not turn to drugs or alcohol to try and quell his stress like he might have done before. He also didn’t carry the stress around with him for days or weeks, letting it poison his productivity and relationships or sour his trip with his brother.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Ava Recovery
At Ava Recovery, our goal is to provide individualized care for each of our clients, and for many of them, that extends to building a strong foundation for recovery with holistic treatments such as MBSR for recovery.
Our team will help you change your perspective with mindfulness-based reflections to help you look at stressful situations differently.
Through individual and group therapy sessions, we can help you turn your attention inward and take the time to reflect during stressful situations so that you can recognize potential causes of your stress and what things are within your control to change.
MBSR for addiction recovery offers a great opportunity to align with all of your emotions instead of trying to run away from negative ones like stress or anxiety. It provides an opportunity to incorporate more self-care and self-love into your life by using tools that make it easy to take breaks when necessary, return to a mantra or a particular phrase or even your breathing, and maintain emotional equilibrium.
If you are ready to try mindfulness-based stress reduction, call our team to learn more about outpatient programs at our drug rehab in Austin, Texas. We offer a range of treatment options, including Austin dual diagnosis treatment, and offer holistic therapies such as equine therapy addiction treatment services. Contact us to learn more.
