Why Is Talk Therapy Essential to Recovery?

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Many treatment programs consider psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, a cornerstone of addiction treatment due to its inherent versatility. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “Psychotherapy can be an alternative to medication or can be used with other treatment options, such as medications” to help clients manage the symptoms and side effects of substance use disorder (SUD). Newport Beach Recovery Center uses individual and group therapy alongside other evidence-based treatment methodologies.

Understanding Talk Therapy

Talk therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses guided discussions and other therapeutic techniques to provide you with emotional relief. Additionally, the modality helps you develop essential skills for achieving and maintaining positive mental health. Talk therapy can take many forms, including:

  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical-behavior therapy (DBT)
  • Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
  • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
  • Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)

Psychotherapy requires a collaborative relationship between the care team and the client — you. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we assess every client to ensure you have a truly personalized treatment plan and periodically monitor your progress to ensure you feel comfortable with the direction of treatment.

Benefits of Talk Therapy

Your mental health will directly affect your treatment outcome. We personalize all individual and group therapy sessions at Newport Beach Recovery Center to ensure you have the best possible outcomes. Peer support is an essential part of our treatment. Group talk therapy provides a stabilizing influence and allows peers to interact with one another in a safe and controlled environment, discover shared goals, and heal together.

Talk therapy benefits you in the following ways:

  • Allows you to better connect with your emotions
  • Provides a safe space for processing trauma
  • Increases self-awareness and self-efficacy
  • Lowers stress and encourages positivity
  • Helps identify and address issues related to your recovery

All of these benefits can help your recovery from SUD. They can also assist you if you have a dual diagnosis. Moreover, therapy offers you neurochemical and neural benefits.

Physical and Mental Health Rewards of Talk Therapy

Psychotherapy can cause noticeable changes in how various regions of the brain function. According to Frontiers in Psychology, CBT and other forms of psychotherapy can lead to “long lasting, reproducible changes in emotion, cognition, behavior, and somatic symptoms across a range of mood and other psychological disorders.” Talk therapy can lower the risk of relapse by decreasing stress and limiting the adverse effect of chemical changes in the brain associated with SUD.

Activities and Exercises Used in Talk Therapy

Everyone responds differently to treatment, and we use comprehensive assessments to determine what therapeutic modality will work best for each client. For the best results, we implement a collaborative, person-focused approach to treatment. We want to ensure all clients feel accepted, validated, safe, and supported during rehabilitation. Additionally, we may combine multiple methodologies during therapy sessions to achieve a specific goal.

Some standard exercises and activities you may encounter during talk therapy include:

  • Identifying, analyzing, and challenging your irrational thoughts or behaviors
  • Practicing mindfulness and meditation to restore and strengthen your mind-body connection
  • Exposing yourself to uncomfortable thoughts or feelings to allow for reprocessing of traumatic events
  • Learning breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques that reduce your stress, anxiety, and depression
  • Avoiding confrontation or re-traumatization through alternative talk therapy methods like EMDR

Therapists and counselors use the tools at their disposal to tailor treatment plans and therapy sessions to the unique needs of each client. Everyone has different motivations and goals for their recovery. We will use whatever talk therapy method aligns best with your desired outcome.

Why Talk Therapy Works

The techniques used in talk therapy are effective because they open up a dialogue and challenge irrational or maladaptive beliefs. Recovering from SUD requires healthy lifestyle changes and the ability to maintain positive mental health. Your emotional and physical well-being depends on your ability to cope with stressors and establish coping skills. Talk therapy can improve those essential skills. Mental health professionals will provide you with an emotional tool kit that helps you overcome challenges. Psychotherapy can also improve objectivity and problem-solving skills, allowing you to work through issues you encounter more quickly during treatment and aftercare.

Continuing Talk Therapy During Aftercare

Many people find talk therapy incredibly helpful and continue to attend individual or group sessions during aftercare. Psychotherapy can reduce the risk of relapse in your early recovery and assist with the transition from structured treatment to independent sobriety. You may want to consider making it a central part of your aftercare. This is especially true if you want to acclimate smoothly and maintain abstinence after completing rehabilitation. Therapists can play a significant role in the support system you build to support your ongoing recovery.

Talk therapy is an important tool for overcoming issues related to substance use disorder. Research has shown that psychotherapy can effectively treat SUD and related mental health disorders when used alongside medication and other supportive treatments. Talk therapy provides a safe and judgment-free space where you can talk about your thoughts, feelings, and goals for treatment and recovery. The wide range of methodologies ensures that there is a form of talk therapy to address trauma and other issues that you may struggle with during treatment and recovery. Our team uses talk therapy alongside a range of other treatments to ensure you have the best outcome possible. We believe that everyone who attends treatment can benefit from attending some form of talk therapy. To learn more about Newport Beach Recovery Center and the various therapies we have to offer, call our office today at (855) 316-8740.

You Are Not Your Diagnosis

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Some people feel like being diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) is a life sentence that will follow them forever and define their entire life. Stigmas perpetuated by society and the media have created stereotypes about substance misuse that people may internalize. However, SUD is nothing more than a mental health disorder that you can manage using evidence-based treatment. You can recover and live a life free from the effects of SUD. The care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center believes that everyone has the potential to overcome SUD and recover from the damage caused by the condition.

What Is a Mental Health Diagnosis?

Mental health issues can change how you think, act, and feel. A mental health professional will use various tests and assessments to determine if someone meets the criteria for a disorder and officially diagnose the condition. A diagnosis is a tool professionals use to determine how best to help you overcome specific issues and not:

  • A judgment on the person or their character
  • An indication that the person may have other issues
  • A moral failing

People diagnosed with SUD and other conditions can make a full recovery with the help of rehabilitation, hard work, and support services. BMC Psychiatry states, “If a person no longer meets criteria for a mental illness, they are in remission.†Your SUD can enter a remission that lasts the rest of your life if you have the following tools:

  • Essential life skills
  • Healthy coping mechanisms
  • Long-term achievable goals
  • Sustainable healthy routines
  • A support system
  • Motivation to maintain recovery
  • Access to prescription medication and other complementary treatments
  • Access to community-based support services
  • Peer support

With the right resources and a willingness to do the hard work in treatment and therapy, you can achieve sustained remission, which means you have gone 12 or more months without meeting the criteria for SUD. After a year of recovery, you may still feel cravings or have intrusive thoughts. However, if you know how to cope with them safely and healthily, they do not have to interfere with everyday life during your ongoing recovery.

Challenge Stigmas and Practice Self-Compassion

Stigmas exist around mental health, substance misuse, and treatment. You might have loved ones who negatively react to your diagnosis, and they may not understand what SUD entails. Sometimes, people start to believe the misinformation they hear about SUD. Self-stigmatizing involves internalizing these negative perceptions and applying them to yourself. To recover from SUD, you should practice self-compassion and challenge the stigmas you encounter.

According to National Academies Press, “Public perceptions and beliefs about mental and substance use disorders are influenced by knowledge about these disorders . . . and media portrayal of people with mental and substance use disorders.†Some of the populations that face increased stigma for attending SUD treatment include:

  • Professionals
  • Adolescents and young adults
  • Minorities
  • Women

Educating yourself and others about the realities of addiction can improve your self-esteem and help loved ones avoid misinformation.

You Are Not Your Diagnosis

Participation in a rehabilitation program requires facing the realities of your condition and how SUD has negatively affected your life and the people around you. Individual and group therapy can help you look beyond the diagnosis to underlying causes. You can recover and move forward from your addictive behaviors by doing the following:

  • Actively participating in therapy
  • Consciously choosing healthier behaviors
  • Thinking more positively about yourself and recovery

The hard work you put into making positive lifestyle changes will provide you with a healthier and happier future where you can heal from substance misuse. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we understand that recovery is a process that anyone can achieve if they have access to the right resources and tools.

How to Create Healthy Self-Awareness

You are not your diagnosis. However, your past choices did lead to the development of the disorder. To fully recover, you need to have a certain self-awareness about your part in the events that led to being diagnosed with SUD. Your ability to recognize what contributed to your condition will impact the effectiveness of treatment.

Some people have more risk factors and fewer opportunities to avoid falling into maladaptive behaviors. For example, some people grow up surrounded by friends and family who misuse substances or have mental health issues that interfere with their ability to function. You are the sum of your experiences, choices, and beliefs.

You can create healthy self-awareness by doing the following:

  • Connecting actions, behaviors, and thought patterns with consequences and side effects
  • Ask your loved ones and people in your support system to give you feedback on your past and current actions, beliefs, and goals.
  • Learn to identify maladaptive thoughts and their underlying cause
  • Actively listen to your care team and accept their guidance

Only you can make the necessary changes to guard your future against the effects of substance misuse.

Substance use disorder is not a label that defines you as a person. You do not have to let your past actions determine who you are or what you will accomplish in the future. Only you and your choices can define who you will become after achieving sobriety. Your mental health diagnosis is nothing more than a diagnostic tool and does not represent you. Many people in treatment self-stigmatize due to regret, shame, guilt, or fear related to their disorder; you can take back control of your life and heal from SUD. The care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center is here to help you learn new ways of thinking that will increase the effectiveness of treatment. We can help you build a healthy future. To learn more about the personalized programs we offer at Newport Beach Recovery Center, call us today at (855) 316-8740. You are not alone.Â