Is Being Spiritual Necessary for Recovery?
Facing addiction is a difficult and strenuous challenge, no matter who you are. You might face many obstacles, making the search for recovery seem impossible. Maybe you are weighing your treatment options, or perhaps you need help figuring out where to start. Every healing journey is different, and every story is unique. Many people have found great comfort nestled within their faith, while many others prefer a less spiritual approach.
How Can I Understand Addiction?
In the past year alone, an estimated 20.4 million people were diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD). As defined by the NIH, SUD is “a treatable mental disorder that affects a person’s brain and behavior, leading to their inability to control their use of substances like legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, or medications.” Due to the nature of these substances, the brain undergoes physical changes through complex chemical interactions. This creates the need for more and more drug/alcohol use.
The exact cause of SUD cannot be determined as it varies from case to case, though self-medicating is thought to be a common cause. Often, SUD is accompanied by many comorbid mental health concerns, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. People may have a drink or participate in the use of substances to “calm the nerves” or cope with their disorder.
As with any mental health concern, self-medicating is not recommended. The help of medical professionals is needed for recovery and proper healing. Here at Restoration Recovery, we specialize in treating addiction and its many comorbid conditions. With our team of mental health professionals, you will find wholesome healing in all aspects of your life for recovery and a substance-free future.
What Does Spirituality Do for Recovery?
It is important first to understand that the incorporation of faith is not required for recovery. With that being said, adding spirituality to treatment can be of significant benefit to you and your mental health. We are all human, and our moral beliefs, which are generally defined by our religion, significantly influence our behavior and attitude. These morals are what mold our entire outlook in life.
What Treatment Modalities Use Religion?
There are many forms of therapy that faith can be incorporated into. Regardless of your specific religious belief, these effective therapeutic modalities can all be modified for any faith, which falls under the umbrella of religious cognitive-emotional therapy (RCET). Below is a short list of just some of the many religious-centered options we offer here at Restoration Recovery:
- Behavioral therapy
- Psychoanalytical therapy
- Existential-humanistic therapy
- Gestalt therapy
- Person-centered therapy
- Rational-emotive therapy
- Cognitive therapy
What Is Religious Cognitive-Emotional Therapy?
To begin, it’s important to understand the basic theory behind cognitive therapeutic modalities. These therapies focus on “what we think (cognition), what we feel (emotion and affect), and how we act (behavior) and interact with each other.” The primary goal of any form of cognitive therapy is to identify unreasonable or harmful/negative thought patterns, assumptions, and beliefs; identify why they exist; and ultimately correct them to achieve positive, healthy alternatives.
RCET is a sub-branch of cognitive therapy that utilizes a person’s faith and beliefs within its practices. The efficacy of this treatment modality has been widely proven throughout many research studies. The basics of any religious belief are that everyone has a purpose which shapes our meaning-making process.
It has been said that an “individual’s search to find meaning or a purpose for his or her life is the most fundamental need which has to be met.” This need is believed to be the primary driving force of our race. With the great importance that we as humans place on the meaning of life, it is easy to see the need found in religion for recovery. Our beliefs are what shape us into who we are, and those very beliefs should be incorporated into the recovery journey.
The Search for Recovery and Wholesome Healing: Can I Achieve Both?
Addiction can make you lose sight of who you are. It can steal your inner light, peace, and joy. No matter who you are, no matter how far along in your addiction you may be, recovery is for everyone. On the path to sobriety, you will find healing within your mind, body, and spirit. Wholesome healing is intertwined with recovery so tightly that the two cannot be unraveled.
At Restoration Recovery, we believe in putting our focus and energy into every aspect of what makes you who you are – from your past to present, from your beliefs to your mindset. We strive to heal every fiber of your being to ensure a long-lasting, joy-filled recovery that you can be proud of every day moving forward. By combining your faith with your journey to sobriety, you can ensure a substance-free future.
The addition of faith into your recovery journey can be a powerful tool to combat addiction. With or without spirituality, you can find wholesome healing at Restoration Recovery. Everyone deserves happiness, and that includes you. Addiction is like a dark shadow lingering in the corners of the room. You need only to turn on the light and banish that darkness away. We can help you ignite your inner light to conquer this ever-waging war against mental health. At Restoration Recovery, you will find healing in the mind, body, and spirit. You will walk away with all the tools and knowledge you need for recovery. Call us today at (888) 290-0925 to get started.
