Therapy Methods
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
Examines the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. During active addiction, we were able to directly impact the way we feel with a chemical of our choice, since we can’t do this in recovery, we can still work with other two variables (thoughts and behaviors) in order to feel better and make better decisions. This type of therapy is also very useful with treating trauma, anxiety and depressive disorders.
ACT (ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY)
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a form of psychotherapy and a branch of clinical behavior analysis. It is an empirically-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies mixed in different ways with commitment and behavior-change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. The objective of ACT is not elimination of difficult feelings; rather, it is to be present with what life brings us and to "move toward valued behavior". Acceptance and commitment therapy invites people to open up to unpleasant feelings, and learn not to overreact to them, and not avoid situations where they are invoked. Its therapeutic effect is a positive spiral where feeling better leads to a better understanding of the truth. (Wiki)
TWELVE-STEP FACILITATION THERAPY
Twelve-step facilitation therapy is an active engagement strategy designed to increase the likelihood of a substance abuser becoming affiliated with and actively involved in 12-step self-help groups, thereby promoting abstinence.
Three key ideas predominate:
- acceptance, which includes the realization that drug addiction is a chronic, progressive disease over which one has no control, that life has become unmanageable because of drugs, that willpower alone is insufficient to overcome the problem, and that abstinence is the only alternative;
- surrender, which involves giving oneself over to a higher power, accepting the fellowship and support structure of other recovering addicted individuals, and following the recovery activities laid out by the 12-step program;
- active involvement in 12-step meetings and related activities. (Drugabuse.gov)
EMDR (EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING THERAPY)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) - is a form of psychotherapy developed by Francine Shapiro starting in 1988 in which the person being treated is asked to recall distressing images; the therapist then directs the patient in one type of bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements or hand tapping. According to the 2013 World Health Organization practice guideline: "This therapy [EMDR] is based on the idea that negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours are the result of unprocessed memories. The treatment involves standardized procedures that include focusing simultaneously on (a) spontaneous associations of traumatic images, thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations and (b) bilateral stimulation that is most commonly in the form of repeated eye movements." (Wiki)
