Holistic Therapy
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Holistic therapy might not be the first that comes to mind when you are asked to mention the various types of therapy you are familiar with. Nonetheless, it’s an approach that’s practised by many around the world, including the UK. It is estimated that around 9 million people subscribe to Holistic Therapy in the UK alone.
If you are currently with a health condition or struggling with addiction and considering Holistic Therapy or Alternative Medicine, we recommend you call us on 0203 955 7700 for assistance.
What is Holistic Therapy?
Holistic therapy refers to any healthcare practice or therapy that does not just treat the single isolated ailment that the individual may be suffering but also treats the entire body without just focusing on the symptoms being reported by the individual. Holistic is derived from the Greek word, “Holos” which is translated as “whole”. Modern medicine typically focuses on treating the ailment the individual is suffering without considering all other factors; holistic therapy does the opposite of this as it considers all the other elements.
In holistic therapy, there is a focus on achieving balance with and between the mind, spirit and body. Holistic therapists posit that the individual will not experience optimum health or harmonious well-being until harmony is achieved in these areas. Holistic therapy usually employs natural and non-medical methods in its approach. The treatments typically involve herbal or remedial medicine, but this does not mean that the Holistic Approach always rules out western medication; it sometimes includes it as a complementary technique. Due to this factor, Holistic Therapy is also sometimes considered alternative medicine due to the significant differences between it and conventional medicine.
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Why Holistic Therapy?
Holistic therapy is popular with many individuals in the world as well as the UK. Many individuals consider holistic therapy for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons individuals consider Holistic Therapy is due to the belief that conventional medicine has failed them. Once these individuals exhaust all available options with conventional treatment and see no results or do not experience change as quickly as they would want to, they switch to holistic medicine therapy in hopes that the sources of their illness will be discovered along with any complexities it might come with as well as the necessary treatment that will focus on the whole problem instead of the manifested challenge.
Holistic therapy is typically sought out by individuals who have a chronic illness who feel that taking conventional medication alone fails to address the issue. However, holistic therapy recognises that when it comes to chronic diseases, it could include many other factors that could be possibly psychological as well.
For example, suppose an individual was to visit a holistic therapist with a chronic condition, say, excruciating pain in his right hand. In that case, the holistic therapist will do more a lot more than someone simply practising conventional medicine. Conventional Medicine would probably just treat the symptoms and help the individual manage the condition. Holistic medicine will take a more comprehensive approach and explore actors such as psychological sources of chronic pain. Perhaps the individual suffered trauma or was in a war. The person may have associated the traumatic memories with the pain. Hence, he experiences pain anytime he has memories from those events; this could be the same for someone with a chronic condition Asthma. Holistic Therapy explores all these options to get to the root of the problem and then proposes therapies to help deal with them. These may include psychological ones such as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, massage, and relaxation techniques, among many others.
How Different is Holistic Therapy From Conventional Medicine?
Based on the description of Holistic Therapy so far, it should be clear that holistic therapy is very different from conventional medicine in both approach and goal.
Modern medicine typically employs a reactionary approach to health dealing with the individual’s symptoms, while Holistic Therapy typically adopts a proactive approach. This means that Holistic Therapy will aim at preventing the individual from falling sick in the first place by putting in measures that will promote the well-being of the individual and get to the root cause of the disease and not just treat the symptoms being observed in the individual.
Holistic therapy as a treatment for addiction
Holistic Therapy is used across the world to treat a variety of conditions, including addictions. The treatments are typically personalised to the individual, and they treat both the physical and mental addiction symptoms that the individual might be exhibiting. In addition, holistic Therapy in addiction treatment also treats emotional and nutritional imbalances due to the individual’s addiction.
- In treating addiction cases, holistic therapy seeks to:
- Identify the underlying cause of the addiction
- Help the individual deal with cravings for the addiction
- Help the individual make adjustments that will make them physically fit
- Reduce the appeal of the drug being abused
- Increase the self-worth and self-confidence of the individual
If you are currently with a health condition or struggling with addiction and considering Holistic Therapy or Alternative Medicine, we recommend you call us on 0203 955 7700 for assistance.
What Are The Types of Holistic Therapies for Addiction?
There are different types of Holistic Therapy for treating various ailments and conditions. These include but are not limited to approaches like reflexology, body massage, herbal medicine and aromatherapy.
However, holistic therapy for Addiction is sometimes not administered alone but in combination with other common health techniques. This includes
- Mental Health Counselling
- Medically Assisted Detox
It is believed that the most successful Holistic Therapies for addiction work in conjunction with other conventional health methods or traditional ways of treating addiction.
Some of the Holistic Therapy Approaches to Addiction include the following.
Meditation
Meditation is one of the most popular holistic therapies for addiction treatment. It helps individuals clear their minds of thoughts that are not helpful and focus on therapeutic ones. It allows individuals to achieve mental clarity and stability. When it comes to dealing with addictions, this goes a long way to help the individual become more aware of circumstances and situations that increase or cause their cravings which will go a long way to reducing relapse in an individual who is hoping to overcome an addiction. Guided meditation is crucial when it comes to overcoming addiction and features a prominent part of Holistic Therapy.
Exercise
Body exercise is one of the holistic therapy approaches used for treating addictions. Exercise generally helps individuals relieve stress and become healthier. For individuals undergoing addiction treatment, this is more beneficial as it helps alleviate the withdrawal symptoms that come with trying to walk away from the addiction whilst keeping them strong physically. This can be combined with meditation which yields more significant results.
Yoga is one of the few physical activities that combines both exercise and meditation. As a result, it has proven potent in breaking addiction cycles.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is no doubt one of the most well-known Holistic Therapy approaches. This approach uses needles to stimulate various body parts to restore balance to the body after extended substance abuse. It is known to help individuals who have abused drugs such as opioids. There are two types, that is, body acupuncture and ear (auricular acupuncture). Auricular acupuncture, unlike body acupuncture, focuses on just the ear and is an excellent alternative for individuals who are anxious about having needles inserted into their whole body. Both methods help purge the body of toxins and stimulate the body’s natural endorphins, which fight cravings, reduce relapses, treat anxiety, and improve the individual’s mood.
Nutrition
Nutrition is critical when breaking free from an addiction or when in the recovery phase. Individuals must be guided on what to eat and what not to eat to help make the most out of it. Unfortunately, it is one of the most overlooked aspects of personal.
Art Therapy
This type of therapy serves as a healthy outlet for expressing underlying emotions that may surround the individual’s addiction. It will also keep the individual busy enough to prevent them from engaging the addictive behaviour or substance. This includes the use of writing, painting, music, crafts and other forms of art.
Note: Not all of these approaches have been accepted by scientists and other health professionals. Some health professionals view the therapeutic effects of Holistic Therapy as simply being a placebo effect. The results of Holistic Therapy, however, typically prove otherwise.
Should You Use Holistic Therapy?
This is a question that’s dependent on a variety of factors such as:
- What condition or addiction you are challenged with
- The availability of Registered Centers with Licensed Holistic Therapists near your location
- How long you have had the challenge
- What your Medical Doctor or Physician says about it.
If you are currently with a health condition or struggling with addiction and considering Holistic Therapy or Alternative Medicine, we recommend you call us on 0203 955 7700 for assistance.
Conclusion
Holistic Therapy has its benefits; however, you would want to make an informed decision when considering it, especially for addiction cases. In addition, you will want to make sure that whatever institution you choose for treatment is well resourced to assist you. Therefore, we insist that you call us on 0203 955 7700 for assistance; a group of well trained and experienced advisors will be on standby to help you.
Holistic Therapy has a focus on achieving balance with and between the mind, spirit and body. Holistic therapists posit that the individual will not experience optimum health or harmonious well-being until harmony is achieved in these areas. Therefore, holistic therapy usually employs natural and non-medical methods in its approach.
About Author
Nicholas Conn
Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He is the founder and CEO of a drug and alcohol rehab center called Help4addiction, which was founded in 2015. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.
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