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Experiential Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Fountain Hills Recovery is a leading source for experiential therapy services in Arizona, providing those struggling with addiction and mental health issues such as yourself an opportunity to find wellness. With our help as one of the area’s top treatment companies, you can overcome your obstacles through holistic therapies and achieve a life worth living again.
For those who have trouble expressing themselves verbally, alternative forms of therapy like Art Therapy, Music Therapy, or other experiential therapies, are a great way to get in touch with their emotions, express their feelings, and sort out their thoughts.
Experiential Therapy, in particular, has worked wonders for patients who do not respond well to talk-based methods. By participating in activities such as role-playing, the patient can re-experience past situations and re-process them under the therapist’s guidance and supervision.
Experiential Therapy Can Heal Your Emotional Wounds
Experiential therapy has shown excellent results in treating patients who need help with substance abuse but also suffer from a co-occurring disorder like compulsive behavior, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, stress and anger management, and various other types of behavior disorders.
Experiential therapy can take many shapes and forms, but the goal is always to help patients release strong emotions and work through built-up frustration.
Thanks to the unique location of Fountain Hills Recovery, there are an infinite number of scenarios and ways to participate in this type of alternative therapy. For instance, some patients might want to try out acting — we can create an improvised outdoor stage for them to play out different scenarios. Some patients might choose to act out a famous play from a well-known playwright while others prefer to do a re-enactment of a past event from their own life. They see this type of therapy as a unique opportunity for them to tell their story to the audience and the therapist from an acting point of view.
Experiential family therapy combined with empirically validated treatment methods can form a strong recovery program that can put the patient on the right path to reaching sobriety.
Some of the most notable benefits of experiential therapy include:
- Expressing emotion through nonverbal methods
- Becoming more self-aware
- Identifying obstacles and overcoming them
- Re-processing thoughts
- Clearing your mind
- Freeing yourself of the feeling of being stuck
For those who cannot find the words to say how they feel or what they think, Experiential therapy can be an essential part of their recovery process and a step towards their goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has experiential therapy been used?
This approach has been used by therapists in a variety of environments since the 1970s. In the decades since, it has become recognized as an effective solution for many people struggling with addiction and other mental health concerns.
How does experiential therapy help recovery from substance abuse issues?
Experiential treatment is based on the idea that addiction is rooted in patterns of behavior and emotional influences. These are often deep-seated issues that are hard to identify through traditional talk therapy. By re-enacting scenarios in which you have struggled to resist the temptation of drug or alcohol use, you and your therapist can recognize the patterns that lead to self-destructive actions and deal with them in a safe, controlled setting.
What are the benefits of experiential therapy?
One of the primary advantages of this approach is that it gives you an outlet for releasing negative emotions in a constructive way. By confronting your emotions and traumatic memories in a supportive environment under the watch of our experiential therapists, you can get to the root of your issues and process the guilt or embarrassment that may have been preventing you from taking positive steps. Because it isn’t centered entirely on talking, it also has the potential to uncover underlying causes for your issues that may be lurking in your mind on a subconscious level.
Who can benefit from experiential therapy?
This form of therapy can be effective for those suffering from a wide range of mental health concerns. These include eating disorders, PTSD, depression, anger control issues and obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you or someone you love has difficulty with any of these, our professional experiential therapists may be able to help.
What is the difference between experiential therapy and traditional therapy?
At the core of experiential therapy is the idea that participating in hands-on activities can help unlock emotions and encourage you to explore them in ways talk-based therapy may not. Whether through role-playing, creating art or participating in outdoor athletic activities, this methodology emphasizes alternative ways of discovering and confronting emotions that go beyond the traditional back-and-forth exchange of questions and answers. If you want to find out more about how our clinic can help you or if you want to talk to an addiction specialist, call our helpline, and our dedicated staff members will gladly assist you. You are not alone, and our local experts can help you find the path to a better life.
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