Holistic Healing for Addiction

Holistic Healing

Holistic healing is the practice of harmonizing the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual planes of yourself. The mystic arts are the equalizers for those suffering from physical and mental unrest, because to practice holistic healing the only catalyst needed is you. Accessible to all willing to remain open, embracing the philosophies and principals of holistic arts, is to take responsibility for the energy you project into the world.

Holistic healing emphasizes the unity of body, mind, and spirit. Although we are bombarded by the concept in the revitalization of new age, and holistic healing practices, many forgo to impart the essential principals which make the marriage of these principals tangible. It is not enough to participate ritualistically and expect change to occur, almost through osmosis. For holistic healing to be truly effective, one must embrace the psychological aspect of the practices.

The power to change is inside of you. What we assume to be effective on the outside, whether it is by means of therapy, crystal healing, or meditation, are simply catalysts to mobilize the indwelling of your spirit to take action against the haunts running amuck underneath the surface. It is not the mere presence of an outside force which induces change, it is the shift of your personal attitudes and feelings towards the situation at hand.

Addiction cannot be eliminated from merely superficial or outward resolution (such as the attendance of therapy with the absence of conflict resolution). The disease is only abated when the mind is mended, or given an alternative means of expression. Addiction is the symptom of a problem, it is not the problem. Although this may seem counterintuitive, to truly treat addiction we must first address the causes of it.

It is never enough to point fingers at addiction and rest blame at its feet, we must continually endeavor to uncover why it has been allowed to manifest, and combat scourges found without hesitation. Holistic healing gives us the ability to travel inwards and explore, identify, confront, and begin to heal the causes of substance use disorders. Similarly to cognitive behavioral therapy, the pinnacle of addiction treatment, holistic healing, practiced with full cognitive engagement and emotional sensitivity, will allow you to re-wire your mind to express yourself in alternative means, and to banish the crutches of addiction altogether.

The urgency of treating addiction stems from the medical state of emergency the condition precipitates. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) asserts more than 16,000 overdoses in 2013 resulted from opiate prescription drug abuse alone. Substance use disorders left untreated cause permanent physical and psychological damage. Addiction spurs immediacy, as the consequences of the disorder are dire, creating a second tier of dread unique to substance abuse. It is within this spectrum of thought the underlying causes of the disease can be cast aside in favor of merely treating the outward signs of the disease: overdose, the development of medical conditions, psychological deterioration, and lifestyle degradation (homelessness, divorce, etc.). The dangers of succumbing to the mortality of addiction force us to skim the surface of recovery for immediate liberation. But it is not enough alone.

Holistic healing allows you, and your loved ones, to take arms against the brambles of addiction from the core of your existence, and purge the psychological, emotional, and mental throes of the disease. It is less concerned with the physical aspects of the disorder- yet despite this, the physical body is an integral part of the healing process. But not in the context we would normally expect. Instead of the body serving as the vessel to carry us along in life, holistic healing reminds us to revere each limb as our connection to our inner selves. Without understanding and balancing the physical body, one cannot achieve harmony, nor truly master the fate of himself. Alternative medicine reminds us to employ the use of our entire selves to entreat true change, cementing the tactics of its practice into the physical realm, and not merely in the intangible sphere of the mind.