Using Creative Therapy to Help Patients Achieve Sobriety

Even if your patient is in recovery, it may be challenging for them to describe addiction’s effect on their life. When struggling with addiction and throughout recovery, there is often a range of emotions flowing through their brain telling them to acquire more drugs, even though they know drugs are harmful to their life. Luckily, there are many creative therapies that a center for alcohol and drug treatment can offer to help your patient find healing from addiction.

Creative therapy practices involve using the body or hands to allow an individual to communicate thoughts and feelings that are hard to vocalize. These forms of therapy can help patients understand and reconnect with themselves. Your patient may be uncomfortable starting creative therapy, but creative therapy is all about getting the individual out of their comfort zone. 

Your patient being able to express themself through art therapy is a beneficial way to decrease denial about addiction, increase motivation, and provide a safe outlet for troubling emotions. Drug and alcohol inpatient treatment at Hawaii Island Recovery incorporates art therapy as part of patients’ daily schedules. During these sessions, an individual will meet with an art therapist. Art therapists specialize in using art as a medium for recovery. Your patient’s art therapist will guide them in exploring their underlying emotions, memories, or experiences through creative outlets. 

Whether an individual uses paint or colored pencils, art can allow them to communicate their feelings in ways that may not manifest through talk therapy. For example, a patient could paint their emotions using any color. Once they look at their artwork, they will discover something about themselves that they might not know. 

Music therapy is another beneficial form of creative therapy your patient can incorporate into their treatment plan. Not only will music therapy help them focus on their recovery, but it can be a great distraction when they experience a craving. Music therapy can also help individuals forget about daily stressors. Just like art therapy, an individual does not have to be musically talented to participate. It is all about pouring their emotions into an instrument or what they hear. 

Hawaii Island Recovery offers methods like active listening, where patients listen to music and discuss the emotions behind it. There are also songwriting sessions to write a song describing a memory or how the individual may be feeling in the moment. These activities can help patients express their emotions in healthy ways without using drugs or alcohol to hide behind them.

As babies, the first thing we learn before talking is learning how to walk. Our ability to move has been the first language that we develop that symbolizes growth. The same can be said with movement therapy, where your patient can learn to express themself through dance. A therapist will encourage patients to express their emotions through movements to assess their body language, non-verbal expressions, and emotional behaviors. A therapist could play patients music and have them move to it based on how they are feeling. With more treatment to follow, their movement and connection with their body will increase.

Poetry is a terrific way to process difficult emotions. Such emotions may relate to what caused your patient to use drugs or alcohol to cope with painful feelings. Poetry therapy can teach individuals about embracing their emotions, either by reading poetry or writing poems of their own. Poetry can be an excellent way for your patient to understand their feelings and pour their emotions out on paper instead of using drugs. 

Even if creativity is not someone’s strong suit, art therapy may be what your patient needs to incorporate into their treatment regimen. Ensure your patient they should not worry if one form of creative therapy does not work for them. There are many creative ways they can learn to express themself, and Hawaii Island Recovery can create a personalized schedule for a successful recovery. 

There is a reason why we need to tap into the left and right sides of the brain. Hawaii Island Recovery, one of the leading rehab centers in Hawaii, can teach your patient that the left side of their brain is important in recovery when it comes to logic and reasoning. Alternatively, the right side of their brain can help them explore their creative side. Through art, music, poetry, and dance, creative therapy can help your patient discover emotions they did not know they had and help them embrace those feelings. The goal is not to become an artist but a creative person who can manage sobriety. Pursuing creative outlets can introduce your patient to new interests that will fill the void left behind by their substance use. Hawaii Island Recovery provides individualized and group therapy sessions, creative therapy, holistic services, and conventional practices. To find out how we can help your struggling patient, call (866) 390-5070.