Addiction comes with a slew of psychological symptoms. And even after you achieve sobriety, you’d still have to fight the same mental challenges to overcome cravings and temptations. One way to do so is to immerse yourself in guided meditation for addiction recovery.
Although meditation itself doesn’t replace the medical aspect of your treatment, it’s still a huge part of your holistic rehabilitation. After all, meditation has been proven effective, not only in the treatment of substance use disorder but also in handling a wide range of mental health disorders.
With the help of our specialists, we’ll discuss here how meditation helps with addiction and why it should be part of your recovery.
How meditation for addiction recovery helps
Meditation and mindfulness are powerful techniques for alleviating anxiety. And in our inpatient rehab center, it plays a huge role in our client’s recovery from substance use disorder or SUD.
Through mindfulness addiction recovery, our goal is to help synchronize the mind and body to focus on relaxation. It’s also a great way for you to disengage from others and find your center whenever cravings occur.
But beyond the crossed-legged posture and slow breathing, meditation is very effective in preventing relapse. A 2018 review published at the National Library of Medicine showed that meditation has therapeutic benefits that help individuals fight cravings.
Aside from that, here’s how guided meditation for alcohol addiction and drug abuse helps our clients:
- Reduced the symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Improved mood and behavior
- Better concentration and attention
- Emotional stability and control
- Improved academic and work performance
- Reduced Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms (PAWS)
- Better fatigue management
- Stronger resolve against temptations
Types of addiction meditation you can practice
At our addiction treatment center, we teach our clients the most effective meditation techniques that they can do even after they finish our program. Here are some of the methods that you can learn with the help of our specialists:
Mindfulness meditation
With mindfulness meditation, we teach our clients to pay attention to the present. This way, they can observe their thoughts and emotions instead of ruminating about their past where addiction took place.
Through mindfulness and addiction recovery, you can be more aware of your triggers and cravings. This will help you overcome such temptations instead of acting on them. Overall, practicing mindfulness meditation can help you reduce the power of your addictive urges to sustain your sober life.
Zen meditation
Also known as Zazen, Zen meditation is a popular form of meditation for recovery, thanks to its amazing benefits. This practice focuses on your breath, so you can allow thoughts to come and go.
Overall, Zen meditation can help you detach and accept thoughts and addiction-related behaviors. It’s a good way for you to develop calmness, especially when you’re exposed to triggers like stressful situations or the presence of substances.
Transcendental meditation
Transcendental meditation is an interesting part of meditation and recovery. Unlike other meditation techniques where you remain quiet, the transcendental method includes repeating a mantra with eyes closed to center your mind.
Most of the time, each session lasts for about 20 minutes, which you can do twice a day in the comfort of your home. This is a great way to relieve stress and control your emotions. Also, many of our clients find deep relaxation when practicing this meditation as part of our rehab program.
Guided meditation
If you prefer having company in your recovery and meditation, you might thrive with the guided meditation technique. With this method, our meditation specialist will lead your session through visualization or themes that you need to focus on.
Overall, this is very helpful for our clients who are new to meditation and those who struggle with self-guided practice. And with the addition of visualization techniques, you’ll find it easier to stick to the flow of the session.
Breath awareness
Breath awareness is exactly what it’s called – it focuses on breathing rhythm, including every inhale and exhale. This is very effective as part of our program for meditation and alcoholism as well as drug use.
Focusing on your breathing can be a great way to overcome cravings and stress. Also, it will help you stay centered and in control when anxiety or symptoms of other mental health conditions kick in.
Sound meditation
Another method we teach in our Los Angeles rehab center is sound meditation. For this, we use auditory stimuli with guided soundtracks, singing bowls, and gongs to promote a meditative state.
The goal of this technique is to help you relax and de-stress, so you’ll be less likely to relapse. It’s also an immersive experience where you’ll be led by our meditation specialist throughout each session.
Practical tips for meditation and addiction
Meditation for alcohol abuse or drug use is part of every effective treatment. And if you want to reap the most benefits out of this coping technique, here are some of the practical tips you can observe:
1. Stay consistent
You’ll enjoy the benefits of meditation if you practice it regularly. Showing up on the mat on a routine basis is already a huge achievement if you’re in alcohol or drug rehab.
We recommend setting a specific time and day to meditate, so you can develop it into a habit. Take note that it doesn’t always have to be very lengthy – even a few minutes per session done consistently can do wonders on your mental health.
2. Set realistic expectations
Even Buddha took 49 days of meditation to reach enlightenment. With that said, don’t beat yourself up too much if you’re not getting immediate relief from your meditation classes.
Be patient and focus more on consistency – before you know it, you’re already lost in your calm and relaxed mind.
Overall, you should understand that meditation itself is a journey as much as your addiction recovery is. If you think you’re not making any progress, you can always reach out for help in our inpatient rehab in Los Angeles. Our therapists and counselors will teach you the right methods so you can enjoy your meditation sessions even more.
3. Explore different types of meditation
Meditating isn’t just about sitting in silence. If you find silence triggering or uncomfortable, you can sign up for other meditation techniques, such as sound meditation or transcendental meditation.
At LA Wellness Home, we understand that each of our clients are different. This is why we offer various modalities when it comes to helping them achieve mindfulness and recovery. And if you want to learn more about the different types of meditation, you can contact us, and we’ll set a consultation with you.
4. Focus on what feels comfortable for you
Many of our clients tend to overthink the techniques the first time they try to meditate. Take note that there’s no rule in meditation and there’s definitely no ‘single’ right way to do it.
With that said, we always tell our clients to focus on what they feel comfortable and natural for them. For example, some might feel comfortable meditating alone while you might feel more secure having someone guiding your session.
And guess what? Both work in helping you recover from substance use disorder! Feel free to start small and then work your way up as you get more comfortable with your meditation routine.
5. Find a comfortable space
It’s very important to have a safe and comfortable space where you can rest your mind and meditate. It can be your favorite outdoor spot or a room where you feel the most relaxed.
However, if your current living situation doesn’t support a healthy headspace for addiction recovery, you should consider enrolling in an inpatient facility like LA Wellness Home.
In our luxurious facility in Los Angeles, you’ll have a quiet and nurturing environment not only for meditating but for addiction rehab as a whole. During your stay in our facility, you can distance yourself from your triggers, and you’ll be surrounded by supportive specialists who will guide you on your meditation journey.
6. Add technology to your routine
Although some prefer staying away from your electronic devices during meditation, it can still be a useful tool for your routine.
For example, you can download meditation apps with structured programs that you can easily follow without an actual teacher. You can also enroll in a virtual meditation class where you’ll have one-on-one sessions with a meditation guide via Zoom or other online platforms.
Aside from that, you can also wear devices to monitor your heart rate. There are also many wearables nowadays with built-in breathing exercises, which you can incorporate into your meditation.
Remember: meditation is best paired with a holistic addiction treatment
As addiction specialists, we can’t stress enough how effective meditation is in promoting sobriety. However, it’s only one of the many aspects of your journey to recovery. For you to enjoy the long-term benefits of meditation, you should also pair it with a holistic addiction treatment program.
Here at LA Wellness Home, we offer personalized programs that target addiction right at its roots. From our medical detox to therapy, counseling, and more, we design our programs to help you achieve sobriety and sustain it once you leave our facility. Our goal is to help each of our clients lead a clean, healthy, and positive life once they have successfully overcome addiction.
If you want to learn more about meditation and recovery from addiction, feel free to contact us today! We have a 24/7 helpline where you can reach out to our specialists for assistance. We also provide transportation assistance so you can receive holistic addiction treatment wherever you are in the US.
