Treatment centers are frequently criticized for offering “luxury” treatments like massage therapy to their clients who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Massage is a healing therapy and treatment modality. Going to treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is about more than simply learning how to quit using drugs and alcohol. It is meant to be a time for healing, mind, body, and spirit. Most people are unaware of the fact that drug and alcohol addiction lives in the body as much as it does the mind. Harmful substances are harmful to the body inside and out. Massage therapy provides a therapeutic healing touch which is soothing and deeply relaxing. Above all else, recovery is a form of stress management. Massage therapy helps clients reduce their stress and learn to relax, which helps them not produce symptoms of craving. Feeling connected to healing human energy, massage work can help to break up toxins in the body, release stored up emotional energy, improve overall health, and create deep relaxation.
Massage therapy releases emotional energy which can reduce the effects of depression and anxiety: Eastern forms of therapeutic treatment like massage believe that emotion is energy and that emotional energy is stored in the body when it is not properly released. A body that is tight and tense can create blockages where the emotions cannot get out. For the therapeutic healing process, massage therapy can serve as an aide to emotional release and processing, which is often a challenge for addicts and alcoholics.
Massage therapy increases the production of dopamine and serotonin while it decreases adrenaline and cortisol: Dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters in the brain which act as chemical messengers to other parts of the brain. Communicating pleasure and happiness, the stimulation of these hormones help the brain balance out the deficit of dopamine and serotonin caused by drug and alcohol addiction. In addition, the increase of dopamine and serotonin production can help reduce the adrenaline and cortisol in the body, which are stress hormones.
Holistic healing is one of our focuses at Avalon By The Sea. Our treatment programs are designed to improve the wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Providing primary care for both mental health and substance abuse disorders, our residential treatment programs offer premium care for dual diagnosis issues. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs for holistic healing, call us now: 888-958-7511
