Stabilization

Stabilization

When clients come to us with depression, anxiety, panic, or addictions, the first challenge of treatment is to achieve stabilization. Though interventions such as monitoring, medication, and detoxification signify the first steps in achieving psychological peace, perceptual changes are often necessary in order to stabilize clients for the long term. At Avalon Malibu, our clinical staff works closely with clients to achieve an even-keeled emotional state through the practice of mindful awareness. As clients learn to accept and detach from negative emotions and cognitions simultaneously, they begin to approach outlooks, assumptions, and fears without judgment. This nonjudgmental consciousness wakes the psyche, allowing clients to focus on the experience of reality instead of perceptions distorted by substances.

Whether fueled by trauma, neurochemistry, or unhealed emotional wounds, psychological distress often creates strong emotions. In some cases, the human need to attribute, analyze, and categorize feelings and experiences can lead to unhelpful thoughts and overpowering emotions. By directing focus toward somatic experiences, mindfulness allows individuals to achieve heightened awareness of thoughts and sensations without the need for over-identification. Scientific studies have shown that mindfulness therapy can prove highly effective at lowering symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as preventing both psychological and addictive relapse.