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WHAT IS DEPRESSION AND WHY HAS IT BECOME SO PERVASIVE?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a condition marked by sadness and a loss of interest in activities that a person once enjoyed. Clinical depression tends to differ from normal sadness in that it is more permanent, and may linger independent of any specific trigger or event. People with depression may experience a general low mood or periods of lethargy, disinterest, low self-esteem, changes in sleeping, eating and lifestyle, and/or sadness that last days, weeks or months.

It’s hard to say with certainty why depression seems to be so pervasive in modern society, but probably it is a combination of factors. One, quite simply, is the existence of the diagnosis, “depression,” and the tendency of psychological and medical professionals to apply diagnoses like depression to psychological/life issues, along with the widespread desire people have to reach for a pharmaceutical solution — the “quick fix,” as they say.

Widespread depression may also be a function of a society that emphasizes individual competition over family, community and spirituality. Rather than feeling part of some larger purpose, modern individuals increasingly feel alienated, aimless and negatively self-obsessed within a large and complicated world that lacks the more straightforward values, closeness and community support of traditional societies. To some people, modern life may feel like a maze in which they made too many wrong turns or seem perpetually stuck. Of course, while depression may be a societal problem, it is also very much an individual one, with unique and often complex causes within individual cases.

THE ROOT OF DEPRESSION

As western medicine races to treat the symptoms of depression, less is being done in the way of exploring its roots. Thus, while pharmaceutical approaches to depression may alleviate some symptoms, at least temporarily, they do very little — unto themselves — toward actually addressing the underlying problem. In the long run, pharmaceutical solutions may have little or no positive effect, and may even worsen depression by depleting certain neurotransmitters, causing dependency and producing side effects.

HOLISTIC MODEL FOR DEPRESSION

Our approach to depression is multi-pronged. One, we address it on the physical level through natural supplementation, a clean diet and physical exercise. Second, we change our habits — and thereby begin to change our minds. Instead of always reaching for the closest, easiest thing of comfort (but ultimately dissatisfaction) — a cigarette, a cell phone, constant napping, whatever — we encourage people to notice these impulses and, whenever possible, to override them. Simultaneously, we begin to introduce more challenging replacements to these impulses that help to stimulate change, growth and new interests. Beyond that, we initiate a process of self-exploration, using psychotherapy, various body therapies, and medicine plants aimed at deeper self-recognition and new psychic and spiritual openings that bring us to recognize and expand a little beyond the self-entrapment of depression. And all of this we do within the context of a close therapeutic community aimed at nurturing authenticity, social bonds, interpersonal respect and feelings of self-worth.

Tags: addictionrecovery,holistictreatment,drugaddictiontreatment,mexico,psychotherapy,tecnologyaddictiontreatment Source Link: https://inscaperecovery.com/blog/2019/1/28/rehab-for-depression

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Master Plants and Community Therapy

Less than 100 years ago, master plants were a resource reserved only for the cultures in which they were originally used, or for those who had the means and gall to visit remote places where such plants were potentially accessible.

Iboga, botanically known as Tabernanthe Iboga, comes from the Bwiti culture in Gabon, Africa, where it has been used since time immemorial, in rituals where the whole community takes part. This is very different from the rituals of western psychotherapy, where the job involves meetings in an office between two people who do not know each other, where specific roles are established for each one, and where a therapeutic relationship is created in exchange for money.

MODERN PSYCHOTHERAPY IS QUITE MODERN

In our culture, where many people are more isolated and have less community structure than is typically found in traditional human societies, modern psychotherapy may have significant merits. However, it is a rarity in human history as something that began in the industrialized west and has been used for scarcely more than 100 years. Before Sigmund Freud developed the “talking cure” in the late 19th century, the basic dynamics of modern psychotherapy had no documented history of use whatsoever.

In Gabon’s culture of Iboga, by contrast, both mental and soul problems are understood as problems of group mismatch, and the solution is obtainable only through work with the whole community.

AYAHUASCA AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

Beginning in the mid-20th century, plant medicines like Iboga and Ayahuasca began to spread outside of their origins and into modern settings. In the 1960’s, American doctor Howard Lotsof accidentally discovered — after recreationally ingesting the plant during his days as a heroin addict — that iboga had the astonishing effect of abating or even eliminating opiate withdrawals. Later, the Chilean-American psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo began using Ibogaine and Ayahuasca in psychotherapy sessions, relating his experiences with these plants in several books including, Ayahuasca: The Creeper Of The Celestial River, and The Healing Journey: New Approaches to Consciousness.

Ibogaine, the medically-used derivative of iboga, produces what is known as a oneirophrenic state, similar to that of a dream. Ibogaine is not a panacea, though it has the potential to significantly reduce the addictive cravings through physical changes and the deep journey of introspection it brings on. To think that the effectiveness of addiction treatment must be complete abstinence is a naive way of understanding addiction. Increasingly, the standard used today relates to the broader quality of life. Though abstinence or level of use may of course be a factor that is considered, a person’s psychopathology usually depends more fundamentally on psychosocial circumstances than on the use of or abstinence from a specific substance. Therefore, a great and important phase of recovery lies not only in the work with the master plant, but in the personal work that follows. And a big part of that work is not only addressing the inner conflicts that lead to substance abuse, but also growing and nurturing social connections.

IBOGAINE RESCUES YOUR SOUL INTACT

To be supported, contained and reinforced in the journey of recovery is decisive. Ibogaine rescues your soul intact, but only you can do the work that remains.

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WHAT IS DEPRESSION AND WHY HAS IT BECOME SO PERVASIVE?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a condition marked by sadness and a loss of interest in activities that a person once enjoyed. Clinical depression tends to differ from normal sadness in that it is more permanent, and may linger independent of any specific trigger or event. People with depression may experience a general low mood or periods of lethargy, disinterest, low self-esteem, changes in sleeping, eating and lifestyle, and/or sadness that last days, weeks or months.

It’s hard to say with certainty why depression seems to be so pervasive in modern society, but probably it is a combination of factors. One, quite simply, is the existence of the diagnosis, “depression,” and the tendency of psychological and medical professionals to apply diagnoses like depression to psychological/life issues, along with the widespread desire people have to reach for a pharmaceutical solution — the “quick fix,” as they say.

Widespread depression may also be a function of a society that emphasizes individual competition over family, community and spirituality. Rather than feeling part of some larger purpose, modern individuals increasingly feel alienated, aimless and negatively self-obsessed within a large and complicated world that lacks the more straightforward values, closeness and community support of traditional societies. To some people, modern life may feel like a maze in which they made too many wrong turns or seem perpetually stuck. Of course, while depression may be a societal problem, it is also very much an individual one, with unique and often complex causes within individual cases.

THE ROOT OF DEPRESSION

As western medicine races to treat the symptoms of depression, less is being done in the way of exploring its roots. Thus, while pharmaceutical approaches to depression may alleviate some symptoms, at least temporarily, they do very little — unto themselves — toward actually addressing the underlying problem. In the long run, pharmaceutical solutions may have little or no positive effect, and may even worsen depression by depleting certain neurotransmitters, causing dependency and producing side effects.

HOLISTIC MODEL FOR DEPRESSION

Our approach to depression is multi-pronged. One, we address it on the physical level through natural supplementation, a clean diet and physical exercise. Second, we change our habits — and thereby begin to change our minds. Instead of always reaching for the closest, easiest thing of comfort (but ultimately dissatisfaction) — a cigarette, a cell phone, constant napping, whatever — we encourage people to notice these impulses and, whenever possible, to override them. Simultaneously, we begin to introduce more challenging replacements to these impulses that help to stimulate change, growth and new interests. Beyond that, we initiate a process of self-exploration, using psychotherapy, various body therapies, and medicine plants aimed at deeper self-recognition and new psychic and spiritual openings that bring us to recognize and expand a little beyond the self-entrapment of depression. And all of this we do within the context of a close therapeutic community aimed at nurturing authenticity, social bonds, interpersonal respect and feelings of self-worth.

Source Link :

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Post-Treatment Outcomes at Inscape

The question of success in addiction treatment is an interesting one, not least because the definition of “success” frequently depends on whom you ask. 

IS REHAB EFFECTIVE?

For recovery centers in the United States, success is commonly defined as 30 days abstinence post-treatment -- often with the aid of substitute drugs like Suboxone and Vivitrol. For some treatment centers, simply completing the program is considered a successful outcome. 

WHAT DOES ‘SUCCESS RATE’ MEAN?

At Inscape Recovery, we recently conducted a survey of former clients that asked questions about their quality-of-life post-treatment. The survey included a range of questions that were designed to go beyond binary measurements of success (simple “yes” or “no” answers), and instead give the question of post-treatment success a greater degree of context and clarity.

This is a survey we plan to continue using with future clients, with the hope that we may one day publish our findings in a more formal context. Our survey, of course, has its own imperfections, but we hope by highlighting what those are, we will avoid the confusion or obfuscation typical of similar reports. For now, here are the results of our recent survey, conducted in March:

RECOVERY CENTER IN MEXICO

Since starting Inscape in November 2018, we have had 17 participants complete the program (not including the four participants in our current cycle).  Of these 17, eight had received ibogaine before coming to Inscape. Out of the 17, two did not respond to the survey, and two others reported being in active addiction after a short period of sobriety.

Of the remaining 13, the results are very promising. Two of them had brief periods of relapse following treatment (one immediately, and the other after about two months of sobriety), but both are reporting improvements in harm-reduction behavior (using less or less harmful substances).  Both have stayed connected to the Inscape program, returning for follow-up care or having online sessions with one of our psychologists. 

The other 11 have maintained abstinence from their drug of choice and other harmful drugs since leaving the program (some of them now for a year or more). All have reported significant increases in their quality of life. Most are only using plant-based medicines in a ceremonial context, and a few use cannabis (a significant harm-reduction from heroin or methamphetamine).  One is currently living in Mexico, one is traveling the world (including a recent stay with the Huni Kuin tribe in Brazil), one is traveling the world promoting a short-film that has received film festival acclaim, one in a transitional living program in Austin, TX.  The rest have returned to their lives, engaged in gainful employment or schooling.  

IBOGAINE FOR ADDICTION

Of the eight participants who took Ibogaine before coming to Inscape, six report that they have remained sober since leaving treatment at Inscape; of the ten participants we’ve had who did not take Ibogaine, five report that they’ve remained sober.

Compared with conventional treatment outcomes, Inscape has seen a remarkable success rate (granted the small sample size thus far) around improved quality of life and the maintenance of abstinence or practice of harm-reduction with conscious-contracting drugs and alcohol. Eleven out seventeen is a 65% success rate, and even two of the "failures" in terms of total abstinence are in a much better place in terms of quality of life and harm-reduction practices. 

DEMONSTRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF IBOGA AFTERCARE

It should be emphasized that this survey is somewhat preliminary and unscientific. It uses a very small sample size, and contains inconsistencies -- for example, some of those interviewed had only been out of treatment two or three months, while others had been out a year or more. Still, the results are very encouraging, and we hope that as we move forward, we will develop an increasingly reliable and sophisticated method for gauging quality-of-life after Inscape compared with pre-treatment.

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Understanding the Impact of Behavioral Addictions on Mental Health and Wellbeing

Experts in behavioral science opine that anything that stimulates an individual can turn addictive and with a habit becoming an obligation it can escalate into an addiction. A host of things including food addiction, internet addiction, sex addiction, video gaming addiction, shopping addiction, and more falls under the umbrella of behavioral addiction. These experts also believe that plenty of differences and similarities are present in diagnostic symptoms between behavioral addiction and drug addiction.

Physical signs are absent in behavioral addiction

Unlike substance addiction, behavioral addictions like gambling addiction, work addiction, and shopping addiction do not present any physical signs but the individuals are likely to suffer the same consequences resulting from alcohol addiction or drug addiction. Some experts also hold the view that behavioral addictions can be reckoned as a controversial concept lying between substance use/impulse control disorders.

A growing trend in behavioral addiction

The proliferation of the internet and mobile telephone has brought immense benefits to mankind across the globe, but it has also brought along another form of addiction that is as dangerous as substance addiction or alcohol addiction. Internet addiction, online gambling addiction, gaming addiction, and pornography addiction are growing in nearly every nook and corner of the world.

How behavioral addiction impacts mental health

Psychiatrists and other mental health experts have seen strong connections between mental health and behavioral addictions. In many instances of behavioral addiction, the subjects gradually suffer the kind of mental illness that people suffer from substance addiction, alcohol addiction, and similar forms of addiction. In the absence of any tell-tale evidence or symptom that a person is suffering from behavioral addiction, it gets extremely difficult for parents or other close relatives to ensure that the individual gets the necessary medical attention.

Managing stress

In many instances, behavioral addiction starts as a means of busting or managing stress such as with video games, and progresses into an addiction. Admittedly, in modern times, most occupations come with a huge load of stress every single day. When people take to over use of the digital offerings to free themselves temporarily from stress, they seldom realize that they are slipping into a more dangerous problem which is a behavioral addiction. Individuals can establish measures to monitor the time they spend in the virtual world to prevent moving gradually to the extremes. Technology addiction treatment center in Mexico can be a huge help for those who need professional help to overcome behavioral addiction.

Conclusion

Behavioral addiction can be equally or more dangerous than substance addiction for the well-being and mental health of individuals.

Tag : addictionrecovery,holistictreatment,drugaddictiontreatment,mexico,psychotherapy,tecnologyaddictiontreatment

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Post-Treatment Outcomes at Inscape

The question of success in addiction treatment is an interesting one, not least because the definition of “success” frequently depends on whom you ask. 

IS REHAB EFFECTIVE?

For recovery centers in the United States, success is commonly defined as 30 days abstinence post-treatment -- often with the aid of substitute drugs like Suboxone and Vivitrol. For some treatment centers, simply completing the program is considered a successful outcome. 

WHAT DOES ‘SUCCESS RATE’ MEAN?

At Inscape Recovery, we recently conducted a survey of former clients that asked questions about their quality-of-life post-treatment. The survey included a range of questions that were designed to go beyond binary measurements of success (simple “yes” or “no” answers), and instead give the question of post-treatment success a greater degree of context and clarity.

This is a survey we plan to continue using with future clients, with the hope that we may one day publish our findings in a more formal context. Our survey, of course, has its own imperfections, but we hope by highlighting what those are, we will avoid the confusion or obfuscation typical of similar reports. For now, here are the results of our recent survey, conducted in March:

RECOVERY CENTER IN MEXICO

Since starting Inscape in November 2018, we have had 17 participants complete the program (not including the four participants in our current cycle).  Of these 17, eight had received ibogaine before coming to Inscape. Out of the 17, two did not respond to the survey, and two others reported being in active addiction after a short period of sobriety.

Of the remaining 13, the results are very promising. Two of them had brief periods of relapse following treatment (one immediately, and the other after about two months of sobriety), but both are reporting improvements in harm-reduction behavior (using less or less harmful substances).  Both have stayed connected to the Inscape program, returning for follow-up care or having online sessions with one of our psychologists. 

The other 11 have maintained abstinence from their drug of choice and other harmful drugs since leaving the program (some of them now for a year or more). All have reported significant increases in their quality of life. Most are only using plant-based medicines in a ceremonial context, and a few use cannabis (a significant harm-reduction from heroin or methamphetamine).  One is currently living in Mexico, one is traveling the world (including a recent stay with the Huni Kuin tribe in Brazil), one is traveling the world promoting a short-film that has received film festival acclaim, one in a transitional living program in Austin, TX.  The rest have returned to their lives, engaged in gainful employment or schooling.  

IBOGAINE FOR ADDICTION

Of the eight participants who took Ibogaine before coming to Inscape, six report that they have remained sober since leaving treatment at Inscape; of the ten participants we’ve had who did not take Ibogaine, five report that they’ve remained sober.

Compared with conventional treatment outcomes, Inscape has seen a remarkable success rate (granted the small sample size thus far) around improved quality of life and the maintenance of abstinence or practice of harm-reduction with conscious-contracting drugs and alcohol. Eleven out seventeen is a 65% success rate, and even two of the "failures" in terms of total abstinence are in a much better place in terms of quality of life and harm-reduction practices. 

DEMONSTRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF IBOGA AFTERCARE

It should be emphasized that this survey is somewhat preliminary and unscientific. It uses a very small sample size, and contains inconsistencies -- for example, some of those interviewed had only been out of treatment two or three months, while others had been out a year or more. Still, the results are very encouraging, and we hope that as we move forward, we will develop an increasingly reliable and sophisticated method for gauging quality-of-life after Inscape compared with pre-treatment.

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The pitfalls of legalizing (and commercializing) entheogens

Ayahuasca and other entheogenic substances have gained widespread interest in the Western world as potential therapeutic agents for healing a wide spectrum of biological, mental, and spiritual diseases. In the United States, psilocybin (the active psychoactive substance in “magic mushrooms”) and MDMA have been given FDA “breakthrough therapy” status for treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, respectively, while ketamine infusion therapies are being used for treatment of PTSD and chronic pain.

IBOGAINE AND AYAHUASCA FOR ADDICTION

Meanwhile, many opiate addicts are seeking reprieve in ibogaine, whose effects include elimination of acute opiate withdrawal symptoms and abatement of post-acute withdrawal symptoms (1). The use of ayahuasca for spiritual growth and to address issues like depression and addiction also continues to rapidly grow, both generally and post-ibogaine.

It is quite ironic that these psychedelic substances — which have been demonized by governments, public policy, and the medical system itself for the last 50 years as dangerous and of no medical utility — are now being investigated for their potential to be wonder treatments for conditions that historically have been largely characterized as untreatable or at best manageable. This should remain at the forefront of anyone’s mind who chooses to use them.

PSYCHEDELIC INTEGRATION

The type of research being done to promote these tools in the biomedical community and to generate interest from pharmaceutical investment does not properly address how the “psychedelic experience” and high entropy brain states that follow are best leveraged through proper psychotherapeutic support and the sustained, individualized effort toward actualizing their healing potential.

In short, the push to place these adjunct therapeutic tools into medical legitimacy seems to be largely funneled into pharmaceutical pre-marketing strategies versus a comprehensive picture of how healing with these substances occurs. Lastly, it seems that the government’s agenda of developing sleek, marketable drugs (FDA “breakthrough status” was given for the compound psilocybin, not the mushrooms that contain psilocybin) will limit their access to those who can afford the treatments versus those who are most in need or those most likely to make use of their benefits.

IMPORTANCE OF AFTERCARE

As potential consumers of these substances, we need to avoid the temptation to identify these compounds as quick-fix medication and look at them as catalyzing agents toward understanding the provenance of our individual “dis-ease.” For many of us, the origins of our individual disease process are directly related to our programmed worldview and prevailing level of self-awareness. The process of integrating, practicing, and utilizing the information gleaned from the entheogenic experience is where the work and the healing begins. Ayahuasca itself does not heal (parasitic illness are an exception); psilocybin itself does not heal.

WE ARE THE 80%

These substances will generally reveal to us where our “illness” is rooted, show us the path to healing, and maybe kick us a little ways down the path. The rest of the healing process depends on our willingness and consistent effort to walk through the resolution of traumas, release stuck energies or emotions, and move toward disentanglement with our perceived illness. In other words, the ingested substance is at best 20% of the solution (I’m not discounting the therapeutic benefit of a profound mystical experience here); we are the remaining 80% of the solution.

As with many of our deepest challenges, adaptive change is only achieved through steady, sustained effort and proper support. If we buy into the pharmaceutical industry marketing of expecting a quick fix or relief of symptoms with minimal to no effort on our part, we will most likely not experience the full capacity for the intrinsic self-healing power that these compounds want us to find.

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The Cultural Significance of Traditional Healing Practices in Rehab for Anxiety and Depression in Mexico

Table of contents

Introduction

Mixed beliefs

First published book

Curing the mind and the body

The Temazcal ceremony

Introduction

Curanderisma is a form of folk healing practiced in rehab centers for anxiety and depression in mexico and this practice blends multiple traditions like Aztec, Mayan, and Spanish Catholics. Curanderas are folk healers who consider that their abilities to heal are more of a spiritual vocation. A wide range of remedies and treatments are used by Curanderas and their knowledge often flows down through generations to families. In modern times, the interest in curanderisma is witnessing a revival not only in Mexico but also in the United States.

Mixed beliefs

The evolution of Curanderisma is traced to a wide range of practices and beliefs like Aztec, Mayan, and Catholic that are in the forefront of the more obvious influences, but there are also other influences like the Cuban Santeria, and Islamic medicine, Greek humeral theory, etc. Within curandera too, there are significant variations as different regions and healers favor practices that they are more comfortable with.

First published book

Martin de la Cruz, the Aztec doctor is credited with producing the first book that details traditional practices in medicine and this publication was only 31 years post the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Nahauti, the Aztec language was used in producing the book labeled The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis and later translated into Latin. The book lists some 251 medicinal herbs that are used commonly by Aztec practitioners.

Curing the mind and the body

In broader terms, curanderisma can be divided into mental and physical variants, though folk healers often emphasize the connection between the spirit or mind and the body. Contemporary curanderisma, however, continues to make extensive use of various herbs for curing physical ailments. In making herbal medicines, plants in their virgin state or mixed together are employed. Onion Garlic and aloe vera find extensive use in their virgin state while snake oil derived from the fat of snake skins and other components derived from animals are also used. Bufo toad medicine containing a powerful psychedelic is also used by some practitioners of curanderisma.

The Temazcal ceremony

The temazcal ceremony is considered a complete and particularly powerful remedy. This is a ritual that uses a stone igloo-shaped structure made of stone into which steam is filled while a shaman pours scented water on the hot volcanic rocks. It is believed that the temazcal ceremony is representative of returning to the womb and serves as a process of cleansing the body of many impurities.

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What Is Addiction?

With the nation’s drug problem attracting huge media attention, and having spent 11 years addicted to opiates myself -- now three years clean -- I’ve increasingly come to consider what addiction is, exactly.

That’s to say, why do people become addicted, or what fundamentally causes it? There are plenty of theories on this complicated subject, and my own perspective continues to evolve.

In Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step groups, addiction is widely accepted as a “disease,” though the term is somewhat ambiguous. AA’s original text describes alcoholism as a three-fold problem: a “physical allergy, mental obsession and spiritual malady.” The word “spiritual” always raises a few eyebrows, and its definition may depend on to whom you’re talking. I’m not sure, however, that modern science has a better word for explaining what addiction represents or might represent. As with other matters of personality, it seems to have, in part, an abstract and mysterious quality that eludes things like questionnaires or brain scans.

There is a debate in recovery communities about whether addiction is in fact a primary “disease” or just the product of life experiences – specifically, traumatic events or circumstances whose emotional toll causes people to seek refuge in drugs or other compulsions. While 12-step philosophy does not clearly weigh in on what specifically causes addiction, it approaches addiction as a nebulous and incurable – though potentially manageable – condition, whereas advocates of the trauma theory, led by Dr. Gabor Maté of Canada, say their more scientific view opens the possibility of reversing addiction by addressing an identifiable origin.

But the trauma theory also raises questions. What exactly qualifies as trauma, and why do only some traumatized people become full-blown addicts? Also, why do certain people seem more vulnerable to traumatization? If one explanation is a natural sensitivity, that could bring us back to seeing addiction as also having hereditary or other more obscure causes.

Of course, there have always been those who view addiction as simply a hedonistic impulse or failure of resolve – fair enough, as far as it goes. Most addicted people start on that road because they are enticed by a long-missing sense of pleasure, comfort or self-confidence that the drug or other stimulus brings on. It’s worth noting that, though we tend to hear mostly horror stories about addiction, it can have a paradoxical upside for people who might otherwise feel maladjusted to the world. Maté argues that addiction is often the best choice that can reasonably be expected of people in the face of extreme emotional hardship.

At the same time -- and now we’re really splitting hairs -- 12-step philosophy holds that neither choice nor individual willpower plays any part in addiction whatsoever. Rather, addicts are inherently “powerless” within their own means against a force that eclipses their conscious will. And it may be that addiction is primarily a brain disorder, or the elaborate work of unconscious forces. But then, maybe everything is.

I suspect that to truly understand what addiction is – for me, at least – I would have to experience what it isn’t. My sense is, despite the extensive self-work I have done in recovery, some of the complicated feelings that gave rise to my addiction are still floating around and manifesting in certain, more subtle, ways. In today’s society, where most everyone is supposedly addicted to something (drugs, internet, work, junk food, extreme exercise, whatever) it’s a quaint idea to think of what being truly unaddicted would entail.

However you think it all germinates, addiction does not appear to be a self-standing condition but an outgrowth of common personality problems like obsessiveness and malaise. Such feelings seem to block psychic expansions like intimacy, engagement and fascination. Instead, our cyclonic thoughts grab us up into the same dull routines, which may feel like the best thing we have going.

With this in mind, considering the question of addiction could be a valuable exercise for anybody, or at least an interesting one. Yet, for people trying to recover from drugs or other problems, it may come down to advice that an old 12-step sponsor told me as an unhappy young philosopher: Recovery is about action. It’s making substantive changes in your life. So tell your intellect I said, “Hello, and you’re not thinking your way outta this one.”

Source : https://inscaperecovery.com/blog/2022/9/15/what-is-addiction

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Healing at Inscape Recovery

I was once in a rehab in California where a counselor -- speaking about the tranquility of our surroundings and the friendly people within -- remarked, “If you’re not happy here, I suggest you take a good long look in the mirror because you’re not gonna find a nicer place than this.” Well, great! I was still miserable.

When deciding on a name for our program, we chose “Inscape” because it describes a person’s internality, or “inner landscape.” What we foster at Inscape Recovery is a deep exploration of that landscape aimed at inner transformation. This seems like the essential point because, while healing from addiction and emotional distress can be assisted by things like body therapies, lifestyle changes, nutrition and, yes, a serene and supportive environment, ultimately any groundbreaking change entails an internal shift in feeling and perspective.

Until this takes place, it doesn’t seem to matter where you are, what you’re doing or whom you’re surrounded by -- the same dominant feelings that drive your life, if not scrupulously addressed, will surface with a vengeance again and again.

ADDICTION IS A SYMPTOM

This is not a new concept, of course. Addiction has long been recognized, by most thoughtful people at least, as merely a symptom of deeper issues. We appear to develop addictions not because we are by nature obsessed with drugs, internet or shopping, but because such things come to seem like the easiest, best (maybe only) way to adjust an internal sense of discontentment or discomfort. At Inscape, we view all emotional healing in this same context: problems such as depression and anxiety, like addiction, are fed by patterns of being that may be temporary coping mechanisms, but which keep us stuck in the same boring states of mind. Creating an internal shift requires uprooting these patterns, little by little, diving at the truth that’s underneath them, and connecting better with who we are when our obsessions aren’t dictating our view of reality.

TAPESTRY OF HEALTHY THINGS

This is not an easy thing to do, of course. I am a former heroin addict who has been doing this work of self-overhaul for three years, and I still sometimes feel the pull of my addictive impulses like an undertow. Despite this, I’ve created a tapestry of healthy things around my addiction that makes my life enjoyable. I have a good social network, I spend a lot of time outdoors and I have a consistent spiritual practice -- something that has not only helped me feel calmer but also, based on how I’ve developed so far, gives me hope of continued progress around my emotions, thoughts and ability to navigate my life in a sensible way. I also have the privilege of a fun job that involves working with people like myself -- people with drug addictions and other seekers who arrive here because, on some level, they feel inspired to try another way. Finally, I continue to do occasional medicine work, a practice that helps me to clarify areas of uncertainty and get a reset to fundamental internal states of curiosity, intentionality and peace.

ALTERNATIVE REHAB

At our alternative rehab, we offer a rich menu of activities to help people see a horizon much broader than any single addiction, compulsion or obsession. This involves physical healing (through diet, exercise and supplementation), psychotherapy, medicine work, classes in things like yoga, horticulture, music and exploring addiction, and the presence of a thereapeutic community that includes the Inscape staff, its participants and, frequently, the surrounding community of Malinalco.

LEARN TO THRIVE

By the time participants are halfway through their program, we are accustomed to seeing an inner change where feelings of vitality, hope and inspiration replace the doldrums. Participants come to feel different -- about their own potential, about the world, about the possibilities out there for living a rich and fulfilling life. They feel the possibility of not just getting by, but thriving.

This is a change that the environment at Inscape helps foster, but which ultimately comes to grow inside the individual -- becoming something they can carry with them, regardless of where in the world they might find themselves. Afterall, wherever you go, there you are.

Source link : https://inscaperecovery.com/blog/2021/8/9/healing-at-inscape-recovery