We’ve all heard innumerable references to the “mind, body, soul and spirit.” If you’ve ever sought a holistic approach to health and wellness, you’ve surely come across this phrase. To a certain extent, we know that this describes the different aspects of a human being, but when we stop to think about it, do we know the meaning of mind, body, soul and spirit connection?
What Is the Mind, Body, Soul and Spirit Connection in Addiction Treatment?
What this means — and how it relates to the processes involved in both addiction and recovery — is that anything that affects one of these areas, in turn, affects the others. A disease that affects your body will also affect your mind, soul and spirit. We are whole, and each of our parts, while they may seem unrelated, are intimately connected.
Holistic addiction and trauma treatment is based on that very knowledge — that lasting recovery can only occur when you address your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. While conventional treatment centers are often fragmented in their approach, focusing primarily on the mind and peripherally on the body, holistic treatment is designed to address the root cause of the addiction, support complete healing and restore balance to your whole being.
In The Sanctuary at Sedona’s treatment program, we combine traditional methods with complementary therapies to comprehensively address issues in all the areas of your life — physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social.
How Addiction Affects the Body, Mind and Soul
At The Sanctuary, we focus our addiction recovery program on all areas of the human system — the body, mind, soul and spirit. Below are some ways addiction can affect these areas and how we encourage healing through mind-body connection.
The Body
The body is the physical element of the human form. It contains nearly 50 trillion cells that communicate, interact and organize to form our bones, organs, tissues and nerves. The body expresses itself in the language of matter, atoms, particles and molecules.
Substance misuse can affect the body in various ways, weakening the immune system and overall functioning ability. Issues like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and many other conditions can affect the organs. Alcohol or drug use can cause long-term effects that often take years to recover from.
At The Sanctuary at Sedona, we extend beyond the traditional 12-step model for addiction recovery. Research has shown various alternatives in treatment programs with non-12-step, holistic healing approaches for addiction.
The nature of these programs varies widely, providing different interpretations of holistic treatment and how they apply to a 30-day residential treatment program setting. For the past decade, The Sanctuary has been a leader in both alternative holistic addiction treatments and non-12-step approaches.
We believe in addressing the body, mind, soul and spirit for lasting recovery. Addiction isn’t just a disease of the brain — it impacts the entire human system. However, integrative holistic treatment involves more than alternative healing methods like meditation or yoga in a 12-step program.
Likewise, it isn’t merely identifying the root cause of addiction and providing a limited scope of programs like cognitive-behavioral and talk therapy. Science-based holistic treatment requires devoting equal attention to the whole person — body, mind, soul and spirit.
We’ve refined our comprehensive program over time, showing much success for our clients. The elements of our integrative addiction recovery program include:
- Over 160 clinical treatment hours heavily focused on individual treatment.
- A 3:1 staff-to-client ratio.
- On-site program directors and senior staff who interact with residents daily.
- Psychiatric consultation and evaluation with a board-certified psychiatrist and medical doctor specializing in functional medicine.
- A holistic nutrition program with locally sourced gluten- and dairy-free organic gourmet meals and snacks.
- A brain detoxification and repair protocol.
- Brain mapping and other tools with measurable results.
The Mind
Our minds are the mental and emotional aspects of ourselves. They process thoughts, ideas, feelings and emotions. The mind is consciousness, memory and imagination.
Our minds govern both conscious and unconscious thoughts and functions. They process our emotions, allow us to imagine and dream, and store our memories. They also play a significant role in substance addiction.
Your brain contains a high number of neurotransmitters that deliver signals between cells. Substance use can alter this brain chemistry, affecting thought patterns and behaviors. It can result in intense drug or alcohol cravings and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. Full addiction recovery involves healing the mind as well as the body.
Because trauma and addiction closely correlate with parts of the brain we aren’t consciously aware of, total mind healing involves clearing it from the subconscious. At The Sanctuary at Sedona, we implement an integrative, non-12-step addiction treatment program with multiple mind-based interventions.
You’ll learn to identify destructive thoughts and behaviors while staying on our beautiful, secluded campus. Over time, you can become aware of these harmful patterns, addressing your addiction in all areas of your mind. Our experienced team can help relieve your stress with therapies like meditation training, individual and group counseling, energy psychology and brain supplement protocol. We want to support your mind’s healing process in the most effective way possible.
We also encourage brain detoxification as part of this program. This process involves increasing the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that grows new neurons. Growing new brain cells replaces damaged ones. Practices like exercise, intermittent fasting, yoga and meditation can help increase BDNF.
The Soul
Our souls are the non-physical aspect of ourselves — our personal, individual expression of the divine. They’re the part of us that longs to have meaning and seeks answers to the great questions — Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? The soul is eternal, and it communicates in the language of creative expressions like music, art and poetry.
Our soul transformation program focuses on internal reference points. Your soul intimately connects to your heart, thriving on love, connection and authentic expression. Trauma or addiction can cause you to fragment — losing connection to parts of yourself. Our transformation program aims to help you rediscover and reintegrate those lost pieces of your soul, healing past wounds while tapping into new gifts and strengths.
The Spirit
The spirit is the driving force within everything. Some may describe the spirit as God or Creator. It is the indescribable organizing principle of the universe.
Addiction can stimulate disruptive energy patterns that cause issues in other systematic areas. Our modern non-12-step addiction recovery program includes numerous therapies that aim to reconnect you with your internal energy. That way, you can use it as a powerful tool in your recovery. Learn more about how we heal the spirit in addiction recovery.
Holistic Practices Focused on Healing
We use a variety of holistic approaches for addiction healing, including the ones below.
Yoga Therapy
Yoga can enhance physical and mental well-being for people of various experience levels. Our specialists can guide you through targeted breathing exercises and poses to improve mental and physical health, reduce stress and anxiety and increase flexibility. Common yoga practices include breathing and relaxation techniques, postures and meditation.
Mindfulness Meditation Therapy
Mindfulness meditation therapy trains the brain to concentrate on the present instead of the past. A therapist will help you focus on breathing and how you feel in the moment. Through these sessions, you can learn new coping mechanisms to help you in real-world situations and prevent relapse.
Music Therapy
Music can help those struggling with addiction self-regulate their emotions, positively affecting the body, mind and spirit. Our music therapy program lets you choose musical sessions based on your cognitive and emotional support needs. Music therapy can encompass a range of activities including listening to music, songwriting, singing, dancing and playing instruments.
You can complete music therapy individually or in a group without requiring a musical background. Our music therapists use an interactive, goal-oriented approach to address addiction challenges.
Integrating All Parts of the Self in Holistic Addiction Recovery
The mind, body, soul and spirit collectively define human existence. When we don’t holistically address our suffering, we miss the very connection that allows us to reach our true potential for wellness and vitality. And if we don’t take the entirety of our being into consideration during treatment, all the work we’re doing will only serve to alleviate symptoms of addiction and mental illness without addressing their root cause.
At The Sanctuary at Sedona, our integrative recovery approach addresses the multiple aspects of the mind, body, soul and spirit to help you recover from addictions and trauma. If you would like more information about any of our holistic non-12-step addiction recovery programs, you can call us at 877-710-3385 or submit a contact form.
He is the Founder, Administrator, Counselor at the Sanctuary at Sedona. He has a BA in Political Science and is currently Senior teaching staff at Four Winds Society, an international school of energy medicine. His credentials also include being an Ordained Minister; a Certified Shamanic Breathwork® Facilitator; a Founding Member Society for Shamanic Practitioners; a Member of Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology; a Member of the National Institute for Holistic Addiction Studies. [email protected]