What is SMART Recovery? SMART Recovery stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. It is a global, non-profit organization that offers support and resources for individuals seeking to overcome addiction and addictive behaviors. SMART Recovery is an alternative to traditional 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and it is based on a different set of principles and methods.
Self-Empowerment with SMART Recovery
SMART Recovery emphasizes self-empowerment, encouraging individuals to take control of their recovery journey. The program believes that individuals have the ability to make positive changes in their lives.
SMART Recovery’s Scientific and Evidence-Based Approach
SMART Recovery uses evidence-based techniques and principles from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other therapeutic modalities. It incorporates tools and strategies that have been studied and shown to be effective in addressing addiction.
SMART Recovery is structured around a four-point system:
Building and Maintaining Motivation: Participants learn how to enhance their motivation to change and set achievable goals.
Coping with Urges: Techniques for managing and coping with cravings and urges are taught.
Managing Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors: The program provides tools for identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors.
Living a Balanced Life: SMART Recovery promotes the development of a balanced and healthy lifestyle that supports long-term recovery.
The relationship between interpersonal violence or trauma and the development of a substance use disorder is complex. Drug and alcohol abuse have a clinically significant correlation with exposure to past trauma, as well as the development of PTSD. Often, substance abuse begins as a subconscious attempt to self-medicate the emotional distress caused by traumatic past experiences.
SMART Recovery can be used as part of a personalized drug and alcohol abuse treatment plan to help individuals with substance use disorders set the foundation for a lasting recovery. The purpose of this type of treatment is to help reclaim a positive sense of self, heal attachment wounds, and reframe distressing memories with empowering new endings. It’s a compassionate, whole-person approach with lasting results.
Trauma-informed care seeks to understand a patient’s unresolved trauma and how it is related to issues such as addiction, depression, and anxiety. Trauma can refer to issues that were one-time occurrences, such as being the victim of a natural disaster or a crime, as well as suffering prolonged trauma due to domestic violence, child abuse, or military combat exposure.
Hypnosis is a gentle and effective evidence-based tool to heal trauma while addressing a patient’s unique spiritual, cultural, and personal needs. It is often used alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), or other forms of addiction counseling.
The general public often views hypnosis through the lens of what they’ve seen in magic shows on TV, but SMART Recovery is not a parlor trick. A hypnotherapist uses focused attention, guided relaxation, and intense concentration to achieve a heightened state of awareness. This state is referred to as a trance.
While someone is in a trance, external influences around them are blocked out or ignored. A trained therapist uses this trance to guide the person’s attention to focus on specific thoughts or tasks related to the goals of the session. This can include looking at why the person began turning to substance use or exploring what ways they could cope with unpleasant emotions instead of using drugs or alcohol.
Anyone can be hypnotized, although some people are much more susceptible to suggestion than others. People who are very resistant to hypnosis or skeptical of the benefits tend to have more trouble relaxing long enough to enter a true hypnotic state.
Unlike forms of therapy that are focused on forcing people to relive painful experiences, SMART Recovery focuses on helping you heal from the past so you can embrace the possibilities of personal growth and positive outcomes.
With SMART Recovery as part of your continuum of care for drug or alcohol addiction treatment, you’ll discover:
Healing shame, guilt, anger, resentment, grief, and loss while finding new possibilities for personal strength and spiritual change allows you to embrace a future free from the burden of addiction-related behaviors.
At English Mountain Recovery, we believe in the power of holistic and 12-step based addiction recovery treatment protocols. In addition to SMART Recovery, we offer a variety of other holistic treatment opportunities including Equine Interaction Experience, Creative Arts Therapy and more. To learn more about our comprehensive addiction treatment program, call today: (877) 615-8569.
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