Why Your Holistic Recovery Program Should Include Family Therapy

When most people think of holistic recovery, alternative treatment options come to mind. Even here, you can expect integrative holistic treatment through methods like acupuncture. 

But, it’s also important that your overall treatment plan include a variety of methods and approaches. That includes family therapy. 

Therapy, itself, is a crucial component to addiction recovery. Working with a therapist will help you to peel back the layers that lead to your addiction, in the first place. Many say they understand the importance of family recovery in the therapy process, but years of manipulating your family, lying, deception, and avoiding transparency to fuel your addiction can make family therapy feel challenging and overwhelming!

Having the willingness is great, though, its not uncommon for those struggling with recovery to feel shame or guilt, especially when it comes to addressing old patterns in their familial relationships.

It’s not uncommon for those struggling with addiction to feel shame or guilt, especially when it comes to their familial relationships. That’s one of the reasons why your program should include family therapy. 

Not quite convinced? Let’s cover some of the benefits.  They will help you have a better understanding of how your family’s involvement in your therapy sessions can make a big difference. 

It Builds Your Support System

You can’t be in therapy or receive treatment 24/7. But, you’re still recovering from your addiction 24/7. 

With that in mind, it only makes sense to include your family in your recovery process as a built-in support system. Can it be difficult to open up and discuss your addiction with the people you love? Yes. Can it be even harder if you’ve hurt those people because of your struggles? Absolutely. 

But, you can use this as a time of healing and honesty to build your support system and get the help you need around the clock. The more your family knows about what you’re going through and the more they hear during therapy, the better equipped they will be to help you. 

It Provides Your Family With Support

It’s important to remember that when you’re dealing with addiction, you’re not the only one impacted. 

Whether you’ve tried to hide things from your family or they have been directly affected by your behaviors, they often need support, too. Someone they love is struggling, and that’s hard on them. Therapy can help them feel heard and supported, too. It gives them the chance to open up and share what they’ve been feeling, which can often be eye-opening for the person recovering. 

It Helps to Improve Overall Communication

Strong communication is crucial in any healthy family relationship. But, when you’re going through addiction recovery, it’s even more important. 

Therapy can help you and others in your family establish stronger communication skills. It can uncover the underlying cause(s) of what may have initially fueled your addiction, and how to work with each other properly to manage it now. You may end up learning a lot more about each other than you expect, but that’s part of the process. 

You may not fully realize what started your addiction until those layers are peeled back. Your family also might not know if/how they contributed. Patterns of co-dependency and enabling are common for some family members. Often fearing a relapse or the ultimate fear of your death if they don't help the only way they know how to. Getting everything out in the open offers you and your family a clean slate to start healing and moving forward with your life.

If you’re already interested in holistic recovery and therapy as part of your treatment, consider including your family. It might be difficult, at first. But, by including the people you love and trust in your treatment process, you know they will be there for you every step of the way. When your treatment is done, you’ll still have that support for the rest of your life, so you won’t fall back into old habits. 

If you’re ready to learn more about our holistic family approach through our Addiction Recovery Intensive in your recovery program, feel free to contact me. Our office is happy to provide more information or help you to set up an appointment.