Many people misunderstand the basics of experiential therapy benefits. However, this therapy is not a type of psychotherapy or “talk therapy.” Instead, it’s a broad category of therapies involving activities or actions. Many of these therapies provide new hobbies for people going through addiction recovery.
What are Experiential Therapy Benefits?
In fact, experiential therapy comes in many forms. These include role-playing, rock climbing, hiking, wilderness activities, art, music, and yoga. Whatever type of experiential therapy you go through, you tap into underlying causes of your addiction. Moreover, you also become more aware of issues needing work in your life.
Experiential therapies help you resolve past conflicts, trauma, and buried emotions. You also learn better problem-solving skills and how to have healthier relationships. Many of these benefits occur naturally as you focus on the activity, not talk therapy.
You also gain a stronger sense of self-awareness in experiential therapy. You get in touch with your innermost wants, needs, motives, and emotions. Furthermore, you heal old wounds and uncover long-hidden emotions causing chaos in your life. Identifying these issues and problems lead to healthier management of your daily life.
Additionally, experiential therapy teaches you proactivity, rather than reacting to challenging situations in negative ways. You gain a clearer understanding of the impact of your choices, on your life and others’. You also start making better choices, as a result.
Experiential therapies enable your therapist to observe you in real-world situations. This takes you out of the counseling setting and into active scenarios like those you face each day outside of rehab. Specifically, you react more authentically during therapeutic recreation.
Types of Experiential Therapy Benefits
There are such a wide variety of experiential therapies that it’s impossible to list all of them here. However, some common types of experiential therapy include:
- Equine-assisted therapy, using horses in a series of exercises
- Psychodrama, acting out problems or scenarios
- EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for PTSD
- Adventure therapy, using activities like rock climbing or obstacle courses
- Art and music therapies, enabling expression through creative mediums
- Fitness therapy and yoga, using training of your own body
Who Benefits From Experiential Therapy?
People in addiction treatment really experience growth through experiential activities. If you suffer addiction and want help in rehab, experiential therapies will help you. Having a good mix of therapies as part of your individual treatment plan works best for lasting recovery. In fact, each person is different and reacts differently to therapy methods. Through a mix of types, you find which therapies work most for you and experience your greatest strides in those sessions.
Experiential therapies also allow you to break free of the “talk therapy” focus. Therapy stresses some people, so taking a different approach helps them look forward to their therapy. Moreover, they participate better and engage more deeply in their own recovery.
Ashley Addiction Treatment for Maryland Addiction Recovery
Ashley Addiction Treatment in Havre de Grace, MD provides a wide variety of therapies, amenities, and services designed for strong recovery. Your recovery takes place in one of Ashley Addiction Treatment’s comprehensive programs, such as:
- Primary rehab
- Young adult program, for ages 18 to 25
- Young adult extended care, for men aged 18 to 25
- Relapse program, to get you back on track
- Pain recovery program
- Onsite detox
Amenities of Ashley Addiction Treatment include 24-hour food access, housekeeping, laundry service, and semi-private rooms. In addition, you take part in a variety of therapies including individual, group, and family counseling. You also benefit from fitness therapy in the wellness center, yoga, acupuncture, massage therapy, personal trainers, and a dietary team.
If you or someone you love suffers addiction to drugs or alcohol, call Ashley Addiction Treatment now at 866-313-6307. The right addiction treatment programs will help you on the road to a better life in recovery.