What is holistic therapy? Holistic has become a buzzword lately, and it’s no longer clear as to what it means. It means to have both a high-level and low-level view of a system. Holistic therapy on a human is treatment done on the whole body.
What is Holistic Therapy?
Western medicine tends to see a symptom and come up with a solution for it right away. This solution will not often solve the root problem, but it will take care of the problem at hand for a short time. A holistic therapy program aims to find the root cause and treat that as well as the symptoms. People that turn to holistic therapies have often found Western medicine to fail them.
One typical example is in those with chronic pain. People affected by chronic pain are usually given a prescription for pain medicine and told to take them for the rest of their lives.
This is not a satisfactory treatment for anyone, so they look to holistic medicine for new ways to treat their pain and feel better in the long run. The same goes for behavioural issues and things like substance abuse. Western medicine seems to want to find a one size fits all solution for these types of problems, and they don’t work for most people.
What Will You Work On?
Holistic therapy covers multiple things to accomplish whole-body healing. Therefore, during holistic therapy, you will work on:
- Self-awareness
- Coming to an understanding of the things that work for you and the things that don’t
- Traditional treatments
One of the issues with substance abuse and behavioural problems is that people don’t understand how else to get the things that they want and need other than to act out. A holistic approach will help them to identify what their needs are and how to meet them without hurting themselves and others.
Doing things the way that others do doesn’t always work. With no one around that can teach the person to fulfill their needs in other ways, problems can arise. A holistic approach will address the underlying issue. Simply put, help treat the issues deeper than the surface.
The official holistic therapy definition; “refers to a school of thought in therapy that attempts to address an individual as a whole person rather than as someone who is sick, just has psychological issues, or as being separated into different components. Holistic therapy attempts to address the individual in terms of their mind, spirit, and body.”
What to Expect in Holistic Therapy
If you are participating in a holistic therapy program, you should expect to participate in traditional treatments and alternative therapies.
Here is a list of therapies you should expect to have at a holistic therapy program:
- One-on-one therapy
- Group therapy
- Exposure to support groups
- Mindfulness training
- Alternative therapies (massage, or reiki)
- Other types of therapy (role-playing, art, music, nature, and animal)
Mindfulness training can come in many flavors. It can take the form of meditation, yoga, reflection, journaling, talking with your therapist, and learning tricks on how to be totally present and in the moment.
If you are looking to change your current behaviours, your therapist will probably work with you on some cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
Finding Holistic Treatment
Now that your question is answered; give Venture Academy a call. We specialize in the holistic treatment of troubled young adults and teens. Call us today at 866.762.2211 to find out more.
