For general information about addictions please follow the following link from nhsdirect.nhs.uk
"Addiction is not having control over doing, taking or using something, to the point that it may be harmful to you. Common addictions are to alcohol or drugs, but it's possible to become addicted to anything - from gambling to chocolate. Whatever the addiction may be, the person cannot control how they use it, or become dependant on it to get through daily life.”
Addictions Treatment and Rehab Centre in Exeter:
How can Complementary Therapies help with Addiction?
Support for people with addictions may come under the following categories:
A - therapy to help reduce craving sensations.
B - therapy to support the person going through
strong side effects of withdrawal.
C - therapy to aid with relaxation and stress management
which in turn reduces the desire for the addictive substance.
D - therapy to look at the underlying causes of
the addictive behaviour.
E - therapy which analyzes and works to balance
pathological physiological processes which may be contributing to
the addictive behaviour (eg nutritional deficiencies).
F - therapy which works to rectify the underlying
energetic imbalance of a person with an addiction which may create
further energetic imbalances.
A - The following therapies are considered beneficial
when helping a person to reduce craving sensations (eg for cigarettes
or sugar):
Acupuncture – a specific protocol using ear acupuncture has
been established for helping people with drug addiction by reducing
the craving sensations. Body acupuncture is also beneficial. A range
of techniques are also available to help people deal with their
cravings using NLP.
B - The following therapies are considered beneficial
when supporting someone going through strong side effects of withdrawal:
In this case any holistic therapy would be beneficial as the support
required may be emotional as well as physical and the relationship
between patient and practitioner is of great significance. It is
important to find a practitioner that you trust. You may wish to
search for therapies relevant to the specific conditions (side effects)
that you are experiencing, or you may wish to search under ‘practitioners’.
C - The following therapies are considered beneficial
when helping a person to relax and cope with stress and lifestyle
factors which may be contributing to the desire for the addictive
substance:
Any form of bodywork, eg Massage, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Bowen technique
or Reiki. NLP
and Hypnotherapy
are both very useful when addressing any situation which brings
about anxiety and feelings of stress. Learning self-hypnosis is
an invaluable tool to use regularly to deal with the added stresses
related to overcoming addiction.
D - The following therapies are considered beneficial
when the person is willing to look at the underlying causes of the
addictive behaviour:
Core Process Psychotherapy, Kinesiology, and with therapies such
as Bowen Technique, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Homeopathy
a certain amount of discussion and analysis of the underlying causes
form part of the treatment.
NLP and Hypnotherapy are both useful in dealing with the causes of addiction. Primary (conscious) and secondary (unconscious) gains are taken into consideration and re-evaluated accordingly.
E - The following therapies are considered beneficial
when the person desires to look at any possible physiological processes
which may be contributing to the person’s addictive behaviour:
Allergy testing with Kinesiology can be used to assess any allergic
responses upsetting the person’s natural balance. Acupuncture,
Chinese Herbs, Western Herbal Medicine, Shiatsu, and Homeopathy
all work to rebalance diagnosed physiological imbalances according
to each respective system of medicine.
F - The following therapies are considered beneficial
when the person wishes to work to rectify the underlying energetic
imbalance contributing to the addictive habits which may create
further energetic imbalances:
To some degree all holistic therapies work to balance underlying
energetic imbalances. The following therapies work specifically
in this way: Reiki, Shiatsu, and Acupuncture.