Mindfulness is one of the most important skills we learn in addiction treatment. Being mindful means being fully aware of our current situation, and both acknowledging and accepting our feelings, thoughts, and sensations.
When we’re mindful, we aren’t looking back in the past, or rushing forward to the future. We are aligning ourselves with our “right now.”
In addiction treatment, it’s important that we practice mindfulness as a way to align our minds and bodies. Addiction is both mental and physical, and treatment should be the same way. Each one of us has a mind and body connection, but it’s how we develop that connection that helps us build healthy, sustainable lives. Being present and engaged both physically and mentally is an important part of developing that connection.
Through modalities like fitness therapy, yoga therapy, and process group therapy, we learn how to exercise mind and body as a unit. Aligning the two simply means being aware of how they work together in our recovery.
Through fitness and physical therapy, we learn to overcome physical challenges by working with others, using our strengths, and problem solving. Whether we’re kayaking over the rough waves of the Pacific, weight training through a fast-paced ESM circuit, or training for our next Spartan race, we train to overcome our physical challenges with practical, collaboration-based strategies.
The confidence we gain and the bonds we form through physical training translate to the mental side of addiction treatment. We feel more comfortable talking out deep-seeded issues in a room full of men we just trained with. We’re more apt to offer solutions to those that could benefit from our strategies when we see them not merely as other clients, but as brothers we’ve shared physical hardship and triumph with. We hold ourselves to a higher standard of accountability when we know there are others that rely on us to be present and engaged with them.
In treatment, aligning our minds and bodies means mindfully and willfully working to build the connection between both every day. A strong mind-body connection doesn’t just help us conquer addiction. It helps us become better men.
Tree House Recovery is a men’s addiction treatment center in Costa Mesa, California that teaches clients the importance of building a strong mind-body connection in recovery, and encourages them to use the physical and mental strategies they learn here to lead healthy and fulfilling lives after graduation. Call us at (855) 202-2138 to see how we can help you today.
