Experiential therapy is a strategy that complements other forms of mental health treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). It opens the door to better understanding your thoughts, feelings, and stresses. One of the reasons why we incorporate experiential therapy into your care regimen is that it supports better communication.
When you’re facing past trauma and pain, sometimes communicating feels impossible. You may recognize the value of opening up, but doing so is just hard to do.
How Experiential Therapy Works
The use of experiential therapy is one of the most effective ways navigate addiction treatment and recovery. It allows you to engage in one or more strategies designed to support your ability to express yourself, such as:
Animal care, like equine therapy
- Music
- Art therapy
- Role-playing experiences
- Recreational experiences like hiking
- Sports
- Adventure programs
There is no wrong way to get active and involved in treatment. This technique is not necessarily about just getting busy, though. It’s also a way for you to let your guard down and think about the challenges you have. It may provide you with a way to start conversations and answer hard questions.
The Importance of Communication in Addiction Therapy
Communication is critical in all aspects of addiction recovery. You’ll spend time working one-on-one with your therapist to discuss your substance use and complications to your health. In group therapy, you’ll communicate about the stresses you feel and how you navigate turmoil. But if you don’t feel comfortable or have the right words to say, this process can seem impossible.
By utilizing experiential therapy, you’ll gain access to new ways to express yourself. Sometimes, it takes engaging in these activities to support your brain’s willingness to open up more fully. With experiential therapy, it may be easier to build trust, express your thoughts, and open up in your own way. Without communication, it’s very hard to build the skills necessary to handle the next level of stress you experience. Experiential therapy can help you achieve those communication objectives.
How Experiential Therapy Can Support Communication
Being around animals doesn’t seem to be the right way to talk about the trauma of your past or communicate your fears for the future. It’s not necessarily that direct. Consider some of the ways these types of experiential therapies can support your recovery process.
- Support emotional processing. Experiential therapy provides a way for you to better express your emotions in a healthy way. Taking care of animals or engaging in adventure therapy allows you to release some of that pent-up emotion in a healthy way.
- Express yourself without words. Another way that experiential therapy can help is by providing you with a way to express your thoughts and feelings meaningfully. Art and music are two of the most effective ways to do that.
- Gain the ability to reflect. Self-reflection can be another important resource. It allows you to reflect on your life and past trauma, but in a more relaxed setting. You’ll be able to think about your future a bit more clearly, too.
- Improve relationship skills. Through these therapies, you will be able to communicate more effectively with the people important to you. You’ll learn those skills by working with others to achieve these objectives.
- Enhance your creativity. Creativity allows many people to process thoughts and feelings more effectively. It may provide you with a way to develop a stronger connection to the thoughts you feel.
What makes experiential therapy so beneficial is its ability to allow you to express yourself in ways that work for you at your own pace. You can feel more confident in moving through treatment.
Find the Right Type of Experiential Therapy for Your Needs
At The Ranch at Dove Tree, we offer a wide range of therapy options to support your recovery, including holistic treatments. Some of the experiential therapy programs available include:
- Equine therapy program
- Art therapy program
- Music therapy program
- Outdoor therapy programs
Each of these programs provides a different way for you to build communication skills and learn self-expression. We encourage you to try out a few different options to find what works for your needs. This is a no-pressure environment, and it is certainly one of the best ways for you to find your way through at your own pace and in your own way.
Let Us Help You Get Into Treatment That Fits Your Needs
Turn to The Ranch at Dove Tree to learn more about the care options we offer. Our experiential therapy programs are available through our residential treatment program in Lubbock. Speak to our treatment team about what you’re facing now. Let us build a treatment plan to address the specific needs you have. We are here to support your recovery.
