Mindfulness & Relaxation

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness means being present in the current moment and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings—without judgment or reaction. Mindfulness can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed, as well as offer a coping mechanism to help you re-integrate into your daily life post-recovery.

While mindfulness may initially sound difficult, it can be learned with the right practice and guidance. At Freedom Recovery Centers (FRC), we’re committed to helping you overcome addiction. As such, our caring and compassionate team incorporates various mindfulness techniques into all of our care and recovery programs.

Techniques that we use to cultivate mindfulness include:

• Mindfulness-based meditation
• Body scans
• Mindful movement (such as yoga)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

At FRC, mindfulness is used alongside other therapies, including our 12-step facilitation therapies, motivational interviewing, medically assisted treatments, group therapy, health and wellness strategies, and more. This ensures you undergo a recovery program suited to you and your needs. After all, every person’s recovery journey is unique.

The FRC team understands that successful recovery requires an individualized and holistic approach. This is why we work closely with each individual to ensure effective and compassionate care every step of the way.

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Benefits of Mindfulness for Addiction Recovery

The road to overcoming addiction isn’t always easy. However, many on the other side will attest that it’s absolutely worthwhile. As part of your recovery, strengthening your mindfulness muscle offers various benefits, including:

Reduced Stress

For many struggling with addiction, substance use becomes a way to cope with life’s challenges. When life gets tough, these substances provide short-term relief by activating the brain’s reward pathways. However, mindfulness can offer a new avenue to cope with stressful situations, freeing you from the chains of addiction.

Improved Emotional Regulation

Practicing mindfulness allows you to recognize, observe, and identify emotions as they arise. In turn, you learn to be less reactionary and more thoughtful with your responses. This can help combat negative emotions with greater ease. It can also have a ripple effect on other areas of your life, such as strengthening relationships.

Reduced Cravings

In the initial stages of recovery, cravings can be particularly challenging. Using mindfulness techniques, you learn to simply observe these cravings without acting on them. You’ll also be able to recognize them as a temporary symptom, helping you make progress in your recovery.

Increased Self-Awareness

Mindfulness gives way to increased self-awareness, where you begin to understand yourself better. For instance, becoming more mindful can help you identify any patterns or triggers. Once identified, you can begin to work on these aspects, leading to increased personal growth and resilience.

Better Coping Skills

Substance abuse is often a form of escapism. When learning new coping mechanisms, like mindfulness, you stay present and learn to process and accept uncomfortable or negative feelings that arise.

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Why Choose Freedom Recovery Centers

At FRC, you won’t feel like you’re in just another “treatment facility.” Our addiction center in Richmond, Virginia offers high-level comfort and care. This means good food, a comfortable bed, a massage clinic, a nail studio, and even basketball courts and a gym.

Our caring and compassionate staff focus on guiding each individual toward making a full recovery. We welcome everyone. No matter your background or history, we are committed to you and your success.

What to Expect

We’re here for you 24/7. When you decide to make that call, one of our team members will guide you on the next step. We help verify your insurance and ensure you use any coverage available. From there, if you’re in Richmond, Virginia, our transportation team will come get you and drive you to our treatment center.

Throughout the initial detox phase, we monitor you 24/7 to ensure your safety and health and use Medication-Assisted Treatments (MAT) to ease withdrawal symptoms. After this initial detox stage, we work with you to untangle the roots of addiction and pave your way toward success. Each program is tailored to each individual, ensuring we tackle the intricate layers leading to your substance abuse or addiction.

Experience the Power of Mindfulness—Starting Today

Recovery is within your grasp. You don’t need to do this alone. The FRC team is ready to help. Together, let’s help you achieve lasting recovery and health.

FAQs

Can mindfulness treat addiction? How?

Mindfulness alone is not sufficient enough to treat addiction. Alongside other treatments, however, mindfulness offers an effective tool for staying in the present moment and coping with difficult emotions.

What kind of techniques are used to foster mindfulness?

This depends on each individual. At FRC, we use various mindfulness-based therapies and techniques, including CBT, DBT, movement-based therapies, body scans, meditation, and more.

What are the benefits of mindfulness?

Mindfulness is associated with various benefits, especially when recovering from addiction. These include improved emotional regulation, reduced stress, reduced cravings, enhanced self-awareness, and improved coping skills.

Can mindfulness rewire the brain?

Yes, mindfulness can potentially rewire the brain. With time and practice, mindfulness can help improve attention and focus in the present moment. In turn, this can lead to structural changes within the brain (also called neuroplasticity), which may propel your recovery process forward.