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The Mental Cost of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders can express in a variety of ways: anorexia, bulimia, overeating, just to name a few of the expressions that this condition can take on.  The manifestation of eating disorders will typically involve obsessions about food, about the body and being able to become free from these obsessions.

Culturally, it can be easy to minimize eating disorders as less serious addictions than those struggling with substance abuse addictions.  However, the deeper truth is that individuals struggling with eating disorders are living with the same loss of authentic self as those struggling with other addictions.  The vacillation between obsession and compulsion is a loss of choice which can lead to profound health consequences, even including the loss of the physical life.  At its heart, the loss of the spirit is present in this loss of choice, regardless of what substance or behavior the choice is related to.  

The natural rhythm of providing our bodies with food is an opportunity to discern at each interval what nutrients will provide us with the stamina needed to live our life purpose.  When these intervals become cycles of feeding an obsession, we have lost our authentic selves to an eating disorder.  Whether it is focused on consuming specific foods, performing ritual practices around foods, or a focus on how to mitigate the harmful choices through exercise or purging, the intervals have become about checking out rather than checking in.  

Commonly, individuals struggling with eating disorders are aware that these behaviors are considered ‘not normal’ and hide these patterns.  The result is that they become isolated from their social communities to conceal their behaviors. Becoming a divided person, they , show only parts of themselves to the people who love them while hiding the most vulnerable parts of themselves, the parts that most need to be seen and accepted.  

We can all look at our relationship to food to discover where it is serving the life that we were born to live and where it has taken over our life to block our spiritual purpose. The more that we can become transparent about our journey, moving our relationship to one of positivity and contribution, the more we can support others in doing the same.  

Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers a harmonious approach to holistic treatment, bringing together the best of evidence-based, alternative, and 12-step therapies. Call us today for information on our transformation programs of treatment for addiction and alcoholism: 833-801-5483.

Healing the Physical Effects of Addiction with Eastern Practices

The eastern world largely refers to Asia and India in terms of spirituality.  In contrast, the concept of the western world is referring to the US and the culture birthed as it was settled. Each of these worlds has unique gifts to offer and it is valuable in recovery to learn how to harness and integrate them in their lives.  

In many ways, the eastern hold the most ancient spiritual wisdom.  The spiritual practices of this region have sustained themselves over many hundreds, even thousands, of years.  The practices are the very essence of the idea of tradition.  The spiritual practices of the western culture, much younger,have shorter lives before evolving into something new.  They bring forward spirit of innovation.  

These principles, tradition and innovation, bolster our recovery as we integrate them into our lives.  As we embark on the healing of our individual life from addiction, we are the settlers traveling to a new, unknown land.  We feel as though we are leaving our ancient selves behind and sailing for new territory. Some aspects of who we were will always be present, although, those parts of us will express in entirely new ways.  

With this invitation of a new journey, carrying forward the tradition of the past, and allowing it to evolve into a new form, play with one of these practices:

Chakra meditation

The chakras are seven energy centers, root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown, in your body. To explore one, find a seated position and connect to the center of your chest to your heart.  Envision a pulsing green light beginning as a small circumference, the size of your fist.  With each inhalation, imagine a contraction.  With each exhalation, an expansion leading to a greater circumference.  Continue this practice until you have filled the room with a pulsing green light.  

Earthing

This indigenous practice is the ancient wisdom of the western world pre-settlement.  It can be as simple as allowing yourself to be led to a tree, ideally in bare feet.  Placing a hand on the tree and breathing in cohesion with this life-sustaining member of the natural world.  

Chanting

This practice also comes from the ancient world and some people engage changes in the ancient languages from these practices.  However, you can also apply this practice to mantras in your own language.  Often, it is ideal to choose a simple mantra that can be matched to inhalation and exhalation.  For example, Thy Will (inhale), My Will (exhale).  

 

Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers a harmonious approach to holistic treatment, bringing together the best of evidence-based, alternative, and 12-step therapies. Call us today for information on our transformation programs of treatment for addiction and alcoholism: 833-801-5483.

Is There A Spiritual Side To Depression?

Living with depression is a challenging life experience.  The experience of depression can feel like the attempt to run through waist-deep tar.  Even though you long to sprint through the day, every breath, every step, every thought is moving through the sticky toxicity of depression.  The dualism of depression is that there is a deep longing to be released from it, yet its very nature can block an individual from taking actions that will shift it.  

As we consider how to work with this dualism, it is important to acknowledge that two basic kinds of depression exist. These are depression that is contextually induced and depression that is clinical or chemical in nature.  In the following discussion, we are exploring actions that may influence change with contextual depression.  

The definition of the word ‘depress’ is to be in a lower state and when speaking in spiritual terms, the spiritual life can sometimes be discussed as the pursuit of the ‘higher’ self.  In these terms, the remedy for being relieved of depress-ion is to pursuit elevation of the self.  The self can be elevated by pursuing higher expressions of it self.

Becoming elevated can be accessible by simply choosing to look at our depression differently.  When an individual is dealing with depression, it may be natural and comfortable to look at the circumstances of life as happening to you.  Whether the context is a job loss, relationship ending or the bottom of an addiction, it can be easy to feel like a victim for those circumstances.  However, one can begin to choose our higher self when they pause and ask themselves what actions they might take to create a new situation for their lives.

Sometimes, depression can begin the process of shifting even by simply asking ourselves this question, even if we do not yet have the next right action to take.  The question allows an individual to embrace the possibility that they have access to the internal resources to change their experience and this is an un-depressed perspective.  Once one is willing to ask the question, the higher self will begin to emerge leading the lower part of you to the actions necessary to change the context of your life.  

 

Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers a harmonious approach to holistic treatment, bringing together the best of evidence-based, alternative, and 12-step therapies. Call us today for information on our transformation programs of treatment for addiction and alcoholism: 833-801-5483.

Things You Need to Know About Treatment

It Isn’t Jail

Treatment might feel like a punishment, but it isn’t. For some, attending treatment or “rehab” for a drug or alcohol addiction might come as a court order or mandated by an employer. Treating addiction and the addicts who are suffering from it is never about the dichotomy between “bad” and “good”. Though many addicts have a criminal record, they are not criminals. They are neither immoral, lost, nor inherently wrong in any way. Addicts are sick people who need to get well. It may be difficult to come to terms with the fact that you or a loved one is sick with a peculiar disease. Treatment is a time to get well and learn how to live in wellness for the rest of your life.

There Are Rules

Despite what many think, treatment isn’t a time to luxuriate and miraculously get sober. Of course, there are many luxurious amenities that come with treatment and some facilities even advertise themselves as being luxury. Treatment will come with rules, schedules, and structure. Some of the most basic rules are going to include: no doing drugs and no drinking alcohol. Depending on the type of treatment and the type of facility there will be unique and specific rules as well. Generally, there will be a lights out curfew, a wake up time, needing to take medication every day, and most likely, no fraternizing with patients of the opposite sex (or same sex).

Everything is For Your Benefit

When you are working through therapy modalities which may seem awkward you might find yourself asking how this is supposed to help. Most treatment facilities base their programs off of proven methods of therapy and evidence-based treatment modalities. That means every single part of your daily programming in treatment has a purpose. As time goes on you will start to recognize the lessons in every day activities.

You’re Going to Feel Better

You may think that 28-30 days isn’t going to make a difference. Truth be told, in the long scheme of things, 30 days is just the beginning stage of a lifelong process in recovery. However, within those first thirty days, you will start to see some pretty big transformations. You will start to regain mental clarity and as you absorb more and more therapeutic information, you will crave substances less. Your body will stop hurting, your brain will stop hurting, and you’ll start feeling better. At the end of 30 days, you’ll be craving more recovery, rather than more drugs and alcohol.

The Everyday of Treatment

In addition to individual therapy, group therapy, and experiential therapy sessions such as art therapy or yoga therapy, are daily tasks that are meant to enhance recovery. Life skills are necessary to develop in order to ensure long term and successful sobriety. Developing routine and habit are helpful in the treatment process for recovery from addiction.

The Everyday of Treatment

Addiction causes the wiring in the brain to go a little haywire. Most everyday tasks go unnoticed and neglected. Addiction causes the brain to hyperfocus on pleasure and pleasurable experiences As a result, it becomes highly uninterested in performing mundane tasks that everyday life demands. Consequently, it builds unhealthy and unproductive habits. Reprogramming those habits not only corrects the specific situation of the habit itself, but helps the brain heal. Creating new habits through repeated action causes neurons in the brain to fire at the same time, causing a recognition. Overtime, practicing new habits becomes rewarding-in a healthy way.  

Making Your Bed

Each morning at Enlightened Solutions, you are expected to make your bed. There has been great debate as to how important it is or isn’t to make your bed in the morning. While some science has indicated that bed making does not equate to success at all other research has shown it’s critically important. Making the bed indicates discipline and ritual.

Cleaning Your House

Feng Shui is the zen practice of creating flow in the home. A clean home is a clean mind. We pay honor and respect to the higher power working in our life by participating in facility cleaning days.

Cooking Food

Some treatment centers have meals catered or privately prepared. While it is helpful to take the stress cooking out of the equation in early days, it is important to teach cooking as well. Once a patient leaves treatment, they are on their own including making sure that there is something to eat.

12 Step Meetings

Going to meetings is  a perfect way to meet other people like yourself who are struggling and getting through recovery. Here the message of how important it is stay sober.

Have FUN!

Treatment at Enlightened Solutions provides holistic healing for mind, body, and spirit. Our programs of care for men and women seeking recovery for alcoholism and addiction are spiritually based. There is a solution for the problem of drugs and alcohol. Find it with us. 833-801-5483.

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