When we suffer from addiction and mental illness, our brains stop processing information in an effective manner. This is especially true for those who suffer from drug and alcohol dependency. When you use drugs and alcohol for an extended period of time, your brain chemistry becomes altered. This is the reason why it becomes difficult to find joy in the activities that you once enjoyed doing. This is also the reason why you may begin to experience negative thought patterns, where you might perceive your situation as hopeless. This can also lead you to believe that you are unable to function without drugs and alcohol.

Cognitive therapy addresses these issues by helping clients identify when they start falling into these negative thought patterns while helping them replace these thoughts with healthier ones. Cognitive therapy helps clients deal with the emotions they may feel when faced with setbacks and provides them with the tools necessary to change a negative behavioral response into a more positive one.

Changing your thought process and transforming your mindset is a critical component of cognitive behavioral therapy. However, it’s also important to develop additional coping strategies and skills to help you on your journey towards better mental health.

With dialectical behavioral therapy, our clients will learn about the importance of mindfulness and how your ability to stay present in the moment can also impact your ability to deal with uncomfortable situations and feelings. This is especially important for clients healing from addiction as withdrawal symptoms can make it tempting for addicts to use in order to escape the discomfort. Meditation and grounding techniques help empower our clients with the ability to rise above and overcome their addiction.

As you go through life, you experience the world around you through your senses, thoughts, and feelings. These components all interact in order to create your worldview. Everyone’s worldview is different as we all may experience events and situations in a variety of ways. Some people may find cognitive relief from physical exercise, while others may turn to family and friends for emotional support during difficult situations. Still, others may turn to drugs and alcohol as an attempt to numb their feelings and escape their situation.

A multimodal approach to therapy takes these facets into consideration and aims to treat the client in a fully holistic manner with a treatment plan that addresses all areas of the client’s life. This may include pharmacological interventions, healthy physical activity, nutritious meals, and talk therapy with a professional counselor.

When a challenging situation or circumstance occurs, it can be easy to fall back into negative thought patterns and drug use in order to ease the pain and discomfort you may be feeling. Rational emotive behavior therapy aims to improve a client’s state of mind by looking at how their reactions to a difficult situation can be changed into a more positive mindset.

This could include approaches such as looking at hardships as opportunities for self-improvement and self-growth instead of wallowing in self-pity and negative self-talk. Clients can benefit from this treatment modality by embracing the fact that they have the power to change the way they look at the world and change how they respond to difficult times.

One of the most critical components of cognitive behavioral therapy is a client’s ability to recognize their maladaptive thought patterns and responses to uncomfortable situations. Clients will then use a variety of techniques in order to reframe their mindset into a more positive one.

While inpatient therapy is a great tool for clients dealing with addiction, it’s important to learn better ways to cope and resist the temptation to use when triggered. Therapists and clients will work together in order to identify which techniques work best for them when they feel the urge to use again. During your stay at First City Recovery Center, you will have plenty of opportunities to put your newly developed skills into practice.

Goal setting is a critically important component towards getting better and experiencing more positive mental health. Without setting specific goals towards progress, you leave yourself more vulnerable to relapse and disappointment. By focusing on specific goals and striving towards self-improvement, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and strengthen your resolve to stay clean and sober.

During tough times, it can be tempting to fall back into old habits and maladaptive behaviors, like drug use and negative self-talk. Clients work with their therapists to identify possible solutions to problems that life might throw their way. By developing a problem-solving approach that includes listing out possible solutions and outcomes, you’ll be able to handle these situations more efficiently and minimize the impact they have on your psychological well-being.

It can be difficult to track your progress in treatment without appropriate self-monitoring strategies. Writing down and keeping track of your thoughts and feelings throughout the day is pivotal in identifying whether your treatment plan is working or if it may need some adjustment. You will learn how to conduct a thorough self-assessment on a regular basis by writing down your thoughts and feelings as you progress through treatment.