Stopping an addiction does not happen overnight. In fact, for many people, the process can take weeks or months because the mind needs to readapt to sobriety. Behavioral therapy is one form of treatment many recovery centers use to help participants establish new habits and avoid relapse. Anyone who has tried to change a habit knows how difficult the process can be. The same holds true for those overcoming addiction. However, since substance use likely also caused physical and psychological dependence, changing the behavior requires more effort and time. Behavioral therapy can help the process.
What Is Behavioral Therapy?
Behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on how thoughts affect actions or behaviors. While this form of therapy works well with many mental illnesses, it can also benefit those struggling with addiction. By helping participants to think about their behaviors and how they connect to thoughts and emotions, this treatment may be effective at helping to unlock the capacity for sustained recovery.
There are different approaches to this type of therapy. Group therapy and individual therapy can offer distinct benefits for participants.
How We Use Behavioral Therapy in Addiction Recovery
At Clearhaven Recovery, behavioral therapies are one type of therapy we offer participants. Our substance use addiction recovery programs include the following therapies:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Motivational interviewing (MI)
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
As noted, CBT and DBT fall under individual treatments. These therapies help participants to change their mental patterns when thinking about substance use and the triggers for it. Through using therapies that address causes of behaviors and helping to create healthier actions in response to thoughts or emotions, our team can help participants improve their addiction recovery treatment program outcomes.
What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, has significant amounts of evidence to support it. The goal of CBT is to help participants to change their thinking patterns from allowing negative thoughts to progress to poor choices. Instead, CBT asks participants to reframe the situation and see things in another light.
For example, this therapy helps participants to change thoughts such as “I’m worthless,” to “I sometimes make mistakes, but I have evidence of my worth in those who love me.” Identifying cognitive distortions, such as all-or-nothing thinking, and recognizing evidence against the negative thoughts make changing self-destructive behaviors easier.
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is related closely to CBT. In fact, this form of therapy developed as a related form of therapy. Both CBT and DBT have many common factors. However, the main difference between the two is DBT’s use of acceptance as part of the therapy.
While in CBT, participants combat all negative thoughts with evidence against it or by finding cognitive distortion, in DBT, this does not always happen. Some participants may have uncomfortable negative thoughts or emotions. DBT trains them to accept these feelings and learn to cope with them.
By training coping methods for uncomfortable thoughts, DBT-trained therapists can help participants to stay away from drug or substance use.
These various forms of therapy exist to change behaviors because substance use remains a complex issue. Participants should have multiple options to find a solution that will help them change their behaviors.
Contact Clearhaven Recovery Today
Behavioral therapy has evidence to back up its effectiveness for changing many types of actions, including those that contribute to addiction. Those who have an addiction and want to get evidence-based care from rehab should contact us at Clearhaven Recovery in the Greater Boston area.
Phone our staff at 833.970.2054 or reach out to us through a message online. We can give you more information about our addiction recovery programs. Plus, if you need help finding out how to get yourself or a loved one into recovery, we can assist you with that, too. At Clearhaven Recovery, we want to help our program participants find their inner ability to overcome addiction.
