Holistic treatment is an approach to health care that sees you as a whole person to treat, not just your symptoms. Holistic medicine, or holism, addresses the whole person: psychological, familial, physical, societal, and spiritual. It looks at you as a whole being to treat, not as someone with singular, disconnected symptoms. Holistic doctors believe each client needs to be understood fully and any care they receive must reflect their holism.
For example, if you visit a holistic doctor for insomnia, they won’t only send you home with medications (if at all). They’ll instead, or additionally, look at everything that could cause your insomnia. This includes stress, spiritual disturbances, diet, other health problems, and your mental health. Your treatment usually includes lifestyle changes and alternative treatments rather than pharmaceuticals alone.
Holistic Treatment for Addiction
Holistic care for addiction sees you not as a person, not a disease. Treatment providers using holistic care address your addiction, its symptoms, and all other areas of your health at the same time. They’ll help you identify the cause of addiction, why you’re using it to cope, and how you can navigate difficult emotions in new ways. Holistic doctors will also address your physical, mental, and spiritual health during treatment.
Overall, holistic care aims to provide a highly comprehensive treatment experience. Rather than just addressing the visible symptoms of addiction, like being high, drunk, or emotionally volatile, holism reaches its cause. Holistic treatment focuses on the mind, body, and spirit to identify all areas of you that need healing.
Holistic treatment plans will likely include medical professionals, like doctors, psychologists, and therapists, and supportive professionals. These may include spiritual counselors, massage therapists, yoga instructors, nutritionists, personal trainers, acupuncturists, art therapists, and more. Your team will address your substance use and the co-occurring mental health conditions you may have.
Benefits of Holistic Treatment
Benefits of holistic treatment include whole-person treatment, individualized care, and, in some cases, non-medicinal options. You may benefit most from holistic treatment if you have co-occurring mental and physical needs or co-occurring mental conditions. Holistic treatment provides broad benefits because it looks at the whole picture, not just one symptom.
You could heal in multiple areas during holistic treatment, while traditional treatment typically focuses on one symptom and one area of you at a time. So, holistic treatment offers a more comprehensive experience for someone with multiple needs or needs and their health treated as a combined issue.
Finding a Holistic Practitioner
Integrative medicine doctors use holistic approaches in their treatment, as do naturopathic doctors. You can find these types of doctors through your family and friends or an online search. Keep these thoughts in mind as you look:
- Do they take your insurance?
- Do they say they’re accepting new patients?
- Do their office hours fit your needs?
You can find supportive holistic providers, like massage therapists, in the same ways. Ask your family and friends for referrals or do your research online to find someone that fits your needs and schedule.