Depression has become one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. According to the World Health Organization, about 5% of adults suffer from depression. Depression is also a contributing factor in suicides. It can be challenging for individuals struggling with depression to focus on daily tasks or cope with even minor issues. Individuals suffering from depression may feel hopeless, exhausted, and alone, from that Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps them. Some can mask their feelings and put on a front for everyone else but still feel unhappy and discontent internally. Some individuals may experience depressive episodes that occur for periods.
Individuals struggling with depression sometimes turn to substance abuse to cope with their feelings. However, self-medicating with alcohol and drugs can increase their chance of symptoms of depression and creating addiction. Individuals who suffer from a mental health disorder like depression and self-medicating with substance use require co-occurring disorder treatment in NJ.
Only some drug and alcohol treatment facilities offer addiction services and treatment of co-occurring mental health disorders. It is essential to verify what the facility offers because both disorders will need to be treated simultaneously to get to the root cause of the addiction. Researchers are always seeking to improve effective therapy methods. One that has gained some recent positive results is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Traditional cognitive therapy is usually focused on the practice of converting your negative thoughts into positive ones and changing the outcome. MBCT combines traditional cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation to focus on being mindful. It’s essential to hone in on your thoughts and feelings to begin to recover.
Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques :
Several mindfulness techniques and exercises are utilized as a part of MBCT. Some of these are listed below:
Meditation
Practicing self-guided or directed mindfulness meditation helps the individual become aware of their mind, body, and breathing.
Body Scan Practice
To perform this technique, the individual will lie down and then begin scanning their body from their toes to the top of their skull, raising awareness and bringing attention to different spots on the body.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Be present in the moment; you can practice this technique during meditation or at any point of your day. The idea is to be present during mindfulness-based practices and throughout your day.
Stretching
Mindful stretching allows us to check in with our body, practice breathing, and become more in tune with our minds.
Yoga
Yoga for MBCT encourages individuals to try different poses that can help engage the mind and stretch the body. This is a great way to relieve pent-up stress as well.
What Can Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help With?
Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be effective for individuals who have experienced several bouts of depression. Mindfulness practices were initially developed to treat depression, and it has also been shown to be effective for other mental health disorders such as:
The practice of mindfulness helps to align the individual’s thought process by eliminating negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. Emotional unresolved triggers often lead to depression and can cause an individual to relapse. Triggers look different for everyone. However, we may not even be aware of some emotional triggers because they are so ingrained at this point in our lives.
MBCT can help draw out these emotional triggers and help individuals gain control over these triggers. Depression is usually treated with anti-depressant prescription drugs such as Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, or Wellbutrin. Most of these drugs control the serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Sometimes individuals need to try a few different prescriptions before finding the one that works best for them. When they find the right one, the drug can be highly effective; however, it may also cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea, insomnia, increased thoughts of suicide, depressive symptoms, weight gain, or sexual dysfunction.
A review study performed by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine claims that when treating depression, anxiety, and pain, the effectiveness of mindfulness-based practice may be just as effective as medication. However, the decision to stop taking medication or alter a treatment plan should not be made alone. Discuss all treatment and medication options with your doctor and mental health professional.
When you are a patient at a drug and alcohol rehab center being treated for a co-occurring disorder, many mindfulness-based practices will be available for you to try. Mindfulness therapy is highly effective in assisting individuals with recurrent depression who have been self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.
If you, a friend, or a family member are struggling with a co-occurring disorder and searching for a drug and alcohol detox in NJ,contact us at (973)-774-7222. Avatar Residential Detox Center offers drug and alcohol treatment programs and MBCT programs.
