Utah Drug Rehab – What to Know About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Utah Drug Rehab – There are many different philosophies and modalities that addiction treatment centers use to get to the core issues of their clients.  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is something that can be used as a foundation for many experiential therapeutic activies while in rehab.  Snowboarding, Hiking, fishing, and golfing are all activities where this approach can be used while in Utah.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: the most basic and simple approach to drug rehab therapy is where the therapist and individual meet together and figure out how the interaction of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are playing out in life and effecting personal success. CBT works on identifying and changing addict thoughts and behaviors that may be stopping progress in life.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: An approach that uses CBT methods and steps it forward breaking it down to four areas:

·Mindfulness Meditation Skills. A term called “Radical Acceptance” – It’s all ok for the moment – the practice of individuals going through addiction rehab accepting themselves, and the things that feel “wrong” or need “changed” all at the same time.  It is tough to pull off but DBT teaches core skills that allow individuals to become both the observer and participant in all that is happening in and around them. It’s a great technique to learn for life in general.
·Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills. A focus on the people around us and how we interact with them. It allows for boundaries, ask for what is needed and manage conflict and communication in all relationships.
·Distress Tolerance Skills.  “I am frightened and feel worthless so I will binge eat, or cut, or use drugs” – those were old “distress skills” ~ this new way lets individuals accept and tolerate distress without doing anything that will make the whole situation worse.
·Emotion Regulation Skills. This helps individuals looking to stay sober from drug and alcohol abuse to no longer get “hijacked” by emotions. Instead, recognize what’s going on, what is being felt, and no matter how big and overwhelming the emotion might seem to be, having the ability to identify it and manage it.