Healing Springs Ranch (HSR) provides a truly “Integrated Addiction Model™” which focuses on the “function” of the addiction as opposed to the “behavior”. This means that we identify and address the underlying “function” of ALL addictive cycles including those patterns seen in most mental health symptoms and diagnoses. Whether a person struggles with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, anxiety, or is addicted to a process such as gambling, pornography, gaming, shopping, etc., our model recognizes that these symptoms all serve the same purpose- to avoid and medicate the pain. This unresolved pain and/or trauma, in addition to low self-esteem and poor coping skills, create the perfect combination for a desperate need to escape.
Addiction as a Symptom
Addiction itself is not the problem, but rather a symptom of the underlying problem. It is actually a solution to the problem. It is the evidence of an unmet emotional need, desperately trying to be soothed. All the symptoms and diagnoses are proof of the emotional pain and serve the function of avoiding it. Therefore, addiction’s sole purpose is to numb, ease, and distract from this pain. The person actually becomes “addicted” to avoiding painful feelings. This avoidance technique becomes so ingrained, that quite often a person does not even recognize that he/she is doing it.
Identify, Release, and Resolve
Effective addiction treatment, therefore, must help people to “re-connect” to the very feelings that their addictive cycle has buried. This is done by helping the person reconnect to their experiences and the associated emotional pain that has been suppressed. At HSR we utilize modalities that help ease and speed up this process. Our treatment focus is to identify, release, and resolve this suppressed unprocessed pain. Our program curriculum was developed with this in mind.
Healing Emotional Pains that Drive Addictive Patterns
We offer both educational and experiential/expressive groups. We believe that just as important as it is to identify and understand feelings, it is equally important to practice expressing them. Our treatment objective is to identify the core issues and their associated emotional pain that drive the addictive patterns. We actually need to trigger the very feelings that drive the addictive behaviors. We actively help people to become desensitized to their painful feelings by tapping into them while helping them stay grounded and present. This is the only way that these feelings can be acknowledged and resolved which ultimately increases emotional ego strength and mastery.
Stop Addiction Substitution
Research has also shown that if the underlying root of addiction is not addressed and treatment is primarily focused on stopping only a behavior, “addiction substitution” or chronic relapse often occurs. Addiction substitution is when one addictive cycle is substituted for another. This can be seen in the alcoholic who becomes sober, only to start smoking.