When we’re living with addiction, we’re often struggling with multiple different underlying issues. We have unresolved trauma, unaddressed stress, and untreated mental health conditions. Our substance abuse and addictive behaviors are only part of our problem, and usually they are covering up deep mental and emotional pain. Therapy is a powerful way to finally address these core issues to help us heal in a real way and to alleviate our distress.

When we connect with a therapist with whom we feel safe, we allow ourselves to open up in ways we may never have before. We’ve grown accustomed to suppressing our emotions, blocking out painful memories, and ignoring our difficulties. Many of us are brand new to therapy, and we can be intimidated by the process. It’s hard to divulge personal information to a stranger. The more we work with the same therapist, however, the more we develop a connection and build trust. We don’t feel unsafe, exposed or vulnerable. We feel comfortable to speak our truth. We feel supported. We feel uplifted and encouraged, by someone who we feel is on our recovery team.

Therapy helps us learn practical skills for managing our thoughts and emotions. Many of us are struggling with crippling depression and intense anxiety. Just getting our thoughts together and trying to make sense of them can feel impossible. Different kinds of therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, help us to take inventory of our thought patterns, emotional responses and behavioral habits. We’re guided and given support as we learn how to process our most difficult issues. We learn strategies for handling our own specific problems and coping mechanisms for our particular challenges. We uncover important emotional information that can aid us in our recovery. We have breakthroughs and make discoveries, about ourselves and about what we need in order to heal.

Many of us have attempted to cope with our addictions and mental health issues on our own for years. We’ve been afraid to seek out help, for fear of having to admit we actually have a serious problem. When we try to recover alone, we can sometimes do ourselves a disservice because we don’t yet have the skills and expertise for a successful recovery. Therapists have years of experience helping people with similar issues, dealing with similar situations. They are a valuable resource, full of knowledge and wisdom that we can learn from and apply to our own recovery. The right therapist for us will be disarming and welcoming, making us feel comfortable to finally let our guard down and allow ourselves to be supported.

The treatment programs at Bayview Recovery incorporate multiple kinds of therapy, including trauma therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy, to support you through the recovery process and help you to heal. Call 888-570-7154 for more information.