Addiction damages many areas of your life. For this reason, and because of how substance abuse changes your brain and body, you need many types of treatment to recover and rebuild. Recreation therapy is one such method. Quality rehab programs incorporate recreation into a mix of therapies designed for your best success in treatment and beyond.
What is Recreation Therapy?
Recreation therapy uses activities to help you cope with your substance abuse recovery, mental illness, or other struggles. These therapies usually take place in group settings, whether indoors or outside. Activities used in recreational therapy work to engage and excite you in your self-discovery.
The first uses of this therapy took place in the 1800s under Florence Nightingale. She saw how patients’ quality of life improved when they spent time outdoors and doing recreational things. The American Red Cross developed recreational therapy programs and used Nightingale’s methods by the 20th century. Today, few hospitals or treatment centers neglect the benefits of these therapies when planning individual care.
With recreation therapy, some other methods of addiction treatment include:
- Dual diagnosis care
- Spirituality
- Music and art therapy program in Memphis, TN
- Family therapy
- Trauma therapy
In a residential, partial hospitalization, or intensive outpatient program, these therapies form your treatment plan. Each type of treatment brings its own benefits, whether the methods take place in individual counseling or group therapy sessions. Each technique also affects different people in different ways, and you never know where your most significant treatment breakthroughs will come from. So having a mix of therapies offers greater opportunity for real recovery.
When you seek rehab treatment for your addiction, you join tens of thousands of people who search for their own best rehab center. For many, this search begins with what types of recreational therapy each program offers. Having an interest in your own therapies increases your chances of learning new coping skills and engaging in your treatment.
How Does This Therapy Work for People with Addictions?
Recreation is one of nature’s best methods for healing. When you engage in recreational activities, you let your guard down. Without intense personal defenses blocking your thoughts or behaviors, you gain the chance for real change. When sitting in a chair in talk therapy, freeing yourself from your defenses often takes longer.
Many people also say what they think their therapist needs to hear, when in talk therapy sessions. You think too much about what others think of you in a group and often hold back from saying things you want to express. These controlling behaviors keep you from complete healing.
In recreation therapy, you free yourself from this self-control and focus on the activity.
Many of the best recreational options for therapy require you to pay more attention to your actions while making quick decisions. So you do not have time to control your thoughts or behaviors. You express yourself using core emotions as well as gut instincts.
Benefits of recreation therapy include:
- Better communication
- Relationship building skills
- Learning to ask for help
- Anger reduction
- Emotional awareness
- Team skill building
- Improved self-confidence
Where to Find Recreational Therapies in Memphis
When looking for addiction treatment in Memphis, TN, remember that you need a mix of therapies and approaches, not just one type of therapy. But you can certainly choose your best rehab options based on the types of therapy they offer and what entices you into treatment. You also need to screen rehabs based on their provided levels of care.
These levels of care include:
- Residential rehab
- Long term residential
- Partial hospitalization
- Intensive outpatient program
- Aftercare
Remember that your best treatment is treatment designed specifically for your individual needs. Memphis Recovery Centers in Memphis, TN, provides all of the above levels of care, along with the recreation therapy and other types of therapy you need for complete recovery. Talk to a caring intake counselor at Memphis Recovery today by calling 901-272-7751 and learn how recreation can help you build a better life.
