All You Need To Know About Codependency

A psychological construct that involves a kind of unhealthy relationship which people share with those who are closer to them is called co-dependency. This blog focuses on the various ways codependency can be a great problem in relationships. But then you must be strong enough to recognize the signs and indication of the codependency. It makes a person feel worthless and it lowers down the self-esteem. People tend to project their image as a perfectionist and thus making themselves responsible for enduring more burden on their shoulders as compared to their partners. These people always look for validation or else may depict traits of controlling or possessive behavior. They also start giving more importance to others rather than themselves and they do it by denying their needs and existence. This is another form of abuse and must be dealt with appropriately.

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How to Create Your Own Meditation Space in Your Home

Meditation has many advantages and the primary ones being recharging the mind and body and also improving clarity and boosting concentration. In case you are already meditating, the blog shows how you can still improve it. First of all, you need to create a private place which allows you to disconnect from stress and internal worries. Using this meditation space, you can release your stress and find serenity. You can also choose a place where you get the morning sunlight. In case you have a smaller house, you need to make room by replacing a lavish sofa with comfortable chairs and using wall cabinets in place of freestanding bookshelves. In case you have a huge spacious house, you need to meditate at a place which is free of distractions. Avoid places where you are near the traffic and ensure that you are keeping your meditation space neat and clean of all the clutter. Using fragrant candles also will help enormously.

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Neurofeedback and Young Adults

The clinical professionals at the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows understand the enormous complexity of how the human brain functions in young adults, aged 18-26. Addictions, psychological trauma, and certain mood disorders often surface during this time period in a person’s life and may be connected to the presence of a dysregulated brain stem. In recognizing this crucial aspect of recovery, we utilize proven treatments to help regulate our patients throughout the healing process, which allows them to embrace long-term recovery.

Neurofeedback (NFB) is an integral part of our treatment plan and the core of our onsite Brain Center at the Claudia Black Center. In our Brain Center, our young adults have access to the latest and most efficient technology designed to promote “self-regulation” skills that can enhance and expedite the recovery process. Neurofeedback provides the patient with an opportunity to observe and influence the activity of their brain through practice and feedback. Both the addicted patient and those with a trauma history learn to self-regulate and develop a feeling of internal control and a sense of safety. Additionally, patients with ADHD learn how to produce the brain wave patterns associated with focusing, which cause the symptoms of impulsivity and distractibility to lessen.

Because of life stress, the brain creates unhealthy patterns that influence people’s everyday lives. With neurofeedback, individuals can reestablish healthier brain wave patterns that decrease anxiety, lessen depression, lessen emotional reactivity, and increase healthy emotional responses, improve mood, enhance learning, strengthen concentration, gain more restful sleep, lessen negative self-talk and increase self-esteem. In essence, neurofeedback is brain wave training and a means to overcome conditions and habits that interfere with everyday life. For neurofeedback to be effective, a minimum of 8 sessions and ideally 10 or more are required.

Once a young adult has completed the intake process at the Claudia Black Center, a brain mapping assessment is performed. During the brain mapping assessment, electrodes are placed on the patient's scalp to monitor brain activity for a short period of time. The data obtained from the electrodes provides a detailed brain map of the patient's brain waves and the specific locations of activity in the brain. This process takes a total of four minutes; one minute each for the first 3 mini mappings with eyes open and one minute for the last mini mapping with the eyes closed. This gives better insight into how the brain functions during different states of arousal.

Neurofeedback treatment follows the initial brain mapping assessment. During the session, which is typically 6-12 minutes, electrodes are applied to the client's scalp to collect brain wave data. Brain waves are translated into images and sounds via a specific computer. As patients watch their brain pattern on a monitor, they can begin to regulate the Alpha, Beta, and Theta waves with the use of breath, positive self-talk, and being present with a soft focus. Concepts are also suggested to the patient to think about to show the changes in brain activity. When certain thoughts arise or when feeling stress, the suggestions are then provided to help change brain wave activity. This teaches the patient skills to regulate the brain stem on his or her own outside of the neurofeedback session.

Sarah, a patient at the Claudia Black Center, came to treatment for substance abuse, depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidal ideation and she was experiencing horrific nightmares. After 14 neurofeedback sessions, Sarah’s nightmares were gone and she was sleeping well. Her affect was brighter and her self-esteem clearly improved. This was demonstrated by how she carried her body, how she dressed, and her interaction with peers. Sarah was so excited about her neurofeedback that when her parents came for family week, she made a point of bringing them to the Brain Center to see the neurofeedback machine and to meet me.

Jon, another patient, was in treatment for substance abuse, predominantly alcohol and marijuana, and co-occurring depression. He, like most of the young adults at the Claudia Black Center, was struggling with poor self-esteem. He felt overwhelming guilt and shame about never being good enough: not manly enough to receive his father’s love. Jon was stuck in his obsessive negative self-talk. To help him, I implemented a protocol specifically for issues with self-esteem and being stuck. I used a neurofeedback game called “variable-dot mazes” which, in essence, is like Pac-Man. Jon’s Pac-Man was not moving, he was stuck, but as he started using positive affirmations of his self, Pac-Man began to cruise. We kept that protocol up for his last 5 sessions with excellent results. When he left after 10 sessions, he had reduced his Theta and Beta waves and increased his Alpha waves. Neurofeedback helped him feel better about himself; feel more empowered and helped him recognize that he had choices.

Neurofeedback is an incredible asset to the treatment process and allows patients to maintain a strong, clear mindful intention for their desired outcome.

Written by Simone Mays, Neurofeedback Technician

Claudia Black Young Adult Center

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The Role of Community in a Treatment Setting

Nothing is more important in life than the connections we make with others. In recovery, having a tribe of people you can count on when things are both good and bad, is imperative for all ages.

For young adults, developmentally it is still their peers who have the strongest influence on them. This makes the need to cultivate a sense of community within their treatment setting vital.

At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, our clients’ age group (18 – 26) the intentional use of community allows this aspect of their development to be utilized in a positive manner.

Community is built into the daily structure at the Claudia Black Young Adult Center; in fact, it’s the heart of the program. It begins upon admission with peer mentorship. An individual who has been in the program for a significant amount of time is designated to be the peer buddy for the newcomer. This person helps the newcomer become familiar with the geography of the program, and to allay any fears of being in treatment.

Community meetings occur each morning as peers and staff come together to share feelings, express gratitude, and set intentions for the day.

The evening Tenth Step gratitude meeting is the last group of the day in which they have the opportunity to engage in inward reflection, own behaviors that were harmful, and make self-amends or amends to peers within the support of the group. They often express gratitude citing healthy recovery risks they took that day, and acknowledge their peers, staff, and family.

Daily Opportunities

Our young adults come to treatment emotionally isolated and disconnected, with severe self-loathing and the belief that no one will ever see any value in them. Consequently, realizing their value and worth often stems from their connections with others with a similar history.

This can be seen in the case of Cassie. Cassie enters treatment agoraphobic, depressed, has urges to self-harm, and is afraid to come out of her room let alone attend group. She is adamant that she is in the wrong treatment setting. The staff invites the female community at the Claudia Black Center to hold a group meeting in her room to talk about their own fears of coming to treatment. As a result, Cassie feels less fearful, not so alone, and realizes that the other girls have huge fears too and later that evening she attends her first group and decides to stay in treatment. The girls that created this safe setting for Cassie also have their own experience of practicing a twelfth step, often for the first time.

Another example is that of Riley who spends the first two weeks in treatment telling his peers how he isn’t sure why he needs to be there despite his use of cocaine and marijuana which is threatening his college sports scholarship. Riley also distinguishes himself differently from so many others professing he comes from the “perfect” family with a story to match it. The group has witnessed him ignoring program policy by using a cell phone and sneaking visitors on campus after hours. In a regular morning community meeting, several of his male peers tell him how his behavior not only impacts his recovery but theirs as well. This use of community is a major influence in disrupting Riley’s denial and lack of accountability. As a result, Riley owned the many rules he was breaking, made amends to his peers, became tearful and revealed his father, in fact, was in prison and he had not had contact with his mother in months and she did not even know he was in treatment. The community responded by extending their hands to Riley and his roommate shared, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Riley.” Community helps our young people to not feel alone in their experience and to realize that many of their peers in the group have felt the same way.

Then there is Sam. Sam is scared to invite his dad to family week. His peers know this, and he asks a couple of the guys if they would come and sit next to him when he makes the call to his dad. Those guys told several others, and as Sam calls his dad he is surrounded with love, compassion, and the strength of his peers.

Community through Service

Community is also about having a sense of purpose larger than ones’ self and providing the opportunity to be of service to the outside community. We offer multiple opportunities for our young adults to give of themselves to those who are in need and less fortunate. On a monthly basis, a group of the Claudia Black Center’s young adults will go to a nearby city to participate in the preparation and feeding of over 500 homeless on a given night. When there are community activities such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt or Christmas giveaways for disadvantaged children in the local community the young adults are quickly asked to participate having already demonstrated their eagerness to participate. The experiences are most often humbling and they find it an honor to be of service. Such community service offers a different perspective on their own challenges, which fuels their gratitude for their own blessings.

In reality, at the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we are creating a community that allows our young people to work through various challenges in treatment, which prepares them for the same challenges in which they will be confronted with on the outside.

Written by Sonia Buchanan

Originally published: http://recoverycampus.com/role-community-treatment-setting/

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The Magic of Sand Tray

Sandtray therapy is a valued medium I use to help young adults who are trauma survivors and/or are struggling with addiction. At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center I use it with clients with early childhood complex trauma, those with attachment disruption often associated with adoption histories, those with dissociative symptoms, or major traumatic events such as sexual assaults, nightmares, and polarities around addiction. Certainly, family dynamics can be explored with this medium. For the client who is showing resistance, has poor verbal skills and/or social relational difficulties it is really useful as the sand tray becomes both a visual and a sensory tactile experience creating the ability to go deeper within and regain an internalized sense of control and safety.

The tray is a blank canvas in which the clients’ world is displayed through the use of miniature figures, which could be mythical protective figures, spiritual figures, family figures, animals, vegetation, fences, bridges, and addiction paraphernalia. The client leads the session, mindfully arranges the figures and then adds words to the story. The agitated lower brain is being calmed through tactile stimuli which are interpreted by the limbic system. This results in left and right brain integration, new neural pathways, greater nervous system regulation, less anxiety, and a stronger sense of safety.

The very touch of the sand activates the brain in that sensations travel to the prefrontal cortex which makes sense of tactile input. Both the sand and the blue color in the box trigger neurotransmitters to calm the entire body, lowering blood pressure, slowing down pulse rate and providing a greater ability to handle threatening material. All of this lessens the flight/fight response that the client is often experiencing on an ongoing basis.

Let me tell you about Emily who was attacked while hiking, raped by three men and left in the woods. Her life fell apart. She couldn’t handle the daily functions of life let alone perform at work or engage with others socially. Using the sand tray was key to beginning her trauma work. Her hypervigilance and over-arousal state were so significant she couldn’t sit with herself or with others. She was over-aroused by the tools of EMDR and was extremely dissociative.

The first session is all about creating a safe scene of what it would be like to have the sensation of calmness and safety. Safe scenes in the tray will be filled with protectors, helpers, and resources. When Emily was done, we took a picture of her sand tray, and she was to post it in her room, and also carry a picture of it wherever she was on campus. I wanted her to have this sense of safety available to her at all times.

In future sessions, once she felt that safety was on board, she started to slowly bring in details of the event to the sand tray. While she cannot change the experience, with the metaphorical figures, she can create a new internal story building resilience and empowerment. By projecting onto the tray, Emily also creates enough therapeutic distance to move into a deeper emotional state where it then becomes tolerable to release stored body energy. It is here I now use the tools of somatic experiencing therapy to release the energy, weaving somatic experiencing work with sand tray.

After four sessions using the sand tray, Emily no longer avoided eye contact, held her head down, or looked defeated and scared. Her body now had a stance of power. New beliefs about the event and herself emerged as she articulated “it’s over now…I can move forward….I am okay.” Given the nature of the trauma, Emily would need continued therapy, but she now has enough resources on board to move forward with more trauma work and the ability to use a wider range of mediums.

As a therapist being able to use mediums such as the Sandtray with trauma survivors, I get to witness the miracles of transformation.

Heidi Kaminski, MSW, LCSW is a trauma therapist at the Claudia Black Young Adult Center. While trauma-informed care is pervasive throughout the program in groups and individual sessions, clients see Ms. Kaminski specifically when they can benefit from EMDR, SE, and focused work on traumas utilizing mediums such as the Sandtray and Expressive Arts. Heidi Kaminski also has a private practice located in Peoria, Arizona.

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Repeated Exposure to Porn in Childhood Increases Risk of Sex Addiction

By Joe Turner

In a world which is becoming increasingly reliant on the internet, exposure to the explicit sexual content lurking in its dark corner is inevitable. The fact that we have a world of information at our fingertips is as harmful as it is useful, especially to curious youngsters who are just beginning to become aware of their sexuality.

Recent studies have found that a person’s first exposure to pornography happens at around age 11, with 93 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls being exposed to explicit materials before the age of 18. Studies also show that the young adult demographic regularly views pornography. Around 66 percent of young men and 18 percent of young women consume adult materials a minimum of once per week—likely more.

These statistics are strikingly different from previous years; a fact we can attribute to the modern accessibility of online pornography. No longer are adult materials only available on top shelves of grocery stores or in the back rooms of video stores; instead, they are only a few clicks away. Furthermore, it is not only the nudity associated with magazines like Playboy that is readily available online, but also depictions of explicit sexual acts.

Countless personal accounts have stated that early exposure to pornography on a brain which isn’t sexually mature can have crippling effects. Two-thirds of college students have stated that they feel that watching porn can be a healthy way of “exploring their sexuality.” But, what many don’t realize is that these can have a powerful, subconscious, neurobiological effect on their brains.

How Porn Hot-Wires the Brain

Pornography is highly addictive for a number of reasons. First, sexual arousal (from pornography or other sources) releases multiple chemicals into the brain, most notably dopamine and endorphins. These chemicals provide a sense of pleasure, craving, and a powerful emotional high on which one can become dependent. Additionally, oxytocin and vasopressin are fed to the brain; chemicals which “bind” a person’s sexual desire to the object which provided their stimulation.

This process is ideal when one engages in sexual activity with their partner. When we experience these highs as a pair then come to relate one another with the pleasurable experience over time, we begin to form a natural bond.

However, regular pornography viewing “hot-wires” this process. Instead of forming a connection to a person, the connection is formed to the act of viewing porn. Your brain recalls how and where this high was achieved, so whenever you desire sexual release, your brain itches for pornography again.

Furthermore, pornography provides an abnormal amount of dopamine to the brain; significantly more than sexual intercourse provides. When the dopamine surge subsides, the brain craves the same amount of dopamine it had taken previously to achieve the high. However, it becomes more difficult to reach the required levels without seeking out more intense pornography. This means that the viewing of “ordinary” sexual acts begins to fail to produce the same high, forcing the viewer to become involved in an endless cycle of acquiring more and more extreme pornographic material.

These skewed expectations of sexual pleasure can lead to various problems, especially at such a young age. At a time in one’s life when a person is not mentally developed enough to understand that pornography is not representative of reality, this ‘normalizes’ pornography into being the default. There are also multiple peer-related factors which lead young adults to perceive pornography as “normal.” (i.e., “everyone is doing it in pornography, therefore this must be what normal sex/relationships are like.”) It also creates an exaggerated perception of how much promiscuous sexual activity takes place in reality.

Pornography’s Impact on Young Adult Relationships

When a young adult who has been exposed to intense pornography eventually matures to the point that they want to begin dating romantically and forming romantic attachments to people, their preconceptions about what such relationships entail will likely be entirely distorted.

Pornography rarely depicts any kind of meaningful relationship as a pre-condition to sex. It reduces relationships down its primal form: sexual activity without any kind of emotional connection. This can cause:

• The belief that sexual promiscuity is commonplace.
• A lack of interest in remaining monogamous with one partner.
• Sexual objectification of people or persons.
• Increased normalization of inappropriate or dangerous sexual behaviors (and to some extent, even illegal sexual behaviors).

Studies have further shown that excessive pornography use among young adults has a direct correlation with loneliness and depression.

Over the next several years, those born around the millennium will bridge into adulthood. We are already seeing the “millennial crisis” as many young adults are ill-equipped to deal with reality due to them having unrealistic expectations of adult living; much of which has been brought on by vicariously living via social media.

This is another form of skewed perception through online sensationalism, and romantic relationships will play out very similarly. When they are unable to form a romantic attachment to someone because they are unaware of their pre-conceptions of relationships, they will revert back to pornography due to its ease of access, lack of demands, and the emotional release it provides. This then yields feelings of loneliness, as all they will have to rely on for fulfillment is visual images of a computer.

There is also a direct correlation between excessive pornography viewing and low self-esteem. When viewing pornography, the viewer will subconsciously place themselves into the ‘beta’ role, while placing the on-screen actors as the ‘alpha’. Over time, the viewer will feel conditioned to believe themselves permanently in the ‘beta’ role (Note: this is relevant to both genders).

Signs of Sex or Porn Addiction in Young Adults

Suffering from an addiction to porn or sex is not always obvious—in fact, quite the opposite. Addicts often become desensitized to their symptoms. However, there are some major indicators to be aware of.

• Do your actions negatively affect your life in any way? (If porn usage or sex stops you from working, meeting friends, hitting deadlines, meeting appointments, losing a job, lying about your whereabouts – then it’s a cause for concern.)
• Has watching porn ever affected a personal relationship?
• Do you ever continue viewing porn in spite of realization of consequences?
• Do you ever feel ashamed or guilty of looking at pornography?
• Do you often need to increase the intensity of it in order to achieve your desired outcome?
• Have you tried to cut down on pornography and failed to be able to do so?

These are all symptoms of an over-reliance on pornography or sex. If any of these situations resonate with you, then please address your issues accordingly.

It is important to remember that sex is a part of everyday life and is completely natural for young adults to be curious and to experiment. However, in order to develop a healthy sexuality, it is necessary for young adults to be equipped with knowledge, context, and understanding so as not to create a distorted need for sex, and an inability to create and maintain real intimacy.

Sex Addiction Treatment for Young Adult Men

Sexual behaviors can become particularly problematic for young men of the ages 18 – 25, frequently without them realizing it has occurred. Several factors come into play during this stage of life that can make identifying and treating the condition in this age group unique.

At Gentle Path at The Meadows, our expert staff is trained to help people overcome their sexual addiction and treat underlying conditions that can fuel sexual issues. Clinical evidence suggests that additional factors such as alcohol and substance abuse, eating disorders and financial disorders often accompany — and exacerbate — sexual addiction. Gentle Path at The Meadows has the expertise to address core trauma that drives the addictive disorders as well as treat patients with cross addictions. Call 855-333-6076 to find out how we can help.

Content Source Repeated Exposure to Porn in Childhood Increases Risk of Sex Addiction

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What Do I Do With My Child?

College can be an exciting time for many young adults; it is where they experience many firsts, including a new lifestyle, friends, roommates, exposure to new cultures and a wide-variety of principles and thinking. Unfortunately, when many students are unable to handle these firsts, they’re more likely to struggle. Insecure and unable to manage the new environment or adjustments they can become susceptible to depression and anxiety.

In fact, the average onset for many mental health conditions is around the ages of 18 to 24, when many young adults find themselves attending college. According to the 2006 American College Health Association Survey, 45 percent of women and 36 percent of men felt so depressed that it was difficult to function.

Why Do So Many Young Adults Find Themselves Struggling?

Many young adults may find themselves feeling lost because the familiar people in their lives are no longer there to reinforce their identity, this leaves the student feeling disoriented and lacking confidence in their sense of self. Academic stressors can cultivate feelings of inadequacy, this combined with outside pressure of parental expectations can quite often become overwhelming to a person who is already dealing with so much going on in their lives.

This combination of a lack of confidence and a precarious identity can lead young adults to make poor decisions regarding drinking and drugs. In fact, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) report, Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America’s Colleges and Universities, 45 percent of college students binge drink and nearly 21 percent abuse prescription or illegal drugs.

This explosion in the intensity of substance abuse among college students carries devastating consequences. Each year:

• 
  
  More than 1,700 students die from alcohol poisoning and alcohol-related injuries
• 
  
  700,000 students are assaulted by classmates who were drinking
• 
  
  Almost 100,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assaults and rapes

Dealing with the Aftermath

Young adults ages 18 to 26 often have a perception of feeling “in-between,” knowing they are free from adolescent struggles and looking for independence. When a young adult is unable to cope with the rigors of academic life and find themselves dismissed from college, they along with their parents may not know what to do. They may be asking themselves, “How do I deal with my child’s addiction issues?” “How can I help my child resolve their traumatic experience?” or even more plainly, “How can I get my son or daughter back on track for a successful life?”

It’s Time to Call the Claudia Black Young Adult Center

A key to long-term recovery for young adults is finding a way to tap into an overall sense of purpose. At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we have developed a customized approach to target this unique population. Addictions, emotional trauma, and certain mood disorders may surface during this time period in a person’s life and may be connected to the presence of a dysregulated brainstem. The Claudia Black Young Adult Center understands the enormous complexity of how the human brain functions in young adults. We utilize proven treatments to help regulate our patients during the healing process, allowing them to embrace long-term recovery.

The Claudia Black Young Adult Center in Wickenburg, Arizona, provides an intensive, experientially-based 45-day treatment program for young adults ages 18 to 26 who are struggling with unresolved emotional trauma, addiction, have a dual diagnosis or who have failed past addiction treatments. Dr. Claudia Black - renowned author, speaker, and trainer who has been working with family systems and addictive disorders since the 1970s - is the clinical architect of the Claudia Black Young Adult Center.

In a safe and nurturing community composed of their peers, young adults are guided on their journey of recovery by examining the underlying causes of addiction and co-occurring disorders. The goal is for these individuals to gain the courage to face difficult issues, including grief and loss; heal from emotional trauma; and become accountable for their own feelings, behaviors, and recovery.

Contact us today or call 866-286-0105 to learn more about how our world-class treatment program can empower your child and set them on a course for success.

Content Source What Do I Do With My Child?

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Know with Claudia Black - Why you need to have addiction?

Alcohol addiction or alcoholism is defined as the obsessive and unmanageable use of alcohol regardless of its negative impact on a person’s life. Individuals suffering from alcoholism frequently drink to excess, leaving their bodies dependent on the substance and making their lives unmanageable.

As prolonged drug use continues, it can develop into treatment for drug rehab that can severely impact an individual’s brain chemistry. When the brain begins to signal an intense physical need to continue the use of drugs, what once was recreational use becomes an urge that can rule one’s life.

Alcohol and drug addiction are two addictions that have destroyed half of the young population America. Teenagers and youth think it is cool to have the intake of alcohol which is converted into addiction. It is way to destroy life. Thus, Claudia Black is Arizona Inpatient Drug Rehab Center that helps you overcome all kinds of traumas and addictions with a soothing environment. We heal patients in such a way that it lasts for the lifetime. Also, many times it may have happened that previous treatments have failed. Thus, Claudia Black Alcohol Rehab Center Az helps the patient to overpower addiction. It is the perfect solution for all kinds of addictions and disorders.

Claudia Black is one of the best young adult Addiction Treatment Centers in Arizona.

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Eliminate Your Fears and Doubts about Drug Addiction

 
Have you ever had any kind of addiction, say drug addiction or alcohol or smoking habit? Ever thought how badly it could affect you and your family. You must think initially it seems cool but slowly and gradually it has dominated your daily routine. Habits and addictions should be something that you should be proud of, that you could off to people, not something that leaves you embarrassed in front of people. Few below mentioned are the addictions that could prove harmful to your mental peace as well as emotional peace:

1. Alcohol addiction
2. Drug addiction
3. Gaming addiction
4. Prescription medicine abuse
5. Codependency
6. Trauma
7. Disorder and depression

Claudia Black Young adult center is an Addiction Treatment Center In Arizona that helps you overcome any kind of addiction that has dominated your lives. It is spread across 14 acres 50 miles northwest of Phoenix, Wickenburg, Arizona. It is perfect place for recovery due to its landscape and view. Here, we have various kinds of therapies and treatments like:

Equine Therapy : Here we teach patients following things:

• How to communicate with someone and interact with them with confidence.
• How to overcome your emotion and do not let the dominate you. 
• How to be more positive about various things in life and how to keep hope.
• How to solve the problem rather that complaining about it.

Experiential Therapy : Our this therapy includes:

• Acupuncture to ease pain and relieve stress
• Mindful meditation for non-judgmental experience 
• Tai Chi and Yoga helps reduce stress and healing the mind and spirit.

Expressive Arts Therapy : This is the therapy where we teach young adults to express themselves through art and images rather than other traditional therapies.

Family Week Program : Family week program happens at 4th or 5th week of patient stay where family members are get together and counseling session is organized.

Small Group Sessions : Our small group session includes following :

• How to create long-term friendships and how to maintain them for lifetime
• Improves self-awareness…keeping own self-aware about physical and mental status 
• Highlights the need for change which is must to keep up with the society.

It’s just one time investment and return for life.

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Free Flight!

Details on the Free Flight Offer
Admission must occur between November 1 and November 30, 2016.
Offer is available for a one-way airline ticket for the patient to fly to Phoenix, AZ for inpatient treatment.
Flight arrangements will be made through our corporate travel agent as coordinated by The Meadows Intake Department and are not to exceed $1,200.
There is no monetary value to this offer.
Return flight arrangements are the patient’s responsibility.

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Becoming Fearless with the Help of Al-Anon

 

By the Mother of a Past Claudia Black - Young Adult Drug Treatment PatientAs my daughter does her recovery work from drug and alcohol addiction and anxiety, I too work my recovery through Al-Anon.

I won’t go into details of how my daughter and I both came to this point because I’m guessing many of you are already familiar with the scenario— failing grades, arrests, court appearances, isolation, detachment, and on and on.

I spent many fear-filled nights of insanity sleeping with my phone next to me waiting for that call parents fear most… Was she in jail again? Was she in an accident? Did she overdose? Was she dead? I received one of those calls. My daughter was in such a bad place that she couldn’t even finish her last semester of college.

Finally, I gave in to my fear, checked my ego, and accepted the help of many friends and family. With mixed emotions of anger, pain, shame, and guilt, I put aside my resentment of being forced to face my daughter’s issues, and on a Sunday morning her intervention team showed up at her college rental house. To say things didn’t go as planned would be an understatement. The well thought out plan of getting her to agree to go to treatment failed; she would not go.

I left the intervention feeling defeated and numb. What now? As hard as it was, I tried tough love and cut her cell phone service off and thus lost total communication with her. However, she still had our family dog, Bailey, at the rental house.

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Inpatient, Outpatient, or IOP?

Most psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals agree that addiction is a complex disorder caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. It can also vary in intensity; The DSM-5 defines addiction as a spectrum disorder that can be categorized as “mild,” “moderate,” or “severe.” Many other mental health disorders, like depression and anxiety, can be described in much the same way. Because there can be so much variation in the causes and severity of an individual’s disorder, there are varying levels of treatment to meet patients’ differing needs.

Generally speaking, behavioral health and addiction treatment programs can be described as inpatient, outpatient, or intensive outpatient (IOP). The biggest differences among each of the three are in the complexity and severity of the conditions they treat, the length of the programs, and the patients’ living arrangements.

What is Inpatient Treatment?

Inpatient treatment programs, also sometimes called residential treatment programs, aim to treat the most severe and complex addictions and disorders. They are full-time programs that are usually anywhere from 28 days to 6 months long. They provide patients with a controlled environment in which they can begin untangling the web of physical, emotional, and interpersonal havoc that their out-of-control conditions have wrought.

In an inpatient treatment facility, patients have no access to drugs or alcohol; so, the chances of them relapsing while they are in treatment are extremely low. They live at the treatment center—away from work, friends, and family— so that they can focus exclusively on working through their emotional trauma and behavioral and on developing new coping skills to help them succeed in their recovery.

A good Inpatient Drug Addiction Treatment center will also offer 24-hour access to medical care. (The Meadows’ programs, for example, are certified by the Joint Commission, due to their commitment to excellence in providing medical services.) They also will have experienced well-qualified and credentialed psychologists, counselors, and psychiatrists available to assess patients, develop individualized treatment programs for them, and meet with patients individually and in group settings.

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The Real Impact of Rape Culture and Sexual Trauma

When bystanders pulled Stanford University swimmer and Olympic hopeful Brock Turner away from the woman he was sexually assaulting behind a fraternity house dumpster, he laughed.

When the judge in the resulting sexual assault trial handed down a sentence much more lenient than the recommended six years of jail time, citing the “severe impact” he feared a harsher sentence may have on the 20-year-old, many felt that he might as well have laughed.

Both reactions to Turner’s crime make light of the traumatic and often devastating impact that rape and sexual assault has on its victims. The Brock Turner case opened up many fraught and painful discussions about rape culture and the way that society tends to blame victims of sexual assault and normalize sexual violence.

Many of those same wounds are being reopened this week with the news that Turner will be released from jail after serving only 3 months of a 6 months sentence. The news is not surprising—most expected him to only serve part of his sentence on a presumption of good behavior—but, for many, it’s serving as an unwanted reminder of their own sexual traumas and the ways in which their pain was silenced, ridiculed, or ignored.

The Long-Lasting Impact of Sexual Assault

Researchers aren’t sure why, but rape seems to have a more severe impact on a person than other types of trauma. It’s normal to feel some symptoms of traumatic stress for a few weeks after any experience with violence. Those who develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), however, can continue to experience problems with sleeping, nightmares, panic, severe anxiety and depression that last for months or years. As time goes on, if the person does not receive Treatment for the Disorder, the symptoms can get worse and worse, and even become debilitating.

People can develop PTSD after any number of horrific events including combat, car accidents, and life-threatening injuries, but rape victims have been found to be more likely to struggle with long-term psychological and physiological issues. They also have a higher risk of developing PTSD and related disorders.

In addition to PTSD, women who were raped have also been found to be more likely to suffer from sexual dysfunction, pain during intercourse, menstrual problems, and inhibited arousal.

Why Does Rape Have a Stronger Impact Than Other Types of Trauma?

Though no one has yet been able to determine the reason why rape has such a heightened traumatic impact, some theorize that both brain chemistry and rape culture play a role.

Cortisol, a hormone that is released in times of stress, was reported in a 2011 study to be found at higher levels in rape victims than in those of people otherwise traumatized.

The exact reason is unknown, but some researchers believe that it could be that the physical closeness of rape prompts the body to respond differently to rape and sexual assault than it does to other types of trauma.

Another possibility is that rape victims’ levels of cortisol are elevated due to the level of shame they experience—shame has been found in some studies to be linked to higher levels of cortisol. If the shame theory holds true, it further illustrates the importance of changing the way we treat rape and sexual assault victims as a society.

Recovery from Rape and Sexual Trauma

Many women who are traumatized by rape experience a secondary traumatization through the harsh scrutiny, blaming, and shaming they receive from law enforcement, family, peers, and others are often reluctant to ask for any further help. Men who are raped or sexually assaulted may be even more unlikely to report the crime or ask for help from the resulting trauma, due to stigmas related to men, sex, and powerlessness.

More must be done to help lift the burden of shame from both male and female victims of sexual assault, and raise awareness about treatment options for PTSD and other mental health issues that often result from the emotional trauma of sexual assault.

If you’d like to talk to us about treatment options for sexual trauma and related disorders, please give us a call at 866-286-0105. Our specialists are glad to answer any questions you may have and understand the importance of keeping your call strictly confidential.

Reference Source: Addiction Rehab Centers in Arizona

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Marijuana Addiction is No Joke

Can a person really become addicted to marijuana? 

You never hear of any dying from daily pot use. You certainly don’t hear about it in the same way you hear about deaths and other tragedies caused by alcohol and other “harder” drugs. And, there are some serious medical conditions for which marijuana is now believed to be an effective treatment. Additionally, the movement to legalize marijuana seems to be growing—25 states have legalized medical marijuana, while four states plus Washington, D.C. have gone even further and legalized recreational use of pot.

So, what’s the big deal?

Well…The big deal is that like any substance or activity that has the ability to alter your mood or neurological responses, marijuana can be addictive. And, like all other addictions, it can have a devastating impact on your life.

Nowhere to Turn

When people do start to feel that their marijuana use is interfering with their lives and relationships in a negative way, they often have trouble asking for and getting the support they need. Molly Hankins, in a personal essay for Nylon magazine, put it like this: “Being a junkie or an alcoholic who turns themselves over to a 12-step program, the sober lifestyle, God, whatever, registers at the David Bowie end of the addiction spectrum. Being addicted to weed barely registers as laughable and there’s no one in my life I feel comfortable talking to about it. As the era of marijuana prohibition in this country seems to finally be coming to an end, what is the popular discussion surrounding appropriate use? How much is too much? How do I stop if I want to but can’t?

Among the many excellent pointsMolly makes in her essay, her point about the need for a discussion around marijuana and addiction really hits home. The low rate of fatalities directly related to marijuana use, as opposed to heroin or alcohol use, for example, may have contributed to a general societal complacency around Marijuana addiction.

It’s important to note that even though weed may not be as fatal, statistically speaking, as heroin or alcohol, depression is often co-occurring condition that goes along with marijuana addiction. And, withdrawal from marijuana can exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Many people—like “Jake” who wrote a letter to Scientific American in 2012 describing his marijuana addiction—often end up having suicidal thoughts.

This means that the drug can, in a way, be indirectly tied to some fatalities. The drug may not be directly responsible for deaths related to suicide, but it certainly doesn’t help to prevent them. Here’s how Jake describes his experience:
“Over time, the proportion of high time to clean time became steadily more heavy on the high side. I went through several periods of suicidally. During my last six months of use the possible necessity to kill myself always seemed just a week or two away. My plan while I was at school was to jump off of a nearby parking garage. At home, I would use my dad's shotgun to shoot myself in the head. I didn't want to feel what I felt when I wasn't high. Luckily, I always got high before I was ready to actually kill myself.”

How Much is Too Much?

For those who become addicted to marijuana, "recreational use" of the drug slowly stops being fun or relaxing. The need to smoke in order to cope with life’s ups and downs and the need to hide how much you’re smoking (or ingesting) from others can have the same isolating and disruptive effects on a person’s life as any other addiction. Here are a few of the signs that someone may be dependent on the drug:

1. CravingPeople who are addicted to pot often think that they aren’t "really addicted" if they don't smoke it every day. While it’s true that marijuana addicts can go a few days between smoking again before they suffer any symptoms, it’s important to note that that’s because the chemicals in marijuana can stay in a person’s system for days. Once all of those chemicals are out of their system, subtle but serious withdrawal symptoms can start to set in. The first sign is a craving powerful enough to drive the addict to use the drug again.

2. Irritability and DepressionPeople who are addicted to marijuana find themselves becoming increasingly irritable and depressed if they go many hours without another hit. Often they don’t recognize the connection between their mood changes and the drug. After several days without the drug addicts can begin to develop severe depression accompanied by frequent crying spells. Many in recovery from marijuana addiction say the experienced a rapid and immense drop in self-confidence and self-esteem along with intense feelings of worthless and anxiety. Some even developed suicidal thoughts.

3. Loss of Ambition
While some pot users may continue to function at their jobs and their personal lives, addicts may end up accomplishing a lot less than would if they were not addicted to the drug. People who were once active and ambitious may stop participating in work, school or social functions, and lower their ambitions or drop them altogether.

4. Physical Changes
Withdrawal from marijuana can also include physical symptoms like nausea and loss of appetite. People in withdrawal often also report having sleep disturbances and nightmares that can continue over a period of months.

How Do I Stop If I Want To But Can’t?

Many people with addiction and substance use problems are afraid to ask for help because of the stigma associated with the disorder. This can especially be true for those struggling with marijuana addiction. Since many harbor the belief that marijuana is a completely harmless drug, many addicts might assume that their friends and or family members will dismiss their concerns, especially if they are marijuana users too who don’t feel that they have experienced any ill effects from the drug.

So, it’s especially important for those who fear that they may be dependent on pot to know that they are not alone - many people struggle with this particular drug in the same ways that they do. They are not imagining things—marijuana addiction is real and it can be treated. And, They are not weak - anyone can become addicted to marijuana.

Help for Marijuana Addiction

If you think that you or a loved might have a problem with marijuana, reach out for help from a therapist and a local Marijuana Anonymous (MA) group.
If the addiction is severe and is accompanied by other disorders such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder—and it often is— inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment may be needed. If so, look for a program that provides treatments that can begin to heal both the emotional and neurological aspects of addiction through trauma work, experiential therapies like equine therapy and art therapy, and brain-based therapies like biofeedback and neuro feedback.

Our specialists at The Meadows would be happy to answer any questions you might have about addiction treatment. Please call us anytime at 800-244-4949 or chat with us through our website.

Reference Source: Addiction Treatment Center In Arizona

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