How Adventure Therapy Can Help With Addiction

When it comes to addiction, not one is exactly alike and the factors or roots of their cause will vary by the individual. So then why would treatment or therapy not be…

adventure therapy can help with drug addiction - Maui Recovery

When it comes to addiction, not one is exactly alike and the factors or roots of their cause will vary by the individual. So then why would treatment or therapy not be the same? While there are certainly some powerful forms of treatment used commonly today in recovery from addiction, there are also less known holistic forms of therapy too. Nature Immersion and Adventure Therapy for example, are providing some amazing results for those seeking alternative ways of treating addiction. Mother Nature is a powerful force, and she provides great opportunities for individuals to reconnect within and all around. She may then provide the answer as to how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction for yourself or someone you love. 

How Can Adventure Therapy Help With Addiction?

In knowing how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction, a better understanding of what it is and how it works is important. According to Wikipedia, Adventure Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that was created as early as the 1960s. It is influenced by a variety of learning and psychological theories, with experiential education as the underlying philosophy. This type of experiential therapy uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic healing process, such as recovery with addiction. Adventure Therapy helps promote healthy identity development, self-efficacy, grit, and a growth mindset for the individual as well as ample opportunities for personal development. Adventure Therapy provides participants with ways to better understand their thought processes, behaviors, and coping strategies with addiction as well. Often, an individual’s approach to solving problems in therapy will mirror the coping strategies they employ in other settings. Adventure games have been shown to improve mental health by allowing team members to express their true selves with increased self-esteem and self-compassion. In addition, studies found an increased feeling of social connectedness, something very beneficial to anyone with addiction and/or depression. By providing an outlet for team members to express themselves, Adventure Therapy can help improve mental health.

Adventure Therapy options have come a long way, as more and more pioneers have dedicated the much needed time and research into this successful type of therapy. Professional organizations, such as Maui Recovery and The Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council for example, are committed to accreditation, best practices, effective treatment, evidence based research and monitoring risk management. With an estimation of more than 10,000 clients and their families who participate in over 100 Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare programs in the United States alone each year, success seems affirmative. Adventure Therapy rehab can be defined as the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals in a supportive setting. And in fact, a rehab center with Adventure Therapy can kinetically engage clients on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels to better support their mental health and awareness. Adventure Therapy does three things very well for struggling individuals; assess the core issues, help the individual develop coping strategies, and most importantly help the individual create positive self love and hope for the future. While modalities may differ based on location, the goal is the same- to provide opportunities for clients to reconnect with nature, their surroundings, and themselves. Adventure Therapy success in Hawaii is no surprise, as these beautiful islands provide the perfect landscape for creating a path toward recovery. 

Let Maui Recovery Show You How Adventure Therapy Can Help With Addiction

Located in Maui, Hawaii- our luxury rehab center is like no other. Utilizing our idyllic location, Maui Recovery serves as the perfect backdrop and environment for our clients seeking healing and transformation from addiction. Let Maui Recovery show you, or someone you love, how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction. With addiction, it’s important to understand the sooner the better when it comes to finding treatment. Not all addiction rehabs are created the same, so having due diligence in researching a potential addiction facility is key. At Maui Recovery our 12 bed facility is an intimate, nurturing and serene space with three houses on property. Our facility is ideally suited for men and women over the age of 18, whether they be residents of Hawaii, the Mainland, or other countries. We also offer a special kamaaina rate to residents of the Hawaiian Islands. On the magical island of Maui, our clients seeking recovery from addiction undertake their own Hero’s Journey to overcome their struggles and find the purpose- the passion of their lives! 

What Makes Maui Recovery Unique:

  • Centrally located pristine, private, and tranquil setting.
  • Integration of Hawaiian culture and traditions in therapy.
  • Experienced professionals that make up our team of profound care.
  • Inclusion of neurobiological factors in diagnosis and clinical care.
  • Deep Cathartic Emotional work targeting buried and repressed shame, pain, grief, anger, guilt and low self worth that often cause compulsive behaviors and addictions.
  • Adventure Therapy twice weekly including excursions throughout Maui & Surf Therapy.
  • Codependency therapy that addresses the dysfunction of the self thru the family system.
  • An inward psychological program that focuses on Jungian Concepts, Hero’s Journey- Mythic-poetic life of understanding deep internal universal spiritual truths and true individuality.

At Maui Recovery we KNOW reversing the breakdown of mind, body, and spirit that alcoholism and addiction create is real and possible. We KNOW how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction because we have seen true healing and sobriety with our clients that can last a lifetime. Our team of experienced professionals help walk our clients their own path of recovery when and how often they need. 

Maui Recovery Offers Incredible Adventure Therapy Opportunities

At Maui Recovery, we provide a variety of incredible Adventure Therapy opportunities or treatments to help invoke the inward healing process. Therapy that can aid clients in experiencing healing discoveries and a potentially life-saving “shift” toward a core of self love. How Adventure Therapy can help with addiction comes as no surprise because they provide tools to help shape a better understanding of how someone can heal themselves and improve their life. More often than not, clients leave with a much greater understanding of their own Identity- who and how they are. Powerful tools such as how to discuss their feelings, make a greater connection with others, and where they fit into the world can be found. Adventure Therapy provides opportunities such as snorkeling, outrigger canoeing, horse riding, hiking, and agricultural work within a connected community all within the shores of paradise. Below are some of the incredible Adventure Therapy opportunities offered by Maui Recovery. 

Nature Immersion: So often, the person struggling with addiction feels lost and devoid of a healthy sense of self or purpose in their lives. Nature Immersion shows how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction. It can be powerful and transformative when the struggling person begins to understand the deeper significance of certain experiences. Nature has been shown, in a multitude of studies, to be both beneficial and important for positive mental health. These studies have shown that as long as people feel safe, time spent in Nature is an antidote for stress. It can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune system function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood. Whether it be the quieting of the Ego/Mind, separation from a triggering environment, or listening to soothing sights and sounds- Nature Immersion helps to reconnect within. Therefore, allowing opportunity to find the root cause(s) of which addiction was allowed to grow internally in the first place. 

Hawaii’s Renaissance Man: George Kahumoku Jr, is a multiple Grammy & Hoku Award winning master Slack Key Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, performer, farmer, teacher, artist and sculptor, storyteller and writer, and entrepreneur. Maui Recovery utilizes the spectrum of opportunities needed for our clients struggling with addiction to engage with themselves, each other, and the environment. One unique form of Adventure Therapy, and great perspective from connections that can be made, is through team work on a bountiful farm. The clients at Maui Recovery assist on his farm in Kahakuloa, which is a sacred native Hawaiian Area. Maui Recovery clients can engage in agricultural work on our Renaissance Man’s farm during the day, and share a meal from what they harvested at night. George and some of his family members perform live music while everyone enjoys a meal together to finish the cultural experience. After the meal, George performs music for our clients and Facebook live with literally millions of followers watching. There is no doubt, experiences like these are just an example of how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction!

Surf Therapy Option: The physical challenges of surfing parallel the emotional and mental processes that many clients struggling with addiction have long avoided. For those who are removing themselves from addiction for example, surfing is a metaphor for balance. Therefore, allowing clients to think outside the box as they learn how to balance their internal processes. A very recent development is psychotherapy treatment, Surf Therapy has proven to be quite a successful option in recovery for mental health. Today, psychiatrists find relevant uses for Surf Therapy programs to treat addiction, depression, and substance abuse. It is also widely used for veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). From a scientific standpoint, ocean water can have a calming effect on the human mind because it is filled with positive ions. Combined with natural characteristics of color, (blue has the ability to distress the mind and make us feel at ease) the beach is a perfect place for Adventure Therapy treatment in Hawaii.

Outrigger Canoeing: If you have ever seen a postcard from Hawaii, you’ve probably seen an outrigger canoe. One of the unique opportunities that can be found at a rehab center with Adventure Therapy is outrigger canoeing. These long and sleek vessels are traditional canoes that native Hawaiians have used for centuries. Today, they’re used for Adventure Therapy options such as whale watching and canoe racing. Clients in search of connection and recovery will learn about the island of Maui, right from its beautiful waters. At Maui Recovery, we offer a safe, nurturing, and healing environment that provides a sense of peace for anyone seeking freedom from addiction. A space for individuals to find the serenity to do their own meaningful inner work, while growing spiritually as part of a supportive family community. There’s a reason for the Adventure Therapy Success in Hawaii, come find out for yourself! 

Equine Therapy Option – Equine Therapy also helps a suffering individual learn about the importance of boundary setting when in recovery for addiction. Horses are not shy when it comes to letting someone know when their personal boundaries have been crossed. If you approach a horse with aggression, they will communicate with you instantly that your behavior is not acceptable. Also, if you are too emotionally detached, communication with the horse will become a struggle. Individuals in recovery from addiction may struggle to set healthy boundaries at first, but Equine Therapy allows clients to practice this skill-set. While there is no replacement for counseling, understanding how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction can be made through the Equine Therapy experience.  

At Maui Recovery, we welcome, nurture, and care for individuals and families through their journey of recovery from addiction by empowering their restoration and healing. We provide dynamic programs such as Adventure Therapy that address the Whole Self, without a focus solely on the disorder or addiction. By transforming a shame core to a love core and cultivating meaningful human connection, intimacy, and purposeful living- sobriety can be life long lasting. Only by seeing and experiencing these incredible forms of treatment, can one understand how Adventure Therapy can help with addiction. Maui Recovery takes pride in being the only recovery facility to offer such amazing opportunities for healing and transformation. 

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If you’re struggling with an addiction, or know a friend or family member who is, reach out to one of our experts today. We’re here for you.

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