Experiential Therapies
Experiential therapy is a category of therapy that is associated with activities and movement rather than traditional psychotherapy. It is a therapeutic approach that revitalizes patients to describe and address undisclosed or subconscious problems through activities and actions. Some examples of experiential therapy include:
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Art therapy
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Outdoor therapy
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Yoga & Meditation
Patient under an experiential therapy undergoes activities that provide therapists the opportunity to observe patients in positions where the patient is not fixated on the therapy itself.
Advantages of Experiential Therapy
There are countless of advantages from experiential therapy, but perhaps the its best aspect is that it removes the patient’s concentration on the therapy itself. This is both learning about and healing the problem at the same time while making sure that the patient overcomes such difficulties. Some of the great benefits of experiential therapy include:
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Raises the ability to manage stress
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Decrease of anxiety
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Increases self-control
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Better communication skills
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Decrease in impulsivity and other compulsive behaviors
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Better cooperation with others
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Better interpersonal skills
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Ability to change negative emotions with positive ones
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Increased self-trust and confidence
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Freedom to identify and overcome personal hardships
Issues, conditions, and disorders that can be addressed by experiential therapy
Experiential therapy can be helpful in treating a wide array of psychiatric disorder, life problems, traumas and other issues. Experiential therapy includes:
Rehabilitation from trauma
Experiential therapy can be exceptionally helpful to people who are recovering from trauma. Emotional and psychological scars can be addressed and released through experiential therapy. It offers a safe and supportive environment where they can let go of their emotional attachments to the experience. Young adults who have been sexually or physically abused tend to respond positively to experiential therapy.
Behavioral problems in adolescents
Young adults who show behavioral problems can often greatly benefit from experiential therapy. Most of the time, they are unwilling to engage in traditional psychotherapy, thinking that adults do not fully understand and care. Experiential therapies like outdoor therapy allow troubled teens to take off their walls and let their guards down to positively benefit from the therapeutic means.
The Importance of Different Approaches to Addiction and other Conditions
There are several key factors why one should try different approaches for addiction and other conditions. One therapy may not be as effective for one patient as it can be for another. So trying different approaches and looking for something that can be individually beneficial is the preeminent goal of these forms of therapies. The principles of an effective treatment include:
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Addiction is a complicated but treatable disease that influences brain function and behavior.
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Treatment is tailored to the patient’s unique needs.
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Medications are generally a significant part of the treatment process, especially when combined with behavioral therapies.
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Treatment should also address other potential mental disorders.
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Treatment plans must be scrutinized and modified to fit the patient’s unstable needs.
The Effectivity of Experiential Therapy
Determining unresolved emotions at the root of a psychological problem, continuing trauma, addiction is the initial step to recovery. It is most effective to treat the symptoms only once the source is fully understood. A person who undergoes experiential therapy can experience healing in all aspects of their lives, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual conditions.
Experiential therapy is effective in showing patients how to cope with problems and look for solutions to remove compulsive behaviors and replace with beneficial expressions of both positive and negative emotions.
Patients are able to learn to exchange negative emotions with positive ones, moving them forward with their rehabilitation. They are able to learn how to handle problems that they may encounter in their lives. This alleviates feelings of guilt, depression, anxiety and low self-respect and allows for an improved, healthier connection and relationship with both the self and the world.
Effective experiential therapy also leads patients to have bigger confidence and remove self-destructive behavioral patterns. A patient learns to deal with the current conditions and not dwell in the past.