Group therapy is a type of psychotherapy in which a small group of people participate in the same session, who are in turn directed by a psychotherapist who is an expert in the problem they suffer from. It should not be confused with family therapy, whose main objective is to help solve relational problems in a family. Here the objective has to do with helping each person face a problem that is primarily individual in nature, but through collective action.
These types of interventions have proven useful precisely because of the positive dynamics of interaction and learning that are generated within the therapeutic group, from the feedback between all the members and also with the specialized psychologist who directs the group and organizes the sessions. Here we will see why group therapy is beneficial in cases of detoxification.
Benefits of group therapy in detoxification processes
Group psychotherapy is characterized by three defining elements: the group-type context in which it is carried out, both the individual and collective objectives, and the time frame during which it will be carried out. All of them contribute to exerting a series of benefits on the people who participate in a process of this type, through the creation of group dynamics that cannot exist in individualized psychotherapy. Taking this into account, let’s see what the benefits of group therapy are in the addiction detoxification process.
The psychological intervention framework offered by group therapies is based on the equal situation in which all members of the group find themselves, a fact that It helps participants identify with several people at the same time and not feel “alone” with their problem.
This identification contributes enormously to the interaction between group members, since they perceive themselves as equals and therefore find it less difficult to communicate and be honest about sensitive topics and share their experiences, problems or discomfort in general.
2. Hope and mutual motivation
The hope that is instilled during group therapy in group members occurs when any patient sees positive changes in other participants. That is has access to references in which the advances and progress of the therapy are seen and furthermore, these are not celebrities or idealized people, but rather individuals who go through situations very similar to one’s own, which motivates even more.
3. Altruism
Altruism is the help that group members offer to each other, while they are in turn helped by the other people who make up the group. This dynamic makes everyone feel that they have a social support network that, as it consists of several people who also motivate each other, can be more useful than the involvement of individual people.
4. Greater ease in understanding each person’s philosophy of life
Unlike what happens in classic individual therapy, group therapies offer the possibility of accessing very different points of view during each session. This makes it more likely to “connect” with one or more ways of interpreting what is happening something that can be used by therapists to understand the mentality of patients and work from the framework of beliefs and thoughts they present.
Learning in group therapies is very diverse, since there may be several members of the group who can be taken as an example or model to follow by other participants.
Some of the elements that can be learned from other people are the strategies for coping with anxiety, stress or general discomfort in the face of withdrawal syndrome, the daily living habits with which a participant faces his social problems, the detection of time of thoughts that predispose to relapse into consumption, etc.
6. Acceptance
One of the main rules established at the beginning of group therapy is that an attitude of unconditional acceptance must be maintained towards all members of the group, without judging at any time the confidences, experiences or impressions of each of them. This not only makes it possible for participants to “open up” and talk about their problems, but also helps them get out of the vicious cycle of denial of the problem in which many people who suffer from addictions settle, seeing that around them no one pretends to be perfect and have the situation completely under control.
This rule also contributes to unifying the group and allows all members of the group to feel free to share any personal complex or distressing thoughts that they try to “cover up” through drug use. This unconditional acceptance among group members also contributes to a climate of brotherhood in which it is extremely easy to express anything to other members.
Group sessions are characterized by being made up of small groups, a fact that contributes to the freedom both to share confidences and to put strategies into practice and train or represent any type of situation whose resolution must be practiced.
If you want to overcome an addiction and want to start treatment, contact our team of professionals.
In Therapeutic Forum Seville We intervene from psychotherapy and medicine to provide comprehensive support to our patients, both in cases of drug addiction and behavioral addictions without substance use.
