Addictions are among the most widespread psychological pathologies among the population, to the point that the abuse of certain substances with addictive potential is very normalized (despite their dire consequences for physical and mental health).
But, luckily, research in Clinical Psychology and Health Sciences has made it possible to develop valuable and very versatile therapeutic resources to help those who suffer from these disorders. Furthermore, a good part of the effectiveness and flexibility of these forms of intervention in patients is due to the fact that today the treatment of addictions is not seen as something that must always involve working with addicted people as individual entities, but rather involves also to other people.
In this article we are going to see what one of these therapy approaches consists of in which there is the participation of several people: group addiction treatment
Overcoming an addiction is not an individual process
Addictions have modifications in the nervous system as part of their causes; changes in the brain that have been induced by the consumption of a certain drug or by repeatedly performing an addictive behavior (for example, betting money on slot machines).
These transformations of some structures of the nervous system make the person much more predisposed to continue feeding that addiction (or even develop other new addictions in parallel), and at the same time participate in the appearance of the withdrawal syndrome: when the person carries longer than usual without satisfying the addiction, you quickly begin to feel very bad, and may even suffer psychiatric symptoms of varying severity.
However, Beyond the biomedical facet of addictions, there is also a psychosocial facet The addicted person is not only limited to suffering organic alterations generated by the pathology (tremors when spending a long time without consuming, greater sensitivity to stimuli, etc.), he or she also builds a way of living, thinking and feeling that contributes to The addiction. For example, it is very common for people with a deeply rooted addiction in their lives to direct their social life towards interaction with other people who are also addicted, leaving friendships, relationships with family, etc. in the background.
This social and contextual element, the activities, people and environments to which the person is exposed, participate in maintaining the addiction… but that means that Through this route it is also possible to help the person who wants to overcome their illness
That is why over the last decades therapeutic intervention processes have been emerging in patients that go beyond the individual. For example, through what is known as a therapeutic community, the patient is encouraged to be involved in a dynamic of activities carried out collectively and in mutual support in an open and inclusive space of people with similar problems.
But in this article we are going to focus on a specific context of group-based therapeutic intervention: group psychotherapy to help people with addictions.
The 5 keys to addiction treatment
These are the characteristics of group addiction treatment that make this intervention modality an effective resource for leaving behind drug dependence or addictive behavior.
1. Participants motivate each other
We must not forget the human component of group therapy sessions ; In them, it is easier to find people who are understanding of those who suffer from addiction, and empathy is generated. From this empathy arises the desire for the group therapy partner to overcome his or her addiction, and this is reflected in the way in which the participants relate to each other.
2. Patients have theoretical and practical information
In group therapy applied to addictions, a lot of valuable information flows about how to deal with this pathology. This information is provided by both the therapists and the rest of the attendees who contribute their experiential point of view.
3. A therapeutic experience is generated full of memorable moments, which are “anchored” in the person’s memory.
Much of the effectiveness of the different forms of therapy has to do with their ability to attract the person’s attention at key moments, so that they behave in a manner consistent with what they have learned in their daily lives.
When done in a group, group therapy dIt gives rise to many moments that remain fixed in the memory of the participants, since it is an experience rich in nuances and in which you interact with several people, each one with their story and identity. Thanks to this, many situations that patients will experience in their daily lives will evoke memories about what happened in previous sessions.
4. The expectation of talking about yourself in front of several people motivates you not to relapse.
Having made the commitment to overcome addiction in front of several people, the degree of motivation with the therapeutic process and overcoming this pathology grows
Patients are less exposed to the temptation of giving in to drugs or addictive behavior because it is only a “personal decision,” and they also begin to think about the interests of the community of which they are part and the image they have. they project on it.
5. Each person has multiple examples to draw inspiration from
Finally, we must not forget that Group therapy is also a place to find references ; people who, because of their story or their attitude, make other patients feel identified with them and see first-hand that getting rid of addiction is possible.
You may be interested: “Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources”
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