Somatic Experiencing
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING® (SE) psychobiological trauma resolution is a potent method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It is the life’s work of Dr. Peter A. Levine, resulting from his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics, together with over 45 years of successful clinical application. The SE approach releases traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental attachment trauma.
The SE approach offers a framework to assess where a person is “stuck” in the fight, flight or freeze responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states.
It provides effective skills appropriate to a variety of healing professions including mental health, medicine, physical and occupational therapies, bodywork, addiction treatment, first response, education, and others.
Spirituality Group
Those of us who have been in the treatment field for any length of time will say that the spiritual component is THE defining factor in whether an addict or an alcoholic achieves long-term success in recovery.
That being said, at A Sober Way Home, we pride ourselves in assisting our clients to find their own way when it comes to spirituality, using our Spirituality Group as a guide.
Some clients come to our center with no formal religious/spiritual foundation of any kind. Others arrive with the desire to re-connect with the “Higher Being” of their past. Still others are simply not opposed to the prospect of finding a source of hope, love and compassion (that makes sense to THEM) to provide comfort in their lives when they most need it.
At the appropriate time, it is our job to provide the spiritual education requested no matter what stage a client may be at with regards to their spiritual well-being.
Our Spirituality Group was created out of a demand from our clients who wanted a source of information when it came to individual spiritual choices.
Nutrition Group
Our weekly nutritional group educates our clients about meaning of truly “eating well” to optimize their physical, emotional and mental well-being. Portion control, nutritional values of foods, and common benefits of balancing oneself through holistic nutrition are all discussed.
Expressive Arts Group
Our weekly Expressive Arts Group was created to encourage our clients to “think outside of the therapeutic box”. This group provides them with an end-of-week break from the classic, structured “group therapy” model and teaches them to open their minds and their spirit through various artistic expressions.
Exercises include:
– Collages of the Soul (a records of soul movement, desire, surrender, and hope)
– Facial Sculptures
– Film and Recovery “Movie Yoga” (A library of films addressing issues of spirituality and addiction that move clients with processing)
– Poet of the Soul (An experiential creative writing exercise),
– Mandala and its roots to the soul (An experiential group using music, pencils, paint, and pastels, to create mandalas and explore personal meaning and growth)
– Spirit Writing/Writing the Soul.
Most Expressive Arts groups are set to music to quiet the mind, and encourage the creative spirit to “come out and play.” We make every effort to ensure no two Expressive Arts groups are ever the same.
Eating Disorders Group
Most clients that come to A Sober Way Home’s treatment center have hidden secondary or tertiary addictions that will present themselves, very obviously, once the client is no longer able to use drugs or alcohol as an escape. Typically with women and occasionally with men, a solid fall-back addiction we see over and over is an eating disorder (usually dating back to their teenage years). Whether they simply overeat to “numb out”, restrict their food intake as a means of controlling something in their lives, eat and over exercise, or use binging and purging (usually secretly) as a means of controlling their weight, we feel these deadly behaviors must be addressed.
This group is reserved only for clients with eating disorders to provide a safe-haven for them share and be open about what drives them to use or restrict food as a mean of avoiding other feelings.
*A Sober Way Home is primarily a substance abuse program and is not an “Eating Disorder specific” treatment facility. If we determine a client has an eating disorder that has reached a more advanced stage, and will require a higher level of care, we will gladly refer them to the best treatment ED treatment centers available.