A New Approach for Addiction Treatment: 
Astara Holistic Addiction Recovery Program

Addiction is neither a moral issue nor an indication of weakness, lack of will-power or even a disease.  It is instead a symptom of larger and deeper unaddressed issues.

Based at Insight Learning & Wellness Center, the Astara approach for treating addiction with an individualized, yet holistic team approach, has been very successful in not only helping people free themselves from addiction, but also helps them move on to actualize their dreams and goals for the future. It is so gratifying to see the way our amazing clients use the program to free themselves from the prison of addiction.

In Astara's years of helping people battle addiction, we have learned that our newer, alternative approaches are working much better in treating addictions than the older, standard paradigm.

Usually, traditional outpatient models only include group work and typically focus on keeping the addiction in check through the twelve steps.  Astara, on the other hand, offers an individualized addiction therapy program - designed collaboratively with the client - and is dependent on the level and type of addiction.

Having an expert, compassionate team of professionals to treat the whole person, not just the addiction, has been a primary reason for our clients' success. Astara's holistic treatment offers a blend of cutting-edge individual and group counseling, which can also include family and partners.  Twelve-step programs are still encouraged as a treatment option, but not as the only way, since our findings indicate that different approaches work for different people.

Marilyn Wise, MEd,  LPC, LICDC-S conducts the crucial motivational interviewing, in which the client is met with respect, patience and empowerment and delivers hope, support, skills and encouragement. "We do not require abstinence to treat people and find that, for many, recovery is a gradual process of readiness, which we support," says Wise.Marilyn Wise

Marilyn is also certified in the highly effective clinical heart-centered hypnotherapy, offered by the Wellness Institute through the Cleveland Clinic. "I find it so very effective in healing the roots of addiction and other self-defeating behaviors which are often coping mechanisms to ward off painful feelings and false beliefs," says Wise.

Additionally, she has studied at the Harvard Medical School's Mind Body Institute as well as having extensive training in neurolinguistic programming, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness training and evidence-based practices that work for the long term.

Astara's exceptional team includes Sara Stein, MD and author, who has been helping clients curb their cravings, and physically strengthen their bodies through functional medicine, holistic psychiatry and nutritional counseling. She is especially effective with food addictions.

Jared West, Licensed Acupuncturist, is an integral part of the Astara approach by helping to calm and balance the nervous system through the age-old practice of acupuncture. Fred Snowden, RCST, BCPP, LMT, CR and Vicky Bodner, LMT offer Cranialsacral therapy - so helpful for those in the stress of recovery - as well as massage therapy.

In addition, we offer specialized group programming including: Yoga for Recovery classes, Mindfulness Meditation group, and the enlightening 'Living the Light' group, based on positive psychology and the laws of attraction.  

Blonde_arms_out These unique programs, as well as our extraordinary staff, are all part of how and why we are able to achieve such remarkable results. Together, our team's therapies work on multiple levels for each individual's treatment: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Evidence shows that recovery is stronger when the whole person is treated, not just the addiction. Free consultations are available to see if Astara Holistic Addiction Recovery Program is right for you or your loved one.

"I have been so honored to be an addiction counselor all these years, now more than ever before. The more I learn, through training, education and, most of all, from my clients, the more I believe in the power of the human spirit to heal and transform," says Wise.

 

Neurofeedback: Transformative and Organic

 
Neurofeedback has helped people of all ages and abilities for more than 50 years and has evolved into a powerful and easy to use tool – enabling the Central Nervous System (CNS) to train into healthier, happier patterns. One of our CNS’s main functions is to follow its organic tendency to optimize.

Neurofeedback sessions offer the brain an open window through which it can observe itself – receiving feedback about its processing. This information invites the CNS to naturally re-organize and transform old, less effective functional patterns into new functional heights in all areas of life: intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical.

After experiencing Neurofeedback training, individuals report remarkable changes in their daily experience: positive shifts in their performance at school and at work and in their personal lives.


With Neurofeedback training, people describe shifting

FROM: TO:
Inattentiveness                Focused Attention
Sadness/Depression Happy, Contented
Scattered Thinking Clarity of Thought/Action
Nervousness/Anxiety Inner Calm/Peace
Poor Self Esteem Increased Self Confidence
Cravings/Dependencies Freedom and Independence
Forgetfulness Greater Recall/Follow Through
Mediocre Performance Enhanced Performance
Recurrent thoughts Ability to Let Things be   

What is drama therapy?


Drama therapy is the intentional use of drama and/or theater processes to achieve therapeutic goals.  This creative approach to psychotherapy is appropriate for children, adults, individuals, families, and groups to treat the various concerns for which one would seek traditional therapy or counseling.  

Drama therapy is active and experiential. This approach can provide the context for participants to tell their stories, set goals and solve problems, express feelings, or achieve catharsis. Through drama, the depth and breadth of inner experience can be actively explored and interpersonal relationship skills can be enhanced. Participants can expand their repertoire of dramatic roles to find that their own life roles have been strengthened.
 
Behavior change, skill-building, emotional and physical integration, and personal growth can be achieved through drama therapy in prevention, intervention, and treatment settings.

A drama therapist first assesses a client's needs and then considers approaches that might best meet those needs. Drama therapy can take many forms depending on individual and group needs, skill and ability levels, interests, and therapeutic goals.
Processes and techniques may include improvisation, theater games, storytelling, and enactment. The theoretical foundation of drama therapy lies in drama, theater, psychology, psychotherapy, anthropology, play, and interactive and creative processes.

 


Unlike talk therapy, drama therapy gets there really fast. Role-playing -acting out issues and problems - is more effective than talking.

- Robert Landy, PhD, RDT/BCT
Director Drama Therapy Program, New York University

Under the guise of play and pretend, we can - for once - act in new ways. The bit of distance from real life afforded by drama enables us to gain perspective on our real-life roles and patterns and actions, and to experiment actively with alternatives.

- Renee Emunah, PhD, RDT/BCT Director,
Drama Therapy Program California Institute of Integral Studies

For more information see:
http://www.nadt.org/faqs.htm

Help for your marriage with the Imago Therapy

A pioneer in the field of couples therapy, Imago was initially developed by Harville Hendrix who published  "Getting the Love You Want" in 1988 and made a huge impact in the field of marriage counseling. Imago is based on both the knowledge and experience that help couples take their deepest conflicts and transform them into deep connection.

Using the Imago dialogue, couples learn more about their partner's emotional history and what the underlying reasons are for things which show up on their disagreements. They begin to understand why what they are saying really make sense in the context of their past.

Arguments between couples can be very intense. Often the intensity of emotions displayed in the relationship seems disproportionate to what seems to be the problem. (Not letting your partner know that you will be coming late home after work for example.) This intensity of feelings is explained by subconscious memories established in childhood when we, as children, felt a lack of love. It does not matter how much our parents strive to love us, their love is never experienced by the child as perfect. In addition, for the young mind, the experience of lack of love is perceived as danger.  Children learn  to protect themselves against painful feelings by developing behaviors that will become their coping skills later on in life. We grow into adulthood with an emotional map of what love is like when it is present but also with emotional scars that are felt when it is absent. It is this emotional blueprint that Harville Hendrix calls the "Imago."

 

natural remedies for anxiety

 

Reflexology

While at first glance Reflexology may seem like a simple foot massage, research has documented that the practice is beneficial for a wide range of health conditions.  Besides soothing tired feet, reflexology reduces stress and provides relief from tension headaches, digestive disorders, arthritis, insomnia and back pain.  Reflexology also helps to balance the mind and body, providing calming effects that help to stabilize emotions.
 
The feet mirror the body.  Specific areas on the feet correspond to the glands, organs and all parts of the body.  By stimulating these zones, reflexology activates the healing powers of the body.  It addresses inflammation, congestion and tension within the body.
 
Benefits:

 

  • Relieves stress and deeply relaxes the body (75% of today’s diseases are attributed to stress and tension).
  • Unblocks nerve impulse pathways, stimulates circulation and improves lymphatic flow.
  • Cleanses the body of toxins & impurities.
  • Renews energy and balances the body.
  • Helps nature (the body) to achieve balance and heal itself.
  • Reflexology promotes better health and well being.


A session lasts an hour.  Certain reflexes may be tender but the actual technique is very relaxing and will not cause pain.  There are no contraindications with reflexology; it cannot make any condition worse and benefits everyone, regardless of age. To make an appointment, call INSIGHT's Certified Reflexologist Terry Carine at 216-952-4568 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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