Narrative Therapy Addiction Treatment in San Diego
The National Alliance of Mental Illness reports that one in five adults experiences a mental health concern every year in the U.S., and one in 20 are living with a serious mental illness. That includes substance use disorders and other addiction issues.
Treating mental health disorders requires a variety of medical and psychiatric approaches. No single treatment is the answer for every individual with an addiction disorder.
Helping people learn the skills they need to maintain lasting wellness requires a comprehensive treatment plan. Narrative therapy is one way to help people become more empowered to participate fully in their own road to recovery.
Contact Pacific Bay Recovery at (619)-350-8220 to learn more about narrative therapy treatment in San Diego, CA.
What Is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative therapy treatment is a form of psychiatric counseling that helps clients change unwanted behaviors and challenge unhealthy beliefs they may have about themselves or others.
While it is not intended to relieve people from personal responsibility, narrative therapy also does not seek to blame or shame. Instead, it encourages individuals to view any destructive behaviors from a neutral perspective.
By removing judgment, clients can more easily see how their thinking and behavioral patterns are working for them — or working against them. Instead of being paralyzed by guilt or blame, they can consider their own behaviors and the behaviors of others through a less emotional lens.
Narrative therapy helps people widen their view of self and change any unhealthy behaviors that are blocking their progress.
The core aspects of narrative therapy include:
- Discovering which beliefs have caused problems in your life (your narrative)
- Breaking down your narrative into manageable pieces
- Rewriting your personal script and the dominant storylines in your life
- Expanding your perspective to create a healthier narrative
- Recognizing that what is true for you might not be true for someone else
- Separating yourself from your problems
- Finding purpose in your new healthy narrative
Narrative therapy specialists work with individuals, families, and couples to help them redefine themselves and understand they are not their problems. For example, a person with a fentanyl use disorder is not a “fentanyl addict.” They are a person with an addiction — just as someone else may be a person with high blood pressure or a person with a learning disability.
Learning to see themselves as an individual with an addiction instead of the embodiment of addiction can open the door to changing behaviors.
If you think narrative therapy would benefit you or someone you know, call Pacific Bay Recovery today at (619)-350-8220.
How Does Narrative Therapy in San Diego Help with Addiction Disorders?
Shame, guilt, isolation, and loneliness are common experiences among people living with addiction disorders. Trauma, family dysfunction, and poor self-esteem are also common. All of these influences can contribute to addiction.
San Diego narrative therapy addresses these issues and more. Narrative therapy helps people with substance and alcohol use disorders identify their strengths and build their self-esteem.
Reevaluating your personal narrative provides an opportunity to understand your story from a different perspective. With the help of narrative therapy, someone who has lived with trauma may be able to see that the triggering traumatic event was not their fault. They are not to blame. “Rewriting” their personal script can naturally reduce the desire to use substances or practice other self-harming behaviors.
Narrative therapy treatment helps people learn to value themselves. When a person believes they have value, they are more inclined to behave in ways that align with their personal goals. Narrative therapy alone may not be the answer to recovery. However, it is an effective therapeutic approach that may accelerate a person’s growth and healing.
Pacific Bay Recovery offers narrative therapy treatment in San Diego. Call us at (619)-350-8220 to get started.
What to Expect from a Narrative Therapy Session
The process at a narrative therapy clinic is similar to other types of talk therapy. To start, the therapist may ask questions to help you identify the stories in your life that are most problematic. Therapists focus on three primary components.
1. Respect
Individuals with addiction disorders often struggle to see themselves as persons who deserve respect. Narrative therapy specialists are especially careful to treat clients with dignity regardless of their situation. The goal is to show clients they may have a problematic story, but they themselves are not the problem.
2. Non-Blaming
Being stuck in blame can delay personal growth. Whether you are blaming yourself or others, blame is unproductive behavior. Instead, a narrative therapy specialist will help clients explore their life stories and actively work to change negative thoughts without identifying who caused which problem.
3. You Are the Expert
It is common to rely on a therapist to be the expert. Therapists are highly trained mental health professionals, but no one is more capable of making a positive impact on your life than you are. Narrative therapists reinforce the idea that clients are the writers of their own stories, not abusers, neglectful parents, ex-spouses, or even doctors and psychiatrists.
Narrative therapy is a collaborative process where the client is encouraged to explore their life events and learn to trust their own expertise.
Are you looking for narrative therapy in California? Call (619)-350-8220 and talk to a Pacific Bay Recovery specialist for more information.
Where Can I Find a Narrative Therapy Center in San Diego?
Pacific Bay Recovery provides San Diego narrative therapy treatment because we understand the powerful impact it can have on a person’s life. Building a constructive client-therapist connection can be challenging in the best of circumstances. People who have experienced the traumas commonly related to substance use disorder may have an even more difficult time learning to trust themselves or a mental health professional.
Being treated with respect and encouraged to recognize their own strengths can be a new experience for some people, especially those with mental health concerns like substance use disorder. Narrative therapy fulfills an important role in treating addiction disorders.
To learn how narrative therapy could help your recovery, call Pacific Bay Recovery at (619)-350-8220.
