Treatments & Therapies for Addiction & Trauma

Group Therapy

The Importance of Parts

No man (or woman) is an island, but addiction, trauma, and mental health issues can be very isolating. Individual therapy is an important part of what we do at The Cabin, but one-on-one talk therapy can only take someone so far. It’s in groups that patients find community, camaraderie, and peer support that can lead to important insights and provide the framework for lasting recovery.

No one exists in a vacuum and the power of Groups Therapy is that it allows patients to identify with their peers and gain insight into their negative choices and behaviours from others who have been there. As patients form a community and learn from each other, they are better able to incorporate what they’re hearing from counsellors and therapists.

Group therapy encourages patients to establish relationships with other members, creating long-term friendships and improved self-awareness. While away from family and loved ones, during inpatient treatment, this group of imperfect people can mimic the family of origin, allowing issues to surface and be dealt with. As they work together to find freedom from addiction, trauma, and other mental health issues, they are reminded that they are not alone.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive processing therapy is a specific evidence-based model of cognitive behavioral therapy focused on reducing symptoms of complex trauma and PTSD. This form of therapy is typically delivered in 12 sessions and helps patients develop a greater understanding of where their thoughts and ideas around an event become ‘stuck’ and provides healthier ways of thinking about a traumatic event or events that they may have experienced in the past.

The therapy is founded on the principle that trauma symptoms develop because of a conflict between beliefs the patient had before a traumatic event and the information they retain after the traumatic event occurs. At The Cabin we believe cognitive processing therapy (CPT) to be an effective treatment for trauma and PTSD. Used effectively it can help change the way you think about traumatic events. It gives you skills to transform how past trauma impacts your life today. The Cabins cognitive processing therapy program for trauma is used in one-on-one therapy and group counseling.

Internal Family Systems

Community Is The Key

Internal Family Systems, or IFS, is a therapeutic approach that helps people heal by acknowledging, accessing, and loving their protective and wounded inner parts. IFS suggests that all of us have a core Self that knows how to heal, and IFS helps patients move toward internal and external connectedness.

As can often happen with members of a family, the inner parts that make us whole can become fragmented and some of these parts may become forced from their normal, helpful states into extreme roles within us. IFS therapy posits that our inner parts contain valuable qualities, and our core Self knows how to heal, moving us toward becoming integrated and whole. At The Cabin we use IFS to help patients address and reintegrate these parts into a healthy Self. During treatment patients focus on these separated parts, and with the help of their therapist engage in a process of shifting into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence, and compassion as a means of fostering reintegration.

IFS is now evidence-based, and has become a widely used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing and empowering perspective, and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with patients in a variety of contexts. Internal Family Systems sees the therapist’s job as helping the client to disentangle themselves from their parts and access the Self, which can then connect with each part and heal it, so that the parts can let go of their destructive roles and enter into a harmonious collaboration led by the Self.

At The Cabin we use IFS to allow clients to recognize that people are whole underneath the amalgam of their parts. Each of us has a true self or spiritual center, known as the Self that is distinct from its individual parts. Even people whose lived experience is dominated by parts have access to this Self and its healing qualities. IFS explicitly recognizes the spiritual nature of the Self, allowing the model to be helpful in spiritual development as well as psychological healing. The Cabin recognizes the importance of this deeply healing process and its creative and variable approach to increase self-harmony and well-being.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

The Cabin is world-renowned for the use of state-of-the-art methodologies to treat unresolved emotional trauma. One of these methods is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an effective therapy for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other past trauma. Talk therapy alone is not enough to resolve the chronic symptoms left behind by the survival reaction to trauma. Nearly all patients who receive EMDR therapy report greater general wellness and significant decreases in trauma-related symptoms. EMDR is a powerful, effective, and safe method for alleviating the long-term psychological impact of traumatic experiences. The Cabin uses EMDR in a unique way by integrating it with Internal Family Systems therapy, which allows the therapy to more effectively minimize or eliminate psychological trauma.

EMDR changes the way the brain responds to external stimuli. Therapy normally involves sensory input such as changing lights, gentle buzzing from handheld devices, or sounds heard through headphones. As the sensory input switches back and forth from right to left, a patient tries to recall past trauma. Though the memories of the trauma remain, the chronic bodily and emotional reactions to the trauma dissolve. Much research and many studies have been done on this approach, and it has been found to be safe and effective when administered by trained professionals. That’s why we make sure that our clinical team’s expertise includes administering EMDR, particularly in the treatment of psychological trauma.

Mindfulness

A Truly Healing Wellness Environment

Long before it became a trendy buzzword, the concept of “wellness” was a foundational principle in our treatment process at The Cabin. Those who suffer from addiction, mental health issues, or trauma can often make unhealthy lifestyle choices that harm themselves and bring imbalance to their lives. The Cabins wellness program and holistic methodologies help ensure patients don’t just find short-term recovery but physical, mental, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional health.

Holistic Healing with The Cabins Model Through its groundbreaking efforts The Cabin has distinguished itself as a wellness pioneer in the holistic treatment of different issues. As patients learn to discern healthy choices from unhealthy ones, their self-esteem grows, helping them create appropriate boundaries in relationships, live in moderation, and realize their inherent value. Armed with an understanding of their self-worth, patients are empowered to see themselves and their shortcomings in a self-reflective light that helps them take responsibility for their decisions and ultimately achieve wellness.

Mindfulness can also be practiced in everyday situations to improve emotional, mental, and physical health. The Cabin incorporates mindfulness techniques and practices into many treatments, from lectures and practical exercises to its emphasis on meditation and yoga. While it isn’t always called “mindfulness,” much of the therapeutic work at The Cabin serves to increase mindful awareness and acceptance of various bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts that might have caused pain or suffering in the past.

At The Cabin east really does meet west. We are proud of our dedication to using holistic methods and our reputation for incorporating ancient healing methods from our home in SE Asia. Mindfulness meditation is an ancient practice of Buddhist monks, this meditative time involving attending to the present moment with non-judgmental acceptance. We find that our use of this holistic practice and ancient healing method fosters an open, curious and non-judgmental approach to life’s challenges, providing a key component to the trauma and addiction recovery process

Expressive Arts Therapy

Therapy Through Creativity

A distinguishing characteristic of The Cabins treatment process has always been our focus on integrating holistic methods into our therapies. Expressive Arts Therapy encourages patients to express themselves through a variety of activities that can help them process what they learn during their group and individual sessions.

When patients are given a creative, unstructured environment for personal expression, they experience a freedom that allows them to unearth and dissect their inner feelings, which is an important part of the healing process. By using images to communicate, patients often better express their feelings than if they were to convey those emotions verbally.

Embedding art and self-expression into therapy has many significant advantages for patients including giving them the ability to share perceptions they can’t typically express with other therapy methods.

The Cabins Secularized 12-Step Principles

Here at The Cabin, we recognized the value of integrating the 12-Step approach into the treatment process and were the first treatment program to secularize The 12 Steps and integrate them into cognitive behavioural therapy. This unique secular fusion has been one of the cornerstones of our addiction treatment model for over a decade and is recognized around the world. Our unique interpretation includes a variety of broadly applicable principles that can help patients modify negative behaviours, prevent relapse, and maintain lasting recovery.

Our approach to the 12 Steps focuses on the philosophy of universality, the theory that no one is alone in the world. As patients are guided and supported by our staff, they can let go of shame and guilt – underlying factors behind all addictive behaviours. We provide optional real-world access to 12 Step meetings in Chiang Mai as part of your recovery program. As patients release their emotions in the safe environment fostered by the group, they can process their thoughts and experiences. Patients can realize their mistakes and recognize the situations that led them to addiction.

For over ten years we have incorporated our secular 12-Step process into our treatment model by having patients complete their first step during the first two weeks of their treatment. Clients can choose to continue to attend many of the daily 12-Step meetings throughout the duration of therapy if they wish. The Cabin offers access to over fifty 12-Step meetings located in Chiang Mai for various needs, as well as gender-specific meetings.

When patients leave The Cabin, we often direct them to local 12-Step meetings in their home cities as one of their treatment recommendations and as part of their continuing care plan. Many clients benefit from finding a home group, obtaining a sponsor, and completing personal work as a way to help prevent relapse, teach better self-control, and reinforce lasting healing.

Physical Fitness Training

Therapy Through Exercise

At The Cabin physical fitness plays a key role in your treatment program as we know how this fosters both self-discovery and a connection with purpose and discipline. The Cabin will ensure that your return to peak performance is supported by an individual personal training program designed to enhance your physical well-being designed to help you develop resilience, boost your self-esteem and help you to build strength whilst in treatment.

Whether it’s about losing weight, gaining weight or developing core strength, at The Cabin, we offer a broad range of physical therapy options as part of our addiction treatment method. These include:

// Yoga
// Personal Training
// Mountain Biking
// Aqua Fitness
// Body Combat
// Muay Thai

Each of our clients is provided with a uniquely customized programme tailored to their individual tastes and requirements, and this is augmented by a full mindfulness therapy regimen to enhance the recovery process.

We Are Available 24/7 For You Or Your Loved Ones

Call us today, we are here to listen.

Our Admissions team is here to help 24 hours a day and is experienced in assisting others with compassion, dignity, and respect — hallmark values of The Cabin for more than 10 years. The Cabin’s Admissions Specialists are here to help you on your way to a healthier and more productive lifestyle. When you call, they will lead you through a series of questions to determine if The Cabin is a good fit, and how soon your treatment can begin. If you are interested in The Cabin for yourself or a loved one, call or fill out an admissions form today!