Our patients’ health takes priority during the COVID-19 pandemic and our doors remain open. To read about our commitment to patient and staff safety and how to keep yourself safe during the lockdown, 
Therapeutic Meditation Programme
Primrose Lodoffersfer Meditation as part of our comprehensive rehabilitation programme for the treatment of addiction and co-occurring illnesses. The benefits of meditation have been realised for many years, yet putting it into practice can prove challenging for most. Taking time out of your day to relax and just “be” is not as simple as it sounds…or is it?
In today’s busy and demanding society, it can be difficult to grab a few minutes for yourself. Yet if you suffer from addiction or a co occurring illness, it is imperative that you do this regularly as a way of checking in with yourself and improving your clarity and focus.
The first thing to appreciate about meditation is it is as old as mankind itself. Since records began, meditation has been practised in its varying and evolving forms. Originally introduced and practised by religious groups in the 1st century, its calming and focusing effects soon became apparent. In the 3rd century BCE, Buddhist monks introduced a form of mediation known as Mindfulness. Mindfulness has been proven to be particularly effective in treating addiction and co-occurring illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Used as part of a daily routine, it can help rewire the brain’s pathways, so that the individual is able to stay focused and calm throughout the day.
The Benefits of Meditation
The practice of Meditation takes the individual”s focus off of the material world and points it firmly within. Over time, the individual will learn to find the answers, comfort and love they seek within themselves, instead of in others or in a substance. Meditation is an extremely effective and powerful tool in dealing with addiction. For a person who seeks to fix an internal condition through external means, i.e. drink, drugs, money, sex, gambling, and food, it is the meditation that can prove to be transformative.
Primrose Lodge offer daily meditation sessions to assist the individual in self calming and focusing for the day ahead. By instilling this daily discipline, it is our hope that our patients will continue to practise and grow through meditation on leaving our clinic.
Meditation offers the following benefits to those that practise it regularly:
- The individual is able to self-calm and refocus during stressful times
- Assists in breaking obsessive and negative thought patterns
- Helps in the processing of difficult and painful emotions
- Helps to clear cloudy and chaotic thinking
- Assists with sleep disorders and in restoring a restful sleep pattern
- Drastically reduces anxiety and panic attacks
- Helps to reduce muscle tension and physical pain
- Assist the individual in finding solutions to problems
- Helps connect the individual to their body, mind and soul
- Helps to lift depressive symptoms and instil a more positive outlook
As well as being a very effective way to relax and calm the mind, Meditation and Mindfulness are also extremely helpful during the detoxification process. It helps to bring the individual’s thinking into the present moment, relieving catastrophic thoughts and tension related pain in the body.
Methods of Meditation
Meditation, renowned for its therapeutic and physical effects, is recognised medically around the world. Whilst you undergo treatment at our clinic, you will be introduced to the following methods of meditation to assist you in your recovery journey:
Mindfulness
Mindfulness focuses on being present in the moment and is one of the most beneficial meditation practices used in treating mood disorders and addiction. It is particularly helpful in assisting to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and helping to detox the mind of unwanted and distressing thought patterns. Each patient will be shown how to bring the mind and body into the here and now, focusing on and experiencing sensations relevant to the process. Mindfulness can be used anywhere and at any time, by anyone. Its principles are simple and easy to follow, it can even be used whilst eating, walking or working out.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditation provides a useful medium in introducing meditation to those who have little experience in its practice. It is particularly helpful to those who are unable to focus or struggle with silence. The guided meditation takes the individual on a journey, to a safe and comforting place, where they are able to disassociate from external noise and the internal dialogue of their mind. Distanced for the material world, they are able to focus and calm through following the simple suggestions of the meditation guide. Primrose Lodge introduces patients to guided meditation through a series of tried and tested guided talks and music. Patients will be able to continue to access guided meditations through Internet sites and on CD when they return back home. It can be a useful stepping stone to more disciplined and contemplative approaches to meditation, as most will prefer to start with this assisted method. Guided meditation is best practised for complete relaxation, and can assist with falling asleep. It is therefore not recommended to be used whilst driving or operating heavy machinery.
For further information on our meditation programme and its benefits, please call today and speak to a trained addiction counsellor!