Addiction counselors

Guided meditation training for addiction counseling

Addiction counseling isn’t easy.  Whether you work in drug, sex, food or gaming addiction counseling, helping people create the new emotional & behavioral associations they need to avoid destructive habits can be frustrating.  However, using guided meditation for addiction counseling purposes can give you the tools you need to ameliorate harmful patterns of thought & behavior by remodeling the neural architecture of the addict brain.

Professional guided meditation facilitator training can enable addiction counselors to improve the effectiveness of their work, and open doors of opportunity in the modern landscape of treatment & recovery centers.

guided meditation in Recovery

Benefits of guided meditation for addiction recovery

The causes of addiction are complex and often difficult to diagnose. But no matter the cause or specificity of any particular disorder, all addictive behavior manifests itself in the reward pathways of the brain.  Using guided meditation in addiction counseling can give professionals a method to address the source of substance-abuse & behavioral addictions: brain chemistry & structure.

lessening addictive impulses

Creating anti-reward associations with addictive behavior

Depending on the addiction, creating an anti-reward association can be helpful to inhibit the addictive behavior.  For example, smoking addiction can be addressed by creating the anti-reward association with the embarrassment of smelling “like a smoker”, the image of blackened lungs or the concept of how it poisons the body.  In The Guided Meditation Framework®, we teach guided imagery techniques which can be used to promote the inhibition of addiction by utilizing the imagination to create anti-reward associations with addictive behavior.

An image of a cake made of ash & cigarettes to represent how guided meditation training can be used by addiction counselors to create anti-reward pathways in the brain
An image of a brain creating new neural connections as a result of guided immersive meditation

Positive reinforcement

Creating pro-reward associations with healthy behavior

On the flipside, building & fortifying pro-reward pathways associated with positive behaviors can improve the resilience of addicts to the pressure of subconscious & physical temptation.  In fact, replacing the negative reward of addictive behavior with the positive rewards of abstinence is a necessary step in all addiction recovery. Addiction counselors can use the methods we teach in The Guided Meditation Framework® to help addicts build new neural pathways by visualizing the benefits to their health & well-being associated with non-addictive behavior.

moving forward

Moving beyond the story

Uncovering the emotional trauma that often fuels addiction is important in understanding the cause of destructive thought processes at the heart of the addicts detrimental behavior.  However, too much emphasis on the story can leave addicts in a cul-de-sac rumination, without clear directions towards a healing future. Professionals can use guided meditation in addiction counseling to enable their clients to chart a path forward, paved with the values & goals often discovered through the insight-provoking guided meditation techniques taught in our program.

An creative representation of a woman using guided meditation training to leave her problems in the past
An image of a woman discovering a self-generated insight while doing an immersive meditation to represent how guided meditation training can be used to silence the inner critic

Self-talk

Silencing the inner critic

Negative or harmful self-talk is one of the fundamental drivers of most addictive behavior & relapses. Traumatic experiences ingrained in our survival brain or harmful belief systems adopted over time can give power to the voice of the inner critic, which clouds sound judgment and the ability to realize one’s self-worth. Meditation has been shown to produce flow state neurochemistry and reduce activity in the areas of the brain associated with self-loathing & criticism. Addiction counselors using guided meditation in addiction recovery could enable addicts to quiet the inner critic to promote self-acceptance & self-compassion in recovery.

Meditation & treatment

Guided meditation in rehab & treatment centers

Addiction treatment centers across the nation have recognized the importance of bringing meditation into the rehabilitation process.  Addiction counselors using meditation in rehabs are few in number, but are in high demand.

Food, sex, gaming, and drug addiction counseling techniques can all be made drastically more effective by integrating guided meditation to combat the psychological inertia that undergirds addictive behavior.  Addiction counselors with professional meditation teacher training will not only have a leg up on addiction but also their competition.

meditation & counseling

Start using guided meditation in your addiction counseling

If you want to learn to lead guided meditations in your work as a healthcare professional or bring much needed meditation services to practitioners around the globe, look no further.  The Guided Meditation Framework®‘s online professional training, group coaching & 1-on-1 mentorship program is ideal for healthcare professionals seeking to carve a new path for themselves in a rapidly growing industry.

Our methodology was created by results coach & clinical hypnotherapist, Heather Hayward, who has used this technique in her work with many MD’s & surgeons and those battling life threatening illnesses for years.

If you want to deepen your work & tap into the immense opportunity afforded to addiction counselors who can facilitate meditations for those they work with, watch our free training & explore the opportunity to work with us today!

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Start your journey as an immersive meditation leader.

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