Aromatherapy & Meditation in Sobriety: How to Calm the Mind

The Power of the Senses in Sobriety

It goes without saying that overall views of people suffering from addiction are quite low, and meditation in sobriety is not often thought of when thinking of addiction. The majority of addicts are judged by the actions of the most extreme cases, which involve people resorting to criminal behavior to sustain their addictions. The reality is that not all addicts are thieves and criminals. Some are just good people who have become addicted through no real fault of their own. For instance, it’s common for people who take painkillers for conditions involving chronic pain to become addicted; it’s not entirely their fault as the alternative to taking the prescribed painkillers would be to endure excruciating pain.

The point is that there are instances when becoming addicted wasn’t necessarily a result of a person’s conscious choice to misuse mind-altering substances. Therefore, an important part of the recovery process is learning ways to overcome the effects of this brain disease, calming the mind and allowing the individual to return to a state of mental health. Meditation in sobriety is the best way to calm the mind and find serenity.

Meditation in Sobriety – Calming the Mind

Whether an addiction occurs due to willful substance abuse or for some other reason, there’s no denying that addiction is quite a vicious affliction. It’s a chronic, progressive brain disease that completely alters neurological functioning and structure. As such, the disease triggers profound changes in a person’s ability to think, his or her behavior, and sometimes even the individual’s personality.

Many people have incorporated meditating into a person’s addiction rehabilitation strategy because it’s known to be effective at restoring peace, serenity, and relaxation to the mind. Virtually everyone is familiar with the art form conceptually; however, there are other, less expected tools that are useful for the same purposes. We will discuss the benefits of aromatherapy and meditation in sobriety below, but first, we must discuss the importance of learning ways to calm and relax the mind.

Why Is It Important To Learn Calming And Relaxation Techniques?

As human beings, we live incredibly stressful, fast-paced lives. Most of the time we’re juggling multiple tasks or obligations simultaneously as we try to be multiple things to multiple people. Life is clearly already stressful before you add an addiction to alcohol or drugs into the mix, but it’s even more tumultuous for addicts.

People who suffer from addiction feel stress most of the day, each day of their lives. When the stress isn’t at the forefront of their attention, it remains in the back of their minds, buzzing in such a way as to prevent the addict from ever forgetting what’s making him or her stressed in the first place, which is usually the prospect of withdrawal. Once a person has become addicted to a mind-altering substance, he or she must continue to seek and use that substance so as to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Therefore, addicts feel constant stress and fear that stem from uncertainty: Will I be able to get a fix today? How am I going to scrape together enough money for drugs today? What if I can’t find any drugs? It’s actually when this fear and stress turn into panic that addicts resort to criminal behaviors out of desperation to avoid withdrawals. As you can see, being an addict entails an extreme level of psychological unrest, making various relaxation techniques valuable tools during recovery.

Rethinking Aromatherapy in Recovery

To put it in the simplest of terms, aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils — oils extracted from plants for their aromatic potency and holistic value — for mental, emotional, and even physical well-being. Many people associate the use of essential oils with New Age mysticism, but essential oils are what make candles smell so good and many personal hygiene products so beneficial to use.

There are many products we encounter throughout our day-to-day lives that contain various essential oils, but that doesn’t mean every candle we burn or dollop of lotion we apply has therapeutic value (despite what the packaging of many products tell you). In fact, many of the products marketed as being aromatherapeutic actually contain perfume oils, also known as “fragrance oils”, which are synthetic — meaning they typically contain chemicals — and are not the same as natural essential oils.

The term “essential oil” is often used as a blanket term to refer not just to the oils extracted from plant materials, but also to CO2 extract and a number of other natural, volatile oils and absolutes. The most common aromatherapeutic practices involve diffusing essential oils into the air using some type of diffuser or by applying just a couple drops of the oil directly to the skin. Countless resources that describe the various benefits of different essential oils are available, but the oils that are most known to be valuable for relaxation and calming the mind include lavender, rose, vetiver, bergamot, ylang-ylang, chamomile, and frankincense.

Why Meditation in Sobriety is Beneficial

Meditation is much more widely known than the therapeutic use of essential oils. There are a number of different ways to meditate, but the most widely-practiced is the mindfulness form. It’s widely considered to be the most beginner-friendly form of meditation because it doesn’t require a person to have complete mental control to be beneficial. Starting out, a person needs only to focus on his or her breathing and physical self while resisting the urge to let the mind wander.

As a person spends more and more time meditating, the ability to control the mind becomes more innate and the mindfulness meditation becomes more beneficial. Specifically, it’s been found that meditating helps with anxiety, depression, blood pressure, circulation, improves mental acuity, decreases muscular tension, energy and the immune system, headaches and migraines, and many other aspects of health.

Meditation in Sobriety & Bringing It All Together

Being so beneficial individually, it’s not surprising that these two seemingly disparate relaxation techniques would be exceptionally helpful when used in combination. In fact, aromatherapy is often recommended by people who meditate frequently because diffusing essential oils help to create a sense of atmosphere during meditation, offering a sense of envelopment that can be used to enhance the overall experience. It’s also been said that engaging other senses while meditating can make a session more successful and help a person to be more physically present.

Meditation in Sobriety – Find Physical, Mental, And Spiritual Health Now!

There’s no right or wrong way to beat an addiction. Let Rehabs Of Armerica help you or someone you love find the right recovery resources by calling us toll-free at 877-723-7117 for a free consultation. Nobody should have to continue suffering in the throes of active addiction. Start the healing journey by calling us today.

Anna M.( Senior Content Writer )

Anna M. joined Find Addiction Rehabs with extensive experience in the field of addiction treatment. As a former Nurse Practitioner in Miami, she found her passion for addiction treatment when a family member was lost to his disease. With each article and resource, she hopes to save other families from experiencing the anguish of a loved one’s passing due to drinking or drugs.