Qi Gong Therapy

In the past few years, qi gong therapy has become one of the most popular forms of practice. It has plenty of benefits for your mind and body, and qi gong in addiction treatment is proving to be a highly valuable and sustainable model for care. Qi gong can be used to overcome addiction to drugs and/or alcohol or any type of addiction. Luckily, qi gong is easy to learn for beginners, too! If you suffer from substance use disorder and are looking for an effective integrative therapy for your recovery process, try qi gong therapy today!

What is Qi Gong? 

According to the National Qi gong Association, qi gong can be described as “a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one’s mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intent. Qi gong incorporates Chinese medicine with martial arts and philosophy to produce harmony in one’s life. 

There are likely thousands of qi gong styles, schools, traditions, forms, and lineages, each with practical applications and different theories about Qi (“subtle breath” or “vital energy”) and Gong (“skill cultivated through steady practice”). 

Qi gong has been around for thousands of years. Much of it is performed while standing, though there are a number of seated sets as well. Qi gong exercises are often used as a type of stress relief or as a way to boost immunity or metabolism through different postures to cultivate “qi” or “energy”.

Qi Gong in Addiction Treatment

Cultivating a balanced and healthy life is essential to our well-being. When we are happy and stress-free, we are also less likely to engage in harmful habits like substance abuse. Qi gong practices are used to regulate breathing, reduce stress, calm anxiety, which can be used to reduce cravings and lower the risk of relapse.

Qi gong can even speed up the detoxification process by helping to cleanse one’s bloodstream. Qi gong helps users to generate energy, which restores the body. This practice encourages self-care and relaxation, which help people reach many of the goals of recovery. Furthermore, this spiritual practice heals and creates a sense of community. 

As Qi gong is commonly referred to as ‘moving meditation’, there are many ways in which a simple session can help to improve a client’s mental health. A great way to begin an addiction treatment Qigong session is with a guided meditation session. This popular ancient healing modality works by targeting the mind and the body together in a balanced fashion in order to improve overall well-being.

Benefits of Using Qi Gong in Addiction Treatment

Qi gong, much like other mindfulness-based practices, has many benefits to individuals in addiction recovery, such as greater reductions in craving, withdrawal symptoms, and anxiety. 

Qi gong has been known to:

• Boost immune responses
• Accelerate the detox process
• Improve balance
• Calm the mind
• Reduce stress
• Increase flexibility
• Provide chronic pain relief 
• Reduce inflammation

For many thousands of years, what is known to be the life force energy, or ‘chi’, has been enhanced through qi gong in China, resulting in billions of health benefits for people across the world. In taoism, the energy behind all life force is known as chi, and is the focus of Taoism. A myriad of health issues, from diabetes to poor circulation, back pain, and even cancer, are relieved or prevented by qigong. 

Oasis Recovery incorporates qi gong into our comprehensive programs, alongside other forms of mindful movement such as yoga and adventure therapy

Types of Qi Gong Therapy

There are many different types of qi gong therapies, all of which have different healing capabilities. Reportedly there are up to 3,000 total qi gong practices, but they can be divided into five categories. Among the most popular and widely practiced categories are:

1. Confucian Qi gong: which focuses on increasing morale and wisdom.
2. Medicinal Qi gong: whose core goal is to heal, prevent illness, and extend life span.
3. Buddhist Qi gong: utilizes qi gong to free the mind and gain wisdom and enlightenment.
4. Taoist Qi gong: emphasizes conserving the body and cultivating moral virtue.
5. Qi gong for Martial Arts: focuses on training the body to protect it from impact and weaponry.

How Does Qi Gong Work?

Cognitive control is impaired in people who use drugs for a long period of time excessively as a result of damage to the central nervous system caused by drug addiction. Nerve cells in the midbrain are stimulated by dopamine to release dopamine and inhibited by dopamine to absorb it. In addition, dopamine receptors are enhanced to increase dopamine activity and function. People with substance use disorder that are actively using drugs/alcohol administer drugs to increase dopamine receptors and dopamine activity, resulting in a positive reinforced effect.

If a drug addict reduces the dosage or stops using drugs, however, he or she experiences the withdrawal syndrome as a series of physical and mental symptoms. In addition to depression and anxiety, withdrawal causes a number of physical and mental problems that threaten the success rate of detoxification and the prevention of relapse.

Addiction-related symptoms occurring exclusively during drug use seem to have different courses, prognoses and treatment approaches. Drug use should be carefully monitored when using conventional anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs because they might have potential drug-interaction risks. 

Conservative approaches such as cognitive-behavioral treatment are not quickly effective and cost a lot of time and money! Physical exercise is a beneficial alternative approach to disease prevention and treatment, which has small side effects, excellent therapeutic effects, and low cost. With regular practice Qi gong exercise, practitioners may maintain both physical and psychological health.

Learn More About Qi Gong at Oasis Recovery

At Oasis Recovery, we are invested in providing effective, quality care to all of our clients. To ensure that every client’s individual needs are being met, our treatment specialists work with clients to create a treatment plan that is best suited to them. If you are interested in learning more about our qi gong therapy in addiction treatment or other healing modalities, call us today! Our addiction specialists will be happy to answer any questions you may have and get you started on your journey to lifelong sobriety.