The following content is created in consultation with Mirmont Treatment Center. It does not reflect the work or opinions of NBC Philadelphia's editorial staff. To learn more about Mirmont Treatment Center, click here.
America is in the grips of an addiction epidemic. From the inner city to rural towns, heroin and opiate use has never been as widespread or as deadly, ruining the lives of those afflicted, tearing apart families, and destroying communities.
But the way we advance this fight has changed. Whereas America’s infamous “War on Drugs” focused on punishment as a way to solve the problem, today’s leading school of thought has shifted to treatment with compassion – not incarceration – as being the key to success.
It’s a technique that the Mirmont Treatment Center – part of Main Line Health that’s based in Lima, PA – has been practicing for over 30 years, helping thousands of people and their families who suffer from alcohol and drug dependency lead fulfilling and sober lives.
Understanding that addiction is a family disease affecting all those involved, Mirmont takes a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes the practice of mindfulness, body centered therapies and trauma informed treatment. This means that patients suffering from addictive disorders, family members, and other loved ones are all engaged in the treatment process by Mirmont’s highly skilled clinical team who provide therapy, education, support and resources.
In order to begin healing from the devastation of addiction, a patient must first open themselves up to the experience of treatment and begin to understand how to work with their troubling thoughts and feelings. Once this foundation is established, the patient will then continue to embrace the Mirmont experience by focusing on positive growth and change, which lays the groundwork for long term recovery.
So how does Mirmont do that? By taking a holistic approach to recovery that goes beyond standard traditional approaches. In addition to individual and group therapies, the Mirmont approach includes meditation, yoga, pain management, acupuncture, family therapy, gender specific and dual-diagnosis groups, and various experiential therapies that help patients who have been traumatized, such as, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Psychodrama and Somatic Experiencing.
Unresolved trauma, PTSD, is one of the leading causes of relapse for an alcoholic or addict. Mirmont has been very successful in working to resolve trauma for folks from all walks of life, and for first responders from around the country in its VIPER program.
The Mirmont staffs believe that everyone impacted by addiction can begin a process of recovery and healing. Patients and families in crisis who are hurting from the grips of addiction should know that help is available and that a better life awaits for those who seek it. Mirmont helps people begin the journey of recovery. Ultimately the goal is to develop new healthier ways to cope, build positive life-enhancing relationships, and learn to live happy, sober, and free.
To learn more about Mirmont Treatment Center and Main Line Health, visit mainlinehealth.org/mirmont.
