Have you made the courageous decision to recover from substance addiction? Sincere congratulations, from our hearts to yours!

You might be wondering what comes next. Well, every recovery journey begins the same way, with detoxification. Drugs and alcohol have to be purged from the body in order to get a fresh start – physically, mentally and emotionally.

In this post, we here at Villa Kali Ma will share some thoughts on how you can prepare for this all-important first step of the journey.

Preparing for Detox: A Mental and Physical Wellness Guide 

Detoxification is the beginning of recovery. For safety and effectiveness of this  important purification process, we highly recommend a medically supervised detox facility, such as Villa Kali Ma’s Detox Program for Women.

The key reason to enter a medically supervised detox program is to reduce dangerous complications which can arise due to severe withdrawal symptoms. Some substances, including alcohol, have potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, like seizures, heart attack or delirium. Whenever alcohol has been used in combination with other substances, including prescription medications, for your own safety it’s not wise to try to detoxify without medical monitoring.

In addition to the potential danger linked to withdrawal from certain substances, and especially substances used in combination, detoxification can be psychologically distressing and physically uncomfortable. Medically supervised detoxification is designed to minimize the difficulty of going through withdrawals.

Withdrawals can be physically painful, and it is also normal to experience intense cravings to return to drug or alcohol use as withdrawals peak. Medical personnel and a contained setting help safeguard you during this especially vulnerable stage, during which many women are tempted to return to using, just to treat the physical and emotional discomfort that surfaces during detox itself.

Finally, medical detox is really the start of treatment, and helps prepare for successful participation in a substance abuse program down the road.

Steps to Take Before Entering a Detox Program 

It’s a good idea to prepare the body and mind for detoxification before you enter a program. Detoxification is physically demanding. Every part of the body will be working hard to help eliminate the substance out of the system.

Detoxification is likely to activate painful emotions and mental processes as well. There are some emotional and mental preparation steps which can help to ensure readiness for the experience.

Here are a few simple ways you can prepare for entering a detox program.

Exercise

In the days or weeks before entering detox, support the body with gentle exercise. High-intensity workouts are not advised – you don’t want to tax the body.  Rather, try stretching, yoga, or qi gong. These practices help circulation and lymphatic drainage, both important during detox. Low-impact activities like walking, cycling, and easy aerobics in moderation can also be used to promote relaxation and release stress.

Reduce Screen Time

As soon as possible, reduce exposure to screen time. Whenever not strictly necessary, stay away from computers and phones. The body’s health is affected negatively by exposure to artificially-generated electromagnetic fields (EMF), including from devices. To help reduce the toxic load, you can give the body a break and help it attune to healing rhythms simply through avoiding artificially-sourced EMF wherever possible.

Other Ways to Prepare for a Detox Program

Increase Green Time

To actively support the body to tune to healthy EMF, let the body have time outside in nature, or a park or garden. The benefits of natural elements, including plants, animals, and exposure to the open air, are extensive. The body will be grateful for any fortification of immunity that can be had. If possible, arrange for skin-to-nature contact, for example through lying on the beach, walking barefoot, swimming, or even just touching nature materials like grass or leaves. There are many immune and psychological benefits to nature-bathing in any form.

Drink Water and Eat Clean

You can already begin gently flushing your system through increasing hydration and eating clean food. Drink plenty of pure water, and start consuming simple, nutrient-dense meals based on whole ingredients, fresh vegetables and lean proteins. Ideally, slowly reduce or eliminate sugar, caffeine, and junk food, as these stimulants deplete the body’s resources.

Sleep and Relaxation

Get as much good sleep and down time as you can. If the body wants to rest, let it rest and do not place unnecessary demands upon yourself at this time. You may also want to begin practicing breathing and other relaxation exercises, which can come in handy during the detoxification process. Below are some tips on breath work for beginners.

Breath Work

There are many simple, helpful breath work tools to choose from. The most basic way to practice breath work is to just notice it without changing it, perhaps saying to yourself “I am breathing in” while you breathe in, and “I am breathing out” while you are breathing out. It is normal to become distracted relatively quickly – that’s part of the practice. When you notice you got distracted, celebrate that you noticed, and start again.

The second-most useful breath work tip is to experiment with lengthening the out-breath. Making the out-breath longer than the in-breath will automatically induce a natural, gentle relaxation response in the body and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.

To try this approach, experiment to see if you can make your out-breath a few seconds longer than your in-breath. Begin with just counting the natural length of your in-breath (one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi…). Regardless of the length of the in-breath, try lengthening the out-breath by just a few counts longer. For example, if the in-breath naturally has a count of 6 seconds, then you may aim for an out-breath of 8 counts.

Do this for a short cycle of around 6 – 10 breaths total, then take a break and notice if anything shifted for you. Just observe, there is no other objective than to see if it works for you.

If the out-breath lengthening experiment doesn’t seem to work for you, don’t worry, there are many other breath work techniques. Choose one of the breath work exercises found here or try pairing breath work with visualization.

Pack Your Bag With Essential Detox Preparation

Some essential items can come with you into the detox facility. You will want to bring the following items:

What to bring:

-pajamas

-slippers or indoor shoes

-comfortable, loose-fitting clothes

-work out clothes

-options for layering, like sweatshirts and long sleeves

-personal hygiene items: toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap and hairbrush

-wallet, including ID and insurance cards

-list of any current medications

-a journal and pen

What not to bring:

-Scented products or perfume

-Electronics and devices

-Valuable items

-Jewelry

-Weapons or items that could be used as weapons (sharp objects)

-Drugs and alcohol

Managing Anxiety for Healing (Steps 1 and 2)

You can prepare mentally for detox by setting conscious intentions for your detox stay and practicing anxiety management techniques.

Intentions

Intentions are a powerful tool for any change process. Here is a brief process you can complete in your journal as a way to prepare.

Step 1: Set Intentions

Begin with tuning into your personal reasons and motivations for change. What do you sincerely intend?

I want to detox because…

I intend to be sober so that…

I will clear drugs and alcohol from my body in order to…

My goal is…

My heartfelt desire is…

If I didn’t have to know how, but could just focus on what I wish, I would wish that…

Step 2: Air Doubts and Concerns

The next step is to ask yourself if there are any parts of you inside who have doubts, fears, or concerns about the detox process. Name these worries.

I’m afraid I’ll mess this up and fail…

I’m doubting if I really have the willpower to follow through…

I’m concerned I’ll feel overwhelming cravings…

Setting Intentions for Healing (Steps 3 and 4)

Step 3: Surrender Your Fears

For each of the above-identified fears, reframe it using the phrase “I choose to surrender this [doubt/fear/concern] because…”

I choose to surrender this fear that I will fail because… all I can do is do my best

I choose to surrender this doubt about willpower because… I deserve a chance to try again

I choose to surrender my concerns about overwhelming cravings to use because… that’s why the medical staff are there, to help with that

Step 4: Give Kindness to Yourself

Finally, write out a few positive, sincere messages towards yourself. It can be hard to kind to ourselves, so if it helps, imagine what you would say to a very lovable friend going through a similar thing.

You are so brave, I love you

I’m so proud of you

I love you for who you are

I know who you are on the inside, you are not your addiction

All around the world, women just like me are suffering in the same way, and just like me, they deserve so so much compassion, help, and protection 

If this step of self-kindness is hard, you’re not alone! You may find some inspiration in Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion practices.

Anxiety Management Strategies

Anxiety is a common experience during detox. Here are three anxiety management strategies you can practice ahead of time.

Three Easy Techniques for Managing Anxiety

• Tune into your feet. Wiggle your toes, and notice sensations down there. Spread, lift, and press your toes into the floor, with no goal other than to observe any physical feelings you can detect. For many people, the feet are a safe part of the body, absent of feelings of stress or danger. Is that true for you?

See if you can notice any differences in sensation between distinct parts of the feet: heel, ball of the foot, arches, toes, top of the foot, sole of the foot, sides of the foot. If you’re not able to notice much sensation, use your hands to gently massage, stroke, or tap your feet. Ask yourself: is there any sensation of danger or discomfort in your feet, or do they feel like they could be a neutral zone? If neutral, then remember that you can always check back in with sensations in your feet when you need a non-stimulating part of your experience to focus into.

• Activate your legs. In whatever way is comfortable and available to you, gently tense, bend, twist, and release the large muscle groups in the bottom half of your body. Focus on muscles in your glutes, quads, and calves. If available to you, try doing some gentle, slow-motion squats, or just crouch in a squatting position. As you’re tensing and releasing these muscles, know that you are helping your body to process and eliminate anxiety out of the body.
• Send Your Anxiety into the Core of the Earth. Imagine that on your in-breath, you are gathering up all your burdens, worries, and concerns. Gather up the anxiety itself into a big ball of anxiety. Then on the out-breath, picture that you are sending all of the anxiety down through a firehose that goes all the way into the center of the earth. Keep breathing out to dump out all the anxiety into a space at the core of the earth. Leave all anxiety you breathe out there in the center of the earth, where it can do no harm and will easily be composted, processed, or burned up by the earth. Repeat for a few breaths if desired, allowing all anxiety to be moved from inside your body, into the body of the earth, who can hold it for you easily.

Supportive Detox Resources at Villa Kali Ma 

As a holistic facility, Villa Kali Ma approaches detoxification as an honored, important phase of the sacred process of recovery. In our medically supervised detox program, we combine effective, safe medical monitoring of the biological detoxification process with our signature approach of supporting mind, body, and spirit with holistic interventions.

Integrating light and gentle practices from the ancient healing systems of yoga, mindfulness, breath work, acupuncture, massage, and Ayurvedic nutrition, we help women start the journey homewards to what matters most inside.

Detox is where recovery begins. Eventually, we may be lead through our recovery to a more natural and soul-centered path. A path to healing all that once harmed us beyond measure, and to a life beyond that story. Through Villa Kali Ma’s many holistic resources and supports, we guide women who are recovering from drug and alcohol abuse to connect the detoxification process to their highest goals and sincerest heart’s longings for a better life.