Cultivating Resilience: How Somatic Tools Can Break the Cycle of Addiction

The drug epidemic is a public health crisis beyond the control of many individuals. People often abuse substances as a way to seek relief from something. For example, pain relief is often prescribed with heavy narcotic drugs without proper education on the addictive risk these drugs pose. Many people may think “this would never happen to me so I do not have to worry!” but it is naive to believe that you are incapable of becoming an addict. Society must understand that addiction does not discriminate as it affects people of all backgrounds, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses.

Reducing the Stigma

Stigma is an evident barrier to treating substance use disorder (Ezell, 2021). Drug addiction is often stigmatized by society as a loss of self-control. However, addiction is a complex disease that affects both the mind and body (Yula, 2024). There is a connection between chronic stress and addiction as people may turn to substances as a way to “turn off” the  body’s stress response (Inzlicht, 2021).  While the CDC reports that on average 224 people die each day from opioid overdose across all socioeconomic status, it is important to note  that marginalized communities experience disparities with addiction and treatment. The CDC reports that between 2022 and 2023 drug overdose death rates increased substantially for Black and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people in the United States (CDC, 2024). This highlights the mind-body correlation to addiction,  as we lose the ability to cope with life stressors due to a lack of resources, the risk of developing unhealthy coping mechanisms increases. Therefore, we must lower the stigma surrounding addiction to actually help lower the mortality and overdose rates that our country is facing.  This demonstrates the need for stigma reduction and accessibility to treatment including holistic resources to help cultivate self-regulation. By recognizing the effects of addiction and treating it as a disease of both mind and body, we can move the needle forward.

Everyone Needs to Feel Safe

Once we understand that we are all human and we are all coping with traumas differently, we can begin to understand why people may turn to the use of substances as a way to regulate their nervous systems. In the end, we all just want to feel safe. Safety is an essential need of all living beings. We are all at the mercy of our nervous systems and without feeling like we have control over our bodies, we seek relief from the negative emotions that can consume us. Our emotions are often indicators of how safe we feel in our the environment. Instability in the home, school, or workplace can be a risk factor for substance abuse disorder which indicates that a sense of insecurity can lead to addiction (Lewis, 2021). When we experience trauma or instability, our bodies’ senses are heightened as we go into fight or flight mode. This response can last days, weeks, even months at a time. Self-regulation is the key to optimal mind, body, and spirit functionality. By learning to process trauma or hardship through safe coping mechanisms, such as somatic tools like breathwork, individuals can learn to regulate their emotions and develop resilience. 

Focusing on What We Can Control

We all carry stress and hardship with us and everyone copes differently with their emotions. What is most important is that everyone feels secure to explore and identify emotions and safe to cultivate a supportive environment. While we may not have control over external factors, we all are empowered with the ability to control our breath and make choices for ourselves that are mindful and loving. Now that we understand why people may turn to substance to cope with stress, it is time to redirect our energy toward a more healing space.

Somatics & Breathwork to Heal

Somatics and breathwork can be useful tools to help reduce stress and improve symtoms of anxiety, depression, and addiction (Banushi et al, 2023). These tools can help individuals to self-regulate rather than turning to substances as a way to cope. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, be sure to utilize somatic tools as a way to regulate your nervous system. The benefits are listed below:

• Body Awareness
• • Somatic therapy allows the individual to tune into their own body. Many people who experience addiction often dissociate from their own body and are unable to regulate emotions. Becoming regulated emotionally, helps people to understand their triggers and manage them before relapsing (Jacobson, 1938).  

• Trauma Healing & Craving Reduction
• • Addiction is often connected to past trauma and breathwork techniques have the ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body and release tension. Reducing anxiety and tension through breathwork, can also help to reduce trigger cravings (Rizk, 2021).

• Self-Regulation
• • Somatic work can also be used to empower individuals to overcome the intense cravings or emotions that are involved with addiction. By self-regulating these emotions, individuals can feel motivated to use somatic techniques when feeling heightened senses associated with substance cravings (Priddy, 2018). 
• Foster Resilience 
• • Breathwork practices help individuals to build mental strength and empowerment to overcome this hurdle. Resilience is key to overcoming addiction and these tools can be used to recenter and reset your nervous system (Inzlicht, 2021) . 

Start your healing journey today with the use of these tools:

• Deep Belly Breathing - Sit or lie down comfortably. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Take a slow, deep breath through your nose, allowing your belly to rise as it fills with air. Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly fall.
  • Why it helps: This technique stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing stress (Jerath et al, 2015).
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) - Start at your toes and work your way up. Tense each muscle group for 5-10 seconds, then release the tension and focus on the feeling of relaxation. Begin with your feet, then move to your calves, thighs, abdomen, chest, arms, and face.
  • Why it helps: PMR helps release physical tension and increases awareness of how stress manifests in the body (Jacobson, 1938).
• Tapping (EFT- Emotional Freedom Technique) - Tap on specific points on the body such as the forehead, cheek, chest, and sides of hands while thinking about their craving for a substance.
  • Why it helps: This helps to release trapped emotions and can help to reduce addictive triggers and manage the emotions tied to substance use. (Church & Brooks, 2013).

Change is Possible

Whether we have fallen victim to addiction or know someone who has, it is essential to empower ourselves with tools that help us to manage our stress levels and advocate for the support and resources we need to thrive. Addiction is a complex disease that does not have a “one size fits all” treatment. However,  providing support to a loved one suffering from addiction is crucial to help with accountability and creating a sense of hope for the future. With social support, access to resources and treatment, and the integration use of somatic tools, healing is possible.

Other resources that are available:

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

References

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