Continuing Care is an integral part of the treatment model at Sabino Recovery. Your time at Sabino is only a small fraction of your life and Continuing Care focuses on how to take the tools you’ll learn in treatment into your healthy life in recovery. As soon as you arrive, your Continuing Care Coordinator will work with you to ensure that your Sabino treatment plan will lead to continued success. As you proceed through treatment, you will learn things about yourself that you never imagined. You will profoundly change and grow so it makes sense that you’ll need time to adjust and need support to understand those changes and how to integrate them into your life. Continuing Care helps you plan your transition out of treatment. You’ll practice setting and enforcing boundaries, completing recovery goals, and continuing to take steps toward lifelong health. Your Continuing Care Coordinator will help you find a community that helps you maintain your sobriety and explore your interests outside of your addiction so you can focus on living a full, healthy life.In this episode of A Wise Mind presented by Sabino Recovery, host Sam Zimmer is back with two of the Sabino Recovery Continuing Care Team, Shea Smith, Continuing Care Coordinator and Andrea Hovden-Hall, Continuing Care Manager. They discuss the importance of Continuing Care as part of Sabino’s treatment model and highlight some of the work we do at Sabino Recovery to make your transition back out of treatment and into your life in recovery as smooth as possible.If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

Mental illness and substance abuse are frequently intertwined. Unfortunately, many treatment plans isolate either the symptoms of the substance abuse or the mental illness, rather than treating the whole person. Traditional recovery methodology can gloss over mental illness in favor of treating substance use disorders and vice versa. At Sabino, we treat the underlying trauma behind mental illness and substance abuse. We understand the prevalence of co-occurring disorders and take a more holistic approach so each of our residents finds true, long-term healing. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMSHA) uses the term co-occurring disorders for coexisting mental illness and substance abuse disorders.In this episode of A wise mind presented by Sabino Recovery, host Sam Zimmer sits down with the Chief Medical Officer at Sabino Recovery, Dr. Aaron Wilson M.D. Sam and Dr Wilson discuss exactly what dual diagnosis or a co-occurring disorder is, the importance of treating the individual when they have a dual diagnosis and how Sabino Recovery treats those suffering with a dual diagnosis. If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

When a family member seeks treatment for mental health issues and addiction, it’s important for the whole family to play a role in recovery. The common misconception is that only the person who is seeking treatment needs help. This often creates an “identified patient” in the family. One person displays symptoms through addiction and mental illness but the reality is that the whole family system needs help. When the family is involved, it also helps the addicted person feel supported and makes lifelong recovery more possible.When someone struggles with addiction and mental health issues, it’s common for their family and closest loved ones to deny that there’s a problem and ignore visible warning signs. Sometimes parents will even say things like, “My son doesn’t use drugs because he’s in his room all day.” Turning a blind eye either willfully or out of fear and not wanting to face the problem can cause further damage and enable the person who is suffering. Family members need to come to terms with what’s happening. Accepting that there’s a problem is the only way to get your loved one the help they need. Family therapy is a healthy environment where an objective therapist provides guidance and will guide your family through the recovery journey. It’s important to reconnect over positives and learn together as opposed to focusing on the “identified patient.”In this episode of A Wise Mind Present by Sabino Recovery, host Sam Zimmer is joined by Dr. Vicki L. Loyer  Ph.D., LMFT, the CEO/President of Blue Door Psychotherapy. Dr. Loyer brings together the strength of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and the efficiency of Competency Focused Family Therapy to provide relief for families and help individuals and their families learn healthy coping mechanisms. Sam and Dr. Loyer discuss how families can care for a member of the family who is suffering from addiction and mental health issues. They also discuss the importance of healing family systems and how to improve family dynamics. If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

Our gut microbiomes have a huge impact on our overall mental and physical health. We’re still learning about the connections between gut health and mental health but plenty of research has shown that the health of our guts is instrumental in our overall health. Food is more than just fuel. Nutrition also affects the gut microbiome and from there, our mental and physical health. Instead of thinking about “good” or “bad” foods and perpetuating a harmful cycle of disordered eating, think of foods that nourish your gut and foods that disrupt your gut. Things like poor stress management, unprocessed trauma, lack of exercise, alcohol, drugs, and low-nutrient foods all lead to changes in gut health. There is also ample evidence that alcohol wreaks havoc on our guts. Chronic alcohol consumption can change the overall microbiome composition in our guts. It affects your body’s ability to detoxify itself and makes it more difficult to break down nutrients.In this episode of A Wise Mind Presented By Sabino Recovery, podcast host Sam Zimmer, sits down with Leanna Stetson, MEd, a certified Holistic Nutritionist to discuss the role that your gut microbiome plays in your overall mental and physical health. The two discuss probiotics and other foods that can aid with your gut health and the role that stabilizing your gut microbiome has in recovery for alcoholism and addiction. If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

When a family member develops an addiction, it’s important for the entire family to be involved. The recovery journey is then about breaking a cycle, not just healing the individual. For many years, recovery was viewed as an individual journey. The addict went to treatment or joined a 12-step program and did the work. Research now shows that a family-centered approach to treatment leads to the highest chance of long-term recovery.As opposed to approaching addiction as an individual problem, the treatment team at Sabino Recovery looks at how a family system exacerbates addictive behaviors. Inherited trauma can be carried through generations, creating systemic coping mechanisms. Often, a person with an addiction is manifesting a family system’s issues. By that same token, no individual family member is at fault for their loved one’s addictions.In this episode of A Wise Mind, presented by Sabino Recovery, host Sam Zimmer sits down with Carver Brown, a Love First Interventionist and a certified Recovery Coach and Trainer with the Connecticut Community of Addiction Recovery (CCAR). Carver is also a Structured Family Recovery Counselor and a Grief Recovery Specialist certified with the Grief Recovery Institute. Carver studied under Deborah Jay, author of the book It Takes A  Family. Sam and Carver discuss the book and the role that family plays in treatment. The two touch on their own personal experiences with family, recovery, and the importance of a family support system when a loved one is going through treatment.  If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

Which comes first, pain or anxiety? These two co-occurring disorders are so frequently linked that it can be difficult to untangle them because they create a vicious cycle.  Anxiety is a mental illness with many physical symptoms, including muscle soreness, digestive issues, TMJ, and headaches, making a correlation between pain and anxiety clear and difficult to separate.Anxiety arises from not knowing where the pain is coming from, how long it will last, or if it will get worse. If we continue to suffer from the pain, anxiety could also come from other people not understanding or believing the depths of our pain. This is common as both anxiety and chronic pain are invisible illnesses that are frequently diminished by others.On this week's episode of A Wise Mind, presented by Sabino Recovery, your host Sam Zimmer is joined by Dr. Andrea Elkon. She practices in Atlanta, GA, and specializes in working with athletes and active adults who are struggling with the emotional and physical effects of injury and illness. She also deals with anxiety, performance issues, perfectionism, and eating concerns. Sam and Dr. Elkon discuss the relationship between pain and anxiety and how the two can be brought on by the other. If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

This week on A Wise Mind Podcast, host Sam Zimmer is joined by Dr. Laura Riss, a clinical psychologist, practicing out of Atlanta, GA. Dr. Riss has developed specializations in the areas of eating disorders and survivors of abuse and trauma, specifically adult survivors of childhood abuse as part of her lifelong dedication to treating women’s issues. This week we are speaking to her about eating disorders and the intersection between trauma and eating disorders.Research on eating disorders continues to show a correlation between traumatic events and the development of an eating disorder but it is certainly not the only factor. Food restriction, dieting, and over-exercising give a false sense of power while also disconnecting from and numbing painful memories. Disordered eating can also develop when someone is trying to alter their body for a specific purpose due to sexual and body-related trauma. Sabino’s trauma-focused recovery model is ideal for the treatment of eating disorders. Many people who suffer from eating disorders also have mental health issues. Dual diagnosis is important for the treatment of eating disorders so that we treat more than symptoms. By addressing the root of mental health issues and maladaptive coping mechanisms such as eating disorders, we offer people a chance at long-term recovery.If you have questions, comments, or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareTo learn more, visit our blog on this topic:https://www.sabinorecovery.com/the-relationship-between-trauma-and-eating-disorders/If you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disordershttps://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

The core principle of Neurotherapy is that the human brain is resilient. Over time, consistently positive, empathetic, and compassionate experiences can rewire the brain. Neurotherapy helps people improve their self-regulation and lead to healthy decision-making, renewed trust, and optimism. This connection between science and hope is why we are so passionate about utilizing Neurotherapy to treat trauma, mental illness, and substance use.At Sabino Recovery, we use techniques like neurofeedback and QEEG Brain Mapping to work at a subconscious level to work on deep-rooted trauma and help to rewire the person’s response to the traumatic experience. By identifying where traumatic experiences live in the body, we are able to use the brain's natural elasticity to promote ongoing healing.On the latest episode of A Wise Mind Presented by Sabino Recovery, host Sam Zimmer and Neurotherapist Andréa Copeland discuss the world of Neurotherapy, specifically the role of neuroplasticity in recovery, neurofeedback, and how it is utilized at Sabino Recovery and the benefits to using Neurotherapy in the treatment of trauma and addiction.If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

Sabino Recovery is uniquely positioned to care for those suffering from mental health issues and addiction because the majority of the staff have gone through similar experiences. They know firsthand how difficult and worthwhile recovery is.On this episode of A Wise Mind, our host, Sam Zimmer, and Sabino’s VP of Marketing, Adam McLean, tell their stories of addiction and recovery. While some of their details are different, they have emotional commonalities that are familiar to many addicts. They both managed to get help and heal from their trauma and are dedicating their lives to helping others do the same.Sam and Adam talk about The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell and how the recovery process follows the archetypal journey of the hero. The Hero’s Journey illuminates the commonalities between stories throughout human history. Famous stories in pop culture such as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars follow the hero’s journey. It’s a framework that we are all familiar with and that resonates with any journey of self-actualization.Addiction is lonely and it’s easy to believe that you are the only person who understands your experience. Not only are you not alone but many stories that humans have told each other for thousands of years are about the difficult journey from struggle and pain to healing and hope.If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=shareIf you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

The world of recovery is one that benefits from human interaction, face-to-face meetings, and vulnerability. This was all but removed when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world at the start of 2020. Outpatient treatment models such as 12 Step Recovery Meetings were forced to make the move to online calls and meetings. Many people lost an essential piece of accountability in their recovery. Inpatient treatment centers had to adapt as well to comply with social distancing and safety guidelines, which led to some expected changes in treatment.The impact the pandemic had on all of us is best illustrated in the preliminary data that has shown that since 2019, drug and alcohol use has increased, especially in healthcare workers and first responders. There was also a reported increase in substance use by people with clinical anxiety. With isolation and pandemic-related stress exacerbated existing mental health conditions and substance use disordersIn this episode, Sam and Dr. Wilson talk about what Sabino Recovery did to keep all residents safe and healthy during this tough period. They also shed light on the challenges that the pandemic presented for people at all stages of their recovery journey and what Sabino did to combat and address many of the negative trends affecting the world of recovery.  If you have questions, comments or just want to get involved in the conversation, please visit our podcast Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/372391640988186/?ref=share If you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, please use the resources below:https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline1-800-662-4357https://www.sabinorecovery.com/contact/ (844) 809-1067

A Wise Mind’s Road to Trauma Recovery Trauma is personal, dynamic, and complex, not to mention the stigma that clouds the conversation. Over 70% of American adults struggle with trauma or will experience traumatic events in their lifetime. As a recovery center, we often find that trauma is left unresolved during the process of healing. At Sabino Recovery, we take an individualized and holistic approach. We understand firsthand that trauma presents itself in unique ways and that in order to truly heal, we have to find a unique recovery path. What does trauma look like? It is important to understand that trauma doesn't fit in a box. Not having experienced sexual or physical trauma does not mean that you are not dealing with trauma. In fact, something as common as moving schools and struggling to make new friends can impact the chemistry of your brain for years to come. The root manifestation of trauma in people's lives is the idea that they are not safe. How your trauma presents itself in your life can be just as variant. Maladaptive behaviors like drug and alcohol dependencies, shopping addictions, or struggling with mental health can be the result of your unresolved trauma.  Each step that we take at Sabino to help you along your recovery path is just as individualized. We know that not everyone fits into the 12 Steps of recovery and healing requires different approaches.What tools can you use? Your brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Our amazing brains have the ability to adapt, change and restructure throughout our lives. At any age or stage of life, we have the ability to rewrite our neural pathways, which is a primary focus of the Sabino Way. We use modalities like EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing) and ART (accelerated resolution therapy) to help make those changes in your brain. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation in the lower brain stem to reprocess the event back into the rational part of the brain (where you can process it). ART, also bilaterally stimulates the brain to change the picture of the event in your mind. These are accompanied by the processing that we are doing all the time. We host group and individual therapies to guide the processing for each of our residents. For those who are struggling to find the words for their trauma, we host equine therapy sessions.  Horses function primarily out of their limbic system, a place without judgment. This mindful practice allows for a place of acceptance that sometimes isn't available with humans. Are you thriving or surviving? Recovery is a journey, an ongoing process, and one that we are proud to guide our residents through. Our goal is for each of our residents to thrive in their recovery process, not just white-knuckle through it. Our diverse staff and modality options allow us to create an individualized approach for each resident. A pivotal moment in your trauma recovery journey is believing “It's not what’s wrong with you, it's what happened to you.” We are not in the business of fixing people, we are teaching people new habits. Sabino Recovery operates on a 3 stage recovery model; safety, processing, and reintegration.Leaving Sabino Recovery is another journey on its own. We spend the last week of your recovery process reacclimating you to family, friends, and surroundings. We ensure you feel comfortable continuing using the tools and techniques we have instilled while here. We encourage all of our residents and family members to research. Learn as much as you can about recovery and the modalities that come with it. These are powerful tools and can be harmful if done incorrectly. If you or a loved one are see