Finding the right facility to treat drug or alcohol addiction is the first step toward a successful recovery. A good treatment facility will typically first deal with the patient’s withdrawal symptoms, followed by intense counseling and therapy.

There are different methods that treatment facilities have begun to use in order to enhance their therapy sessions. Things such as art therapy and play therapy can help a patient express themselves more easily than with a typical one on one conversation with a counselor.

Phototherapy is another method that has been used in psychiatric treatment since the 1850’s. Phototherapy refers to the use of photographs in a therapeutic setting, in order to help a patient work through painful psychological issues. Often a recovering drug or alcoholic abuser has underlying issues to sort out in their therapy sessions. Past trauma or abuse can often lead to substance abuse, and unless these issues are addressed, recovery will be difficult. Substance abuse counselors often have to break through barriers that a patient will put up as a defense, such as denial, deception, and minimization. Photographs may help a patient distance themselves from painful memories, while still being able to discuss them. Patients may also make excuses for their addiction, blame others, or minimize the problem. According to Benshoff and Janikowski (2000), “Defense mechanisms are unconscious efforts of the mind to protect the individual from psychological assault. Attempts to batter down defense mechanisms through verbal confrontation may only strengthen them.” (2)

Self Portrait of the Addict

With one technique of phototherapy, patients see pictures of themselves and are asked to talk about the pictures. Patients are generally more able to open up and talk about their feelings when talking about the pictures. It is easier for an individual to admit the pain they are causing their loved ones when they talk about themselves as a person in a picture. Or they may be able to verbalize the abuse that happened to a child in a picture more easily than talk about what happened to them when they were younger. Phototherapy is used, not in order to interpret the picture, but to help the patient open up and talk with the counselor.

Addicted Client-produced photography

Another use of phototherapy is patient-produced photography, in which the patient is asked to photograph objects as they wish. This allows the recovering addict to decide what it is they want to preserve in a photograph, and it helps the therapist see how they view objects around them, and what reality is to them.

There have been very few studies on the effects of phototherapy for substance abuse recovery, but for some it might be a useful tool. We know different people respond differently to certain types of treatment, and for some patients, phototherapy could play a part in their healing.

 

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