What to expect when entering rehab

Accepting that you need help, whether it is for drug and alcohol misuse, addiction, or a mental health problem such as depression and anxiety, is a huge first step, and one that should be congratulated.

When you are thinking about entering treatment or seeking help for a loved one, the idea of residential rehab can feel a little daunting and you may have questions about what it is like, and what to expect.

Only the staff at a specific centre can tell you exactly what happens at their clinic, however, most treatment centres work along similar lines, with structured days and a schedule to follow. The in-patient programs are designed around therapy, support, specialised activities, exercise, and leisure.

A time for rest, recovery, and reflection.

On admittance to the rehab in Ibiza

Here in Ibiza, your stay with us starts as soon as you get off the plane. One of the staff will meet you at the airport and you will be driven to the rehab centre. On arrival you are shown around; and seen by the medical team for a full assessment.

The clinic is housed in an authentic Ibizan finca, located on eight acres of private land surrounded by orange and lemon groves, where you are completely embraced by nature. There is room to relax and unwind, two gorgeous pools to burn off some energy, and welcoming therapeutic spaces geared specifically towards talking. Individual, single-occupancy rooms ensure all clients have their own space, and somewhere to retreat if they need a little alone time.

Once you have seen exactly where you will be staying, you will meet with the psychiatrist for an intake evaluation. During this initial appointment, we will gather details regarding your full medical, psychological, and emotional health. The findings of this will be passed to the psychology team and an individually designed program will be tailored to fit your needs. You will be matched with the therapists and counsellors best suited for you, and any required detoxification program will start.

Detox

Detoxification is essentially the removal of harmful toxins from the body. Heavy or sustained alcohol and drug use can cause the body to become physically dependent on these substances, and if suddenly stopped can cause withdrawal symptoms, which range from mild to serious.

Withdrawal needs to be managed with the correct specialist care and supervised by a physician. Detoxing without proper medical supervision can be both painful and dangerous.
Here at the rehab, we have a full team of doctors and nurses on staff all headed up by Medical Director, Dr Manuel Rodriguez. Manuel oversees all the clinical treatment at the centre and is highly specialised in caring for patients with addiction and other mental health disorders.

Rehab at the centre in Ibiza

Detoxing is the physical removal of substances from the body, which breaks the physical addiction. The next vitally important step is to look at the mental and emotional aspects of drug or alcohol use.

There is no single explanation for why anyone abuses a substance, it can be down to one specific factor or a combination of reasons. Generally, people will use drugs, alcohol, (or in some cases a behaviour) to change the way they feel – to make themselves feel better or to stop feeling bad. Rehab is about looking at the reasons why someone feels the need to change the way they feel in the first place; and then why they continue to use something to do so – often at the cost of everything else in their life.

This is done through a series of therapeutic practices, including one-to-one counselling; peer-group and fellowship support meetings; workshops, assignments, and treatments such as EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing), TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and equine facilitated therapy.

A typical day at the rehab

Structure and order are incredibly helpful when someone is recovering from addiction or mental health disorders. Days at the rehab follow a schedule and are designed to help those who are struggling.

Our programs are a blend of counselling, group psychotherapy, mindfulness, and complementary practices, such as yoga and meditation.

This is what a standard day at the rehab (on our essential care program) would look like –

8:30 am: Wake up.
9:00 am: Breakfast and readings.
10:00 am: Group therapy.
11:15 am: Break.
11:45 pm: Workshops/assignments.
12:45 pm: Break and then lunch.
2:00 pm: Art therapy/Workshops/assignments/group.
3:00 pm: Break.
3:15 pm: One-to-one counselling/individual work.
4:15 pm: Yoga/fitness.
5:00 pm: Break.
6:30 pm: Dinner.
8:00 pm: Fellowship/speaker meetings.
9:00 pm: Mindfulness.
11:00 pm: Leisure.
12:00 am Bedtime

In addition to the above – once a week clients will go out to visit the horses for equine-facilitated therapy. At the weekend there are excursions and more time for leisure activities.

Some of our other programs (individual, full bespoke and premium care) will vary from this schedule. These tailor-made programs enable clients to opt-out of some, or all the activities; add in extra counselling, therapies, and alternative treatments; have more free time – perhaps to check in with work commitments; make use of an extra room for family visits or the family component program.

Please see our brochure for more details on these programs and availability.

Workshops at the treatment centre

We run several workshops for clients during their time at the treatment centre, these cover a variety of topics including –

• Relapse prevention
• Living life clean and sober
• Powerlessness
• Anger
• Family Dynamics
• Trauma
• Acceptance
• Resentments
• Communication skills

Therapy at the rehab in Ibiza

Two of the key components to treating addiction, and other psychiatric and psychological conditions, are therapy and having a safe space in which to be able to share feelings. Therapy supports people so they can unburden themselves of long-held fears, emotions, and resentments work to eliminate them, and teaches coping skills to manage ongoing or reoccurring problems.

There are over 50 types of therapeutic approaches available, some will work better for specific conditions, whilst others can help with a broad range of issues. Here at the rehab centre, we offer a range of treatments and a secure and serene place to participate in them.

During their stay clients will have intensive one-to-one sessions with their counsellor, time to talk with the psychiatrist, and a chance to work through a variety of topics in workshops and individual assignments.

Group therapy is a huge part of the program at Ibiza Calm and whilst most people are reluctant at first; often experience trepidation at the thought of speaking in front of others. We do encourage them to go along and just sit and listen. Our clients have repeatedly told us they learn so much about themselves by listening to others.

Additional therapies at the rehab

The rehab also offers Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation therapy that has proved effective in the treatment of neurological and mental health conditions such as depression or addiction.

We also use equine-facilitated therapy as a part of our broader treatment program, this is done in partnership with Kate Stillman of Ibiza Counselling. Kate is a fully qualified psychotherapist and certified equine psychotherapist.

We treat a variety of mental health conditions including alcoholism, drug addiction (to illegal and prescription medicine) and process addictions (food disorders, gambling, and codependency). Our programs are also suitable for people suffering with anxiety, depression, bipolar, trauma, PTSD, and burnout.

For further information regarding any of our programs, and details on admissions, please contact sharon@ibizacalm.com