Living Experiential Recovery
During primary care, an alcoholic or addict is introduced to many effective text book tools to help them manage their addiction. However, failure to apply the tools correctly back in ‘the real world’ often results in relapse and a costly return to primary treatment – so long as the consequences allow it.
Living Experiential Recovery (LER) at The Next Step is a highly effective, action-learning therapy which addresses ‘The Next Step’ in your recovery. Through direct physical immersion in activity we access emotion, and open up pathways for healthy change. LER-based secondary care and sober living is designed to build confidence in your recovery process, either after rehab, following a relapse, or at any point on your recovery journey when you feel your sobriety is significantly under threat.
LER is a practical, sensory recovery method, tailored to the individual. It helps addicts overcome fear of change, vulnerability, and build their inner resource for long-term sobriety. We look at it as ‘recovery resilience training’, which prepares you for the next step in your life.
How it Works?
We summarise LER through a 5,4,3,2,1 checklist – although there is never a specified timeframe applied to recovery.
All 5 senses are brought into play through our program which offer a wide range of activities to engage you with your passions. Depending upon your interests, we introduce inspirational, trained talent into your program, eg. Artists, chefs, photographers, craftsmen, writers, yogi, 12 step coaches or spiritual leaders.
We focus on the 4 key areas of emotional, physical, mental and spiritual well-being, as experienced in everyday settings.
While gratitude exercises, mindfulness and meditation all play a large part in any LER program – be it Secondary Care, Sober Living or Arrested Relapse – it is the following 3 areas of personal development that form the backbone to any of our experiential programs. Weekly practical workshops dedicated to these pillars will duly help shape the platform for your ongoing 1-2-1 mentoring.
1. Recovery in Action: because nobody got recovery for life, without living
2. Emotional Sobriety: is strengthened to combat unhealthy thinking and to prevent relapse
3. Personal Purpose & Meaning: is nurtured to bring joy and excitement to recovery
Through LER at The Next Step, we mindfully practice healthy learnings as we let the day unfurl, not trying to control. Skills are developed subtly through everyday life-stuff, yet with an intensity that prepares for enduring recovery thinking and behaviors. People striving for recovery make mistakes, and they drop their fear to do so. This is change.
The Village is a safe place to make changes happen. LER at The Next Step takes going through necessary change from a place of fear, to being both ‘quite ok’ and manageable.
We recreate past experiences in the conscious mind through action, and then create new, memorable, healthy emotive experiences which we go on to ‘practice into change’.
We always recommend that to make the most effective changes to your recovery program, you do this with the guidance of your recovery mentor. It requires inter-action and engagement. Honesty with self and others is at the heart of LER, and effective change towards wellness will come through being authentic.
Change comes in 2s. It should be constructive and collaborative, because we just do it better together..
Essentially, LER puts self-care at the fore, and is an intuitive guidance model for staying safe.
Safety of No. 1 is No. 1.
Through Living Experiential Recovery, we work with you to find freedom from addiction, and freedom to discover a meaningful, exciting life you love. LER is about passion for living.
