The Blanchard Institute recently expanded treatment options at its Lake Norman facility. The new evening intensive outpatient program (IOP) is building on the success of other Blanchard programs. “Our modalities are highly successful because we use evidence-based treatment,” says Jennifer Harris, CADC, who manages the new program.
One of the counselors at Lake Norman is Olivia Garcia, LCSW-A, LCAS-A. She describes her approach as “a little more holistic” and likes to include art in her therapy sessions. “Recovery is not just about sobriety—it’s about changing your relationships, how you interact with your family and your community. We can take the psycho-education from the process groups to a deeper level.”
One way of exploring those deeper levels is the Japanese tradition called kintsugi, meaning “golden seams,” which is also known as kintsukuroi “golden repair.”
“Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold—built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art,” wrote Tiffany Ayuda on NBC News. “Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the ‘scars’ as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful, and resilient.”
Many people with addiction feel broken and that their life is “in pieces.” The recovery journey from this feeling of being broken to new strength and resilience often seems hard to visualize at the beginning.
Kintsugi can be regarded as a kind of Gestalt therapy symbolizing that broken items cannot only be repaired but may re-emerge as different but whole and possibly more beautiful than before.
Kintsugi is all about repairing brokenness. In a therapeutic setting, clients learn to appreciate all parts of themselves, notice them, and integrate them to feel more grounded. “We slow the process down,” explains Garcia. “After deliberately breaking the bowl, we look at the broken pieces, reflect on the symbolism of the fractured bowl, and what the hammer represents. When putting the pieces back together, clients have to be mindful and show patience, and finally, they highlight the still visible cracks with gold paint.”
Some modern artists and designers have experimented with this ancient technique as a means of analyzing the idea of loss, synthesis, and improvement through destruction and rebirth—a valid concept for people with addiction.
“It highlights that something is reborn and that you don’t have to hide or feel ashamed,” says Garcia. “The little pieces won’t always go back together, so your life is not exactly the same as before but that doesn’t mean it can’t have purpose or a new meaning.”
That message usually hits home with clients experiencing kintsugi. ”It’s something they all really like,” says Garcia. “I did it with groups I had in partial hospitalization and then I brought it here to Lake Norman to a new set of people.”
Loneliness, disconnection from a life of purpose, and relentless stress have had a devastating impact on many Americans. Modern addiction treatment needs to address all of these factors and treat the whole person and their social environment to be effective. Kintsugi sessions can play an important part in that approach.
The Blanchard Institute offers a wide range of comprehensive, individualized outpatient treatment programs for substance use and mental health disorders, including outpatient detox, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient treatment.
We use a dual-diagnosis approach to diagnose and treat both addiction and any co-occurring mental health disorders, using a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, medication management, group therapy sessions, and family therapy sessions.
Our admissions process is discrete, confidential, and non-invasive. Call us at (704) 288-1097—our experienced admissions specialists will guide you through the process and treat you with the dignity and compassion you deserve.