The Sanctuary Vancouver Island

Visual art invites patients to examine the emotions within their work, focusing on the process of creativity and its gentle therapeutic power.

Partners work to improve their communication patterns, using advice from their therapist to better their relationship and make healthy changes.

This experiential therapy uses dance to improve body awareness, physical health, and social skills.

This stage-based therapy helps patients address their realities and behaviors while inspiring healthy change, primarily in regulating emotions.

Guided interactions with trained horses, their handler, and a therapist can help patients improve their self-esteem, trust, empathy, and social skills.

With this approach, patients heal by doing. Therapists help patients process difficult emotions to speak, using guided activities like art or dance.

Creative processes like art, writing, or dance use inner creative desires to help boost confidence, emotional growth, and initiate change.

Family therapy addresses group dynamics within a family system, with a focus on improving communication and interrupting unhealthy relationship patterns.

This treatment teaches self-awareness, interrupts negative thought patterns, and gives patients insight into how their environment impacts mental health.

Teaching life skills like cooking, cleaning, clear communication, and even basic math provides a strong foundation for continued recovery.

Massage therapy relieves physical and emotional tension, reduces pain, promotes relaxation, and improves emotion regulation.

Combined with behavioral therapy, prescribed medications can enhance treatment by relieving withdrawal symptoms and focus patients on their recovery.

MBCT combines mindfulness practices—like meditation—with cognitive therapy techniques to help patients work through negative thought patterns.

Singing, performing, and even listening to music can be therapeutic. Music therapy sessions are facilitated by certified counselors.

Nutritious food helps patients heal from within, setting them up for mental and bodily wellness as they learn about healthy eating.

Also called physical therapy, this approach includes exercise and various medical treatments for injury, pain, and disease.

Patients act out real or imagined scenarios under a therapist's guidance. These exercises foster creative thought, sponteneity, and problem-solving skills.

Hand placements or light touches over the body aim to strengthen patients' life energy, guided by a Reiki therapist with expertise in this Eastern medicine.

Relapse prevention counselors teach patients to recognize the signs of relapse and reduce their risk.

Muscle relaxation techniques relax mind and body. They can easily be practiced outside treatment, making it a valuable coping tool for continued recovery.

This method treats emotional trauma stored in the body. A therapist helps patients work through the physical feelings associated with emotional pain.

Patients learn specific stress management techniques, like breathing exercises and how to safely anticipate triggers.

Surf therapy promotes body awareness, mindfulness, and self-confidence. Because sessions begin with surf lessons, this treatment is appropriate for beginners.

A self-paced, graceful exercise that aligns physical and mental energy, using ancient Chinese practices for modern-day wellness.

This cognitive behavioral therapy teaches patients to accept challenging feelings and make the appropriate changes to reach personal goals.

During therapy, patients observe their own brain waves as interpreted by an EEG. This empowers them to understand and regulate emotional responses.

Yoga is both a physical and spiritual practice. It includes a flow of movement, breathing techniques, and meditation.

Benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep issues. They are highly habit forming, and their abuse can cause mood changes and poor judgement.

This mental health condition is characterized by extreme mood swings between depression, mania, and remission.

Burnout entails mental and physical exhaustion, and leads to a severe lack of fulfillment. This condition is often caused by overwork.

Long-term physical pain can have an affect on mental health. Without support, it can also impact your daily life and even lead to addiction.

Consistent relapse occurs repeatedly, after partial recovery from addiction. This condition requires long-term treatment.

A person with multiple mental health diagnoses, such as addiction and depression, has co-occurring disorders also called dual diagnosis.

Cocaine is a stimulant with euphoric effects. Agitation, muscle ticks, psychosis, and heart issues are common symptoms of cocaine abuse.

Codependency is a pattern of emotional dependence and controlling behavior. It's most common among people with addicted loved ones.

Symptoms of depression may include fatigue, a sense of numbness, and loss of interest in activities. This condition can range from mild to severe.

Drug addiction is the excessive and repetitive use of substances, despite harmful consequences to a person's life, health, and relationships.

This eating disorder includes the cycle of bingeing food, feeling shame, and then dieting to lose weight.

Ecstasy is a stimulant that causes intense euphoria and heightened awareness. Abuse of this drug can trigger depression, insomnia, and memory problems.

Compulsive gaming is most often a problem for children and teens. The disorder can affect physical health, sleep, and the ability to focus at school.

Heroin is a highly addictive and illegal opioid. It can cause insomnia, collapsed veins, heart issues, and additional mental health issues.

Internet addiction is common among children teens. This compulsive disorder can damage relationships, school performance, sleep habits, and physical health.

Hallucinogenic drugs—like LSD—cause euphoria and increased sensory experiences. When abused, they can lead to depression and psychosis.

Methamphetamine, or meth, increases energy, agitation, and paranoia. Long-term use can result in severe physical and mental health issues.

OCD is characterized by intrusive and distressing thoughts that drive repetitive behaviors. This pattern disrupts daily life and relationships.

Opioids produce pain-relief and euphoria, which can lead to addiction. This class of drugs includes prescribed medication and the illegal drug heroin.

It's possible to abuse any drug, even prescribed ones. If you crave a medication, or regularly take it more than directed, you may have an addiction.

PTSD is a long-term mental health issue caused by a disturbing event or events. Symptoms include anxiety, dissociation, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts.

The act of intentionally harming oneself, also called self-injury, is associated with mental health issues like depression.

Compulsively seeking out sex can easily become a problem. This addiction is detrimental to relationships, physical health, and self-esteem.

Quitting smoking—i.e., ceasing to smoke—means giving up smoking nicotine and tobacco products. This process has very important health benefits.

Excessive shopping and spending also known as compulsive buying disorder makes life unsustainable. It puts a strain on finances, relationships, and emotional well-being.

Stress is a natural reaction to challenges, and it can even help you adapt. However, chronic stress can cause physical and mental health issues.

With suicidality, a person fantasizes about suicide, or makes a plan to carry it out. This is a serious mental health symptom.

Some traumatic events are so disturbing that they cause long-term mental health problems. Those ongoing issues can also be referred to as "trauma."