Crissy Clark her master’s degree in Social Work at Texas State University. Crissy developed an interest in Substance Abuse Recovery while working at Austin Recovery Treatment Center in Kyle, Texas. This is also when she developed an interest in Trauma Treatments. Crissy has a passion for learning creative ways to offer individualized treatments for Trauma and Substance Abuse.
RESOURCES
- Visit Ripple Ranch
- Watch this episode on YouTube
- Get James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” on Amazon
- Get Marsha Linehan’s “DBT Skills” on Amazon
- Listen to this episode on iTunes
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro Snip
00:59 Introduce Crissy Clark from Ripple Ranch
02:54 What is EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing?
05:10 What is the difference between CBT cognitive behavioral therapy and CPT cognitive processing therapy?
06:20 What substances are abused
07:32 What kind of traumas contribute to substance abuse?
07:45 What is the difference between “Little T” trauma and “Big T” trauma?
09:45 What are people doing to avoid remembering their traumas?
11:09 What makes ripple ranch unique?
12:08 Why do people abuse drugs?
13:10 Midroll aloe vera commercial
14:30 What is the ace assessment?
16:08 We are improving by getting to the core of the substance abuse problem rather than just medicate the symptoms
18:22 What are the various support groups available for substance abuse recovery?
19:03 Therapy is Crissy’s number one recommendation for trauma
19:56 What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy?
20:35 What are triggers and how do you deal with them?
25:03 What is urge surfing?
28:20 Why do people avoid getting help?
31:50 What stops people from getting results when people go for recovery?
35:39 How often do you have to turn people away from substance abuse treatment?
37:30 People have to be ready to detox and it is painful for them physically and emotionally
38:20 How important is natural treatments like diet, exercise, rest, mental input for trauma and substance abuse recovery?
42:23 What is the relationship between mental health and nutrition?
43:50 What is your favorite testimonial at ripple ranch?
44:55 what does a first day of treatment at ripple ranch look like?
46:55 What should you look for in a trauma and substance abuse recovery center?
48:40 Why do people travel from all over the country to go to ripple ranch?
49:10 What would you change about the current system of recovery?
TRANSCRIPT
the avoidance piece of trauma…is…a lot of times…the biggest piece that we’re dealing with because if we take away your substances…Now you’ve got all of this trauma that comes up that you may not have remembered…but it’s there The brain remembers it We’re just really good at kind of…disconnecting from it
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…This is Doctor Haley Show podcast And today I’m meeting with Crissy Clark from Ripple Ranch in Texas and Crissy has a master’s degree in social work from Texas State University…and lots of certifications and initials after her name Today we’re gonna be talking about…trauma…and substance abuse and overcoming these things and some treatment options. Chrissy. Welcome to the show Thank you for joining me today. I understand you’re in the beautiful state of Texas…and you grew up there most of your life. I did I grew up in a little town called New Braunfels. It’s kinda settled between Austin and San Antonio so kind of a touristy town and yeah. I am curious. How’d you choose…social work and…recovery and trauma…in your life…I mean I definitely had some of…my own personal experience…with like family members that dealt with mental health and substance use…but I think that where it really clicked for me was when I was doing my master’s internship…I worked, work ended an internship at the same time, at a place a facility called Austin Recovery. It’s no longer there which is sad But just in working with the clients there I started to see these patterns…of trauma. And so I got really interested in trauma I got EMDR certified…which is eye movement desensitization reprocessing which is a trauma treatment, and certified in that pretty early on in my career And Let’s say that again Was it eye Movement…what was it? Eye movement desensitization…reprocessing. What does that mean? So…it’s a trauma treatment that uses eye movements and there’s a lot of theories on kinda how it works but we have a lot of evidence that it works. And it uses the eye movements to almost…simulate like what happens in REM sleep So like if you ever watch somebody sleep and their eyes are kind of moving back and forth, That’s usually the time when they’re in that REM stage of sleep and that’s the time when the brain is processing things the day’s events and so it’s kind of the time when your brain is sort of organizing and…compartmentalizing things And so…the eye movement seemed to kind of relax the brain into a state where it can kind of…not be so defensive about processing trauma. And that’s just kinda one explanation A lot of explanations about all the little mechanisms that are happening but it’s pretty effective and it’s really exciting to do EMDR because there’s not a lot of talking. it’s sort of the process in the brain sort of know how to…work and do it And so…it’s really effective and so as a therapist of course that’s very rewarding because you can actually help the client move through the trauma. I’ve never heard of it Is it common Is it popular It’s yeah It’s becoming more popular…we just don’t have enough people trained in it. So…yeah it’s it’s definitely one of the the treatments that most people have heard of now A lot of people come to our facility because we I try to get all of my clinicians trained in it and so they’re interested in that because it’s just one of those that’s…doesn’t take a lot of talking and people like the idea of not having to like kind of relive all of that trauma and talk about it And some people have already done Talk Therapy and haven’t found it very effective And then EMDR is kinda like the icing on the cake. Okay. And I didn’t mean to cut you off but I hadn’t heard of it So Yeah No. Good questions. And and you have some other trainings let me look at some of the initials I I’m not sure what the difference is between CBT cognitive, behavioral therapy and CPT What’s CPT? So cognitive behavioral therapy is kind of…the base…modality where you challenge kind of the thoughts and the beliefs and the emotions that are maybe keeping someone stuck, but cognitive processing therapy uses cognitive behavior therapy to specifically address trauma…So cognitive behavior therapy is very general It can treat a lot of different things. And it’s just looking at thought processes And then the cognitive processing therapy There’s a specific protocol that you follow where you have someone write their trauma narrative and then you look for the cognitive distortions that are related to the trauma narrative. So it’s just a little bit more specialized form of cognitive behavior therapy. Okay And then there’s TF CBT. And that one is yeah That’s for kids…So that that one is a trauma therapy based on CBT that’s for kids. I got it. I need some definitions too because when we talk about trauma and substance abuse there’s lots of substances that can be abused…some people will abuse caffeine. Some people alcohol. Some people harder drugs. Some people food You can abuse food. what are the substance abuses and what kind of…traumas are we talking about…Well I mean, the substance use, the list…continues to grow Obviously we have new drugs coming out all the time I mean probably the most common that we see is alcohol Obviously that’s…one of those that’s legal and people can get their hands on it anywhere…and…So anything from,…methamphetamine to heroin to even cannabis we do have some people that come to our treatment center to even get off like, medicated assisted treatment So maybe they’ve been using methadone…to try to get off of heroin but now they wanna get off the methadone which can really be a difficult detox…So…all kinds of substance uses that we see…and What was the second part of the Well, trauma. there’s, the horrible traumas that we all hope we never go through, emotional and abuse traumas. what is the range of trauma that we’re dealing with…again a very wide range I mean we have kind of what we designate as like little t traumas and big t traumas. So little t trauma would be traumas that maybe happen over and over again and maybe they’re not…super impactful in if it was just a one time event Like for example…would be having maybe…an alcohol parent. So it’s unpredictable like you may go home one time from school as a child and everything’s fine And maybe that goes on for a month but then you have one time where you go home and they’re the the parents…drunk and they’re abusive…they’re aggressive. and that goes goes on over the span of your childhood. That would be like a little t trauma Whereas a big t trauma…would be something…like a huge car accident someone passed away or maybe a military experience is what a lot of people think of…we have people that come who witnessed a suicide so it’s Oh And it’s really not about like the actual event It’s really a lot of times more about how the person experienced it and kind of what happened while they were having the experience. And I suspect in this is sexual abuse trauma…Probably emotional abuse trauma, physical abuse. The whole spectrum of traums Now…People don’t always know that they have trauma…or they may not recall it…Are we dealing with those too? Oh yeah. I think…remembering it is an interesting…thing because I think that’s a big part of…what we are looking at when we’re thinking about like a diagnosable…condition like post traumatic stress disorder. because a lot of times people…I kind of think of it as like we’re in this avoidance epidemic. Where…we have so many ways to avoid our pain nowadays Like you mentioned with food with substances…sometimes people are workaholics. Like they just work all the time because they don’t wanna sit. they can’t be still They can’t…just kind of feel their feelings…so I think that…the avoidance piece of trauma…is…a lot of times…the biggest piece that we’re dealing with because if we take away your substances…Now you’ve got all of this trauma that comes up that you may not have remembered…but it’s there The brain remembers it We’re just really good at kind of…disconnecting from it and compartmentalizing it and shutting it away. But what we know is that over time that really taxes the central nervous system because that takes a lot of work to like keep those things locked Right. so…a lot of times we’re trying to rewire the brain so that the brain understands that like those are things in the past. They can’t hurt you now. just by thinking of them doesn’t mean you’re gonna decompensate…But it has to be done in a way that’s really client centered and really compassionate because, those traumas can be really painful, to remember. So…the trauma the avoidance the substance use it’s all kinda tied together And I think that’s one of the things that kinda makes Rippel Ranch unique when I came in to as the I was started as the clinical director…I was more trained in mental health than substance use And so that’s really the route that we’ve gone with ripple is…kind of trying to really focus on the mental health. And it’s just a really interesting thing to me because a lot of the substance use facilities are like oh you guys do mental health And I’m like how can you not do mental health if you’re a substance use Because that to me is…the core of what we’re dealing with the substance use is a symptom…of, whatever the person is experiencing like no one’s gonna give up everything lose their children not have a house spend all their money on substances, unless They’re running from something. Mhmm…Yeah. but I suppose there’s probably some common denominators too When it comes to the substance abuse, not necessarily always…trauma related…But possibly something missing in their life too What would you say that big common denominators are people that are abusing substances…is one of them trauma, is one of them lack of love or lack of purpose What what would you say that major common denominators are. trauma. Trauma I I think sometimes it’s mental health I think definitely…healthy connections is really important. as human beings we are…we are we depend on each other and we need each other And so, yeah for someone that like, grew up maybe not having good stable relationships but I also kind of just think of that as trauma. it’s just a different kind of trauma Like it’s that little t trauma
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There’s a a really good podcast, by Nadine Berg Harris about the ace assessment I don’t know if you’re familiar with her but she was…I think, in…San Francisco practicing medicine and they kept having all of these kids that were being diagnosed with ADHD…and so she started to kind of look at like what’s the core issue Like maybe this ADHD we’re seeing it so often Maybe it’s more of a symptom. And there’s something underlying…the issue. and…so they looked at trauma as one of the factors and almost all of the kids that were being diagnosed had childhood trauma…So that came up with an assessment called the ace assessment that we use…to look at childhood trauma, And there’s all different degrees of it but…what we see is that these avoidance behaviors that I’m talking about kinda start early in childhood and they’re actually very…they can be very helpful…And very functional when you’re a kid that has to keep going to school. Keep doing your chores Keep doing your homework…And…The easiest thing to do if you’re suffering some kind of like you said sexual abuse physical abuse verbal abuse and even just neglect where you don’t have someone that’s feeding you regularly or you’re having to take care of siblings because parents are absent…And so like it’s really effective to kinda compartmentalize. Let me pack that away because I can’t deal with that right now I’ve gotta keep going I’ve gotta keep surviving…but the trauma is there and…then it makes it really hard for kids to like go to school and focus on anything they’re in survival mode. and so that was what her study was about…it’s exciting because I’m seeing a lot of movement toward…because our medical model and our models for treating people are…in my opinion not being very effective Like we’re not we’re seeing how like the medical system, although we’re spending all this money, and throwing a lot of pharmaceuticals at people, we also have like the poorest outcomes of all the developed nations and, I think same for our mental health…field. I think it’s not we’re not looking at the core issue which in my opinion a lot of times, is some type of trauma or or mental health And it could be the parents have mental health And so that’s creating trauma or it could be that a child has mental health. Issues and the parents don’t know how to handle that or how to treat it It’s a hard conversation to smile through when we’re talking about all these traumas and abuse and issues But I find myself smiling right now because I like what you’re saying You’re talking about the fact that yeah we’re…medicating we’re chemically…dealing with the symptoms…but we need to get to the core problem…what’s causing the substance abuse.? And that makes me smile because I believe that is the key so far, we’re very good at at medicating. We’re very good at…appeasing…us…by squashing other people’s symptoms. Mhmm. Yeah We’re not necessarily doing them any favors. Yep We’re maybe buying time…And medicine can be very useful in buying time. But if we don’t get to the core of the problem, and, that well we’re gonna need medicine forever. And the goal should be to get Off medications…Yes…because people lose access to the medications. for different reasons whether they lose a job and their insurance runs out Or, they were on scholarship and now that scholarship money’s gone or So it’s not a very good long term I think all of that Can be really helpful…when you’re talking about…recovery from substances obviously, AA is one that’s been around for a long time but it’s not really for everybody so we need more support groups And and they’re out there. celebrate recovery is one that usually like is offered through different churches we’ve got smart recovery, which is hard to sometimes hard to find those meetings We’ve got dharma recovery which is more kind of rooted in like buddhist philosophy which a lot of our clients do like But again it’s not as easy to access as what AA has done. so AA NA all of those are really good. but For somebody that has a lot of trauma I think therapy…is probably…that would be my number one recommendation. Like maybe you need some medications if your symptoms are really severe. But meanwhile…be doing therapy because that’s ultimately…gonna teach you the skills…that you can carry around with you no matter what Like no one can take away the ability for you to meditate or be mindful…or ground yourself like, so those are those are skills that people can use no matter where they are or what their financial resources are. Now for the people that are very do it yourself oriented…Are there any good books out there that might be beneficial? Any that you recommend? there’s so many good books…I would say…one of the really good modalities that can kinda help…a lot of people with different diagnoses dialectical behavior therapy. And it’s an easy one to do on your own because it’s very skills based. and so there’s…there’s a lot of different YouTube videos that explain the DBT skills but DBT Marsha Linehan any of her her books or workbooks, I think probably would be a really good starting place on a therapy that a modality that you can you can do yourself. Okay…Tell me a little bit about…triggers. What they are how you identify…them and how that’s helpful and what you do about it. Okay…Well I mean a trigger is…something…that causes an emotional reaction or a certain thought…pattern in a person…and…can lead to…good or bad behaviors I mean triggers can be good You can use them in a way that can be helpful. and like an example might be if let’s say I want to establish a workout routine…And so and this is kind of based on like atomic habits I don’t know if you’re if that’s another book that’s really good But, Atomic Habits are are kind of using triggers in a positive way So if I wanna start workout routine and I know my best friend goes walking every morning. And…So I ask my best friend to come and knock on my door or give me a phone call when she wakes up to wake me up Right So that’s like a trigger to get you walking or exercising. but I mean most of the triggers that we’re dealing with are things that are associated to…traumatic…memories…that…are not helpful. I can give you an example I had a client…one time that, she was we were doing an activity…in what we call our barn area and there’s kind of some rooms that are off the main area and I had them divide up into groups And she ended up in a room…with…like three other men People that like she was living with basically at the recovery center at the time she knew them. she knew they were safe. and I could see them because the door was open and they were right there. but being in a room with just men, triggered her because she had been through some abuse…And so in that moment, even though logically she knew she was safe because those people were not dangerous This the the location was not dangerous she was safe. I was right there. It triggered something in her that made her feel unsafe. And so her response was, to get out to flee. Right? So a lot of times when you have a trigger related to some kind of trauma, your responses that fight flight or freeze, and and so you’ll see that triggers can be anything from it did be…a taste It could be a smell. it can be,, a a type of person, sometimes, people don’t like working with a certain therapist because it reminds them of their mom or their dad Or so triggers can be really, anything that just kind of…creates this feeling that you’re back in a moment where you’re not safe. Yeah. Does sometimes identifying the trigger help people deal with it too Because then they recognize it and they say okay. This particular sound…is bringing back this memory but I can identify it and say…that sound is different It’s not posing the same danger or threat Does that really help people in most circumstances or do some have to avoid that trigger altogether? Well I think awareness is definitely the first step in change So we have to be aware We do we do work on being aware of your triggers. and for some people, that is really helpful. you For example like for a lot of addicts money is a trigger like cash having cash is a trigger So just being aware of things like that sometimes you can…create workarounds where, maybe you do everything with a debit card and you don’t have cash because that’s that’s the trigger. But I mean ultimately the goal would be not to have to design your life that way. It would be to…kind of confront those things. And and so being that awareness piece is really important but then like what are you gonna do if you still have that emotional reaction to it. and so that’s where some some of the things like in dialectical behavior therapy the DBT that I was telling you about talks about different skills you can use like one example would be urge surfing They call it urge surfing and it’s just understanding that this urge that you have because of this trigger is only gonna last for…a certain amount of time and then it’ll go away And you won’t feel that way anymore. And so that’s the kind of just practical skills that DBT can teach and then sometimes it’s desensitizing them to certain triggers sometimes it’s…having them work…through the trigger So like we’ll have male therapists sometimes And sometimes people don’t wanna work with male therapists because maybe they had some trauma…But sometimes if you can push people through that initial reaction they can have a really restorative…healthy experience…with a male that’s very kind and helpful and, so it’s a combination it’s really we try to be very individualized…in how we approach that. And, meet the client where they’re at And like I said it’s it’s a…exposing them…but also giving them the skills to kind of…work through the…exposure. Yeah…I’m understanding i think what you’re saying is if they experience that same…trigger only in a positive light It can kind of…offset it or counter…Yeah I think well I think that that we can use that idea of a trigger in a healthy way. but I think that when you when you’re looking at a trigger and and I’m I’m trying to think of like using my example of the client that bolted from the room just because she was in a room with men. like maybe helping her…ground, do some grounding in the moment…So her brain’s not in the past Right…Where are you now look around you using some grounding skills and then having her go back in there? Even though she’s scared and feels unsafe,, helping her to practice those skills because that’s how we rewire the brain That’s how we reteach the brain. That okay. But you’re not back in that memory You’re in the moment You’re safe Look around you Stay grounded. And that’s the beginning of how we like, rewire those connections in the brain so that our brain doesn’t hijack us in those moments.
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Yeah well that’s interesting…What would you say are some reasons that people avoid getting help…Oh, it’s expensive it can be expensive if you don’t have insurance…or the insurance isn’t isn’t great I mean even people that have insurance sometimes have co pays that they can’t afford. I think…Again…a lot of times…especially for substance use treatment, there’s sort of this…belief that like AA is the go to, and it doesn’t work for everybody so having alternatives to…to just…let’s push…AA. there just aren’t that many alternatives and I think, a lot of times people are going and getting help but not getting the mental health treatment that they need. I’m sure there’s, for a lot of families there’s stigma related to that…, knowing…when I mean there’s a lot of…there’s a lot of, covering up when you’re using substances…so people that are addicts sometimes we don’t realize it until it’s pretty far progressed…And then just kinda knowing…how to get someone into treatment can be difficult. And so for people like that I would say just call somewhere because usually…the admissions teams that are set up take those initial phone calls are really helpful Like even if they can’t get you into…the facility that you’re calling, they’re really good about networking with each other and getting people into place that takes their insurance that might have the the type of mental health treatment that they need or type of substance use treatment that they need So, I think it’s yeah I think it can be…very overwhelming when you’re in that situation and difficult to navigate. And I could see the people that are closet alcoholics or whatever the case is and there’s some degree of shame or discomfort or I don’t want people to know this even about me, or whatever the case is, And, yeah so I don’t want to…admit that or deal with it And and I think that I’ve got this under control right now Oh yeah Financially is an interesting one because I would imagine the…cost of abuse…on yourself is tremendous like you say, people lose their homes and their relationship and This is in And and lives. Yeah. Because they haven’t dealt with their…challenges. Mhmm. Yeah. Yep. But I mean and and I’ve heard that argument actually interestingly…recently that well I mean they’re spending so much money on their drug of choice. Right But I mean, unfortunate truth of that is that a lot of them are…dealing drugs to support their habit. Or they’re prostituting…to support their habit and they can’t do that when they come into treatment. Right So their stream of income goes away when they’re in treatment. so and that’s not everybody I mean we have a lot of professional people that own their own businesses or, that, that do have financial resources But for some people it’s really hard because they’re literally kind of surviving day to day, to support their habit So…Yeah. What would you say are some of the things that interfere with results Not everyone…it goes out, I beat this. Yeah I think the average is maybe eight treatment stays. I think one of the things is unfortunately we don’t get them long enough. I mean we have people that come in that have been…literally started using drugs when they were eight…And they’ve now they’re in their thirties, and we give them thirty days…And…so…it’s just not enough time in my opinion That’s a big part of it. And the system is set up to offer some supports…in different levels of care…which if people can go from like a residential facility for thirty days to then like an intensive outpatient…program for twelve weeks. And meanwhile…maybe they’re in sober living. so they’re living in the community with sober people. that usually gives us a better chance at good outcomes. also some people like you said are just kind of in denial…when they come in So maybe they’re forced to come in because their family is like, either go or we’re not gonna have any have anything to do with you anymore. and that usually does not work very well Like you really have to have the buy in from the person.. So sometimes it’s just whatever stage of change they’re in, and they’re just not ready And people like you said they kind of talk themselves into the idea that like I don’t really have a problem Everybody kinda has their line like, Yeah I may be drinking……a bottle of wine every day, but I’m not doing hard drugs. Or maybe I’m popping pills like I’m doing Xanax but I’m not…shooting myself up with heroin. So everybody has like this rationalization and justification in their mind, but…the way that we…kind of define a diagnosable…substance use issue is look at how it’s impacting your life. So have you lost your license Have you gotten a DWI…Are you having legal problems…is your family not speaking to you Like is it impacting your relationships Are you being late to work Are you not showing up for work Have you lost jobs So once it starts to impact your life and you still choose to do the substance, that’s when we’re like okay This is becoming a problem but not everybody defines it that way. Yeah. as a chiropractor, sometimes people will come, and…they’re here for the wrong reasons. And in a discussion and in a case history And as we’re going through this and I’m trying to figure out whether or not I can help them, a lot of the times well I wouldn’t say that often but there are definitely times where…I decide I can’t help you…I I don’t think we should even start treatment and this is why Now in bringing that up I have worked through the reason with people and then was able to help them and give results. But do you see people like that where they come in and there’s just something missing where you have to say I don’t think this is a good fit And I’m not talking about financially there’s something missing I’m talking about. There’s something…mentally in their commitment or in their belief or, if you come in you’re skeptical and you I don’t think you can help me because what I hear is chiropractors hurt people. Okay Well I I this is uncomfortable already. Let’s talk a little bit about that because if we don’t come to some kind of agreement here then I’m not gonna be able to help you What’s it like when it comes to people needing help with substance abuse in dealing with their past traumas. Yeah That’s interesting right Because like here they are presenting themselves to us…You or for help…But then they may be very skeptical about the the ability I think that that sometimes can be trauma related, because if I start to hope that this might work. For me then there’s the chance I could be disappointed and I don’t like I’m tired of being disappointed so sometimes what you’re dealing with. but yeah we have people come in to substance abuse treatment and then sneak drugs in. Like, to the facility So it’s like well, why are you here? and we understand, like, for our situation…it’s a huge decision…to not help someone because…it happens to us that I mean it just happens that people come in and they leave and they die. so we really work hard to try to get by in to try to get them…to the right stage of change where they can kind of receive information, to have that hope in our program when I first started at ripple I had someone come in…He he was an alcoholic and he said that…he was under the impression that we had a hot tub that the pictures in the on their website showed that we had a hot tub and, that like, he just he didn’t think it was the right place He felt kind of misled because we didn’t have a hot tub and a month later he was dead. He left and he he died He wanted a retreat not recovery. I guess…Yeah And and so…like we do the best we can to keep people there……but…there is always…there is that resistance plus a lot of people that come to us have to go through a period of time that’s really painful and uncomfortable. if they’re detoxing…So…they have to really be ready to kinda get through that. Physical…pain and and then kinda deal with the mental pain. So…Yeah I couldn’t imagine I’ve only dealt with that personally on a small level If I don’t have my coffee every day I get a little headache. Exactly. Exactly I have seen withdrawals…on TV. Never personally seen them up front and I could only imagine what that’s like. Yeah Stuff. when it comes to…Any…health problem, whether it’s pain or mental emotional trauma…There are things that people can do naturally For instance in medicine, a lot of times, we’ll…call it a chemical imbalance…Which…doesn’t really mean that your chemistry is off It means that we can change the way you are with chemistry…Now I can also change your chemistry…by teaching you to think differently or exercise can actually change your body chemistry, or a good diet can change your chemistry. And maybe we’re not eliminating the drugs but we’re eliminating the chemicals in the food. how important are these natural things in helping someone whether it’s, nutrition, exercise teaching them about rest or good mental input, eliminating the…some of the TV that’s programming them improperly, how important are those things when it comes to treatment…For me super important…I I don’t know if you’re if you’ve heard the Huberman Lab…with Casey Means It’s a podcast that he did recently and she’s she’s written a book, and it was so fascinating to me because she was talking just about what you’re asking about which is…again…like we’re treating all of these……diseases and things with medications and it’s not working. it’s getting things are getting worse not better. And she…really talks about mitochondria and that level of like that’s where we should be looking is what’s going on at the very cellular level. And…talks about how that…the way we change those the cells that are kind of giving us all of our energy in life…are with natural things like exercise and sun exposure and…nutrition. so for us and for me as the executive director…I find those things super important the clients that we have start every day with Yoga. We have a Reiki practitioner that does Reiki throughout the day. They do a lot of tai chi. we typically incorporate exercise we’re on twenty acres so there’s like paths throughout the woods that can walk in…and…the of course just the regulations…make us go through a nutritionist for the food that we’re serving them but we have a chef that prepared prepares fresh food for them. So…those are things that are…really close to my heart and and really important I think in recovery…and just life…in general. I agree. I’m curious to you guys on your twenty acres do you grow any food? We do We have we don’t actually right now grow food We have a greenhouse and so they do a lot of gardening…Yeah that’s one of the things I’ve been pushing for is like let’s at least do an herb garden that like the chef can use but I think that’s a that’s a great…that’s a great idea I’d also love to have chickens out there. Oh I love chickens I had my own chickens until…they got attacked by one of the what are the night predators? Yeah. Racoons. really the racoons get them Yeah We try to protect them We make a place a safe place for them And maybe we don’t get home on time one night and they’re still out And…And once something’s found them it’s just gonna keep coming back and picking away until they’re all gone Like it so…yeah. But I love the having chickens and maybe a raised bed garden where you’re growing some herbs and, just involved in the food where you understand where food really comes from because Yeah. We’re programmed to think that food comes in a package. And, if we wanna make the connection between mental health, and nutrition…we can create an instant case of ADHD in a toddler by giving them gummy bear.. Yep. Yeah It’s it’s a quick change and we see their behavior immediately change. This is really cool too I think we’re finding this out very recently this is new where we’re just now understanding. We didn’t know this when I was in school in the nineties, the connection between the gut flora…and mental health. And the communication that happens in these microbes in our body and how they communicate with immune cells in our body and how all of these cells are moving through our bloodstream…communicating…and how they can also play a role in addictions…The microbes will cry out for what they think they need And sometimes as we’re depriving them of what they want they cry out more and and create those urges. And we actually have to not only reprogram our minds but reprogram our guts…We need to get those microbes back in balance…so that the right cravings are in place. Yeah Agree. what would you say your favorite testimonial is related to what you do…I always kind of fall back on one of our admissions specialist…because she…came through ripple…when I first started there, And…it’s just such a great feeling when you have a client come through and then go on and just do amazing things and and we require like two years of sobriety before we can hire anybody. But so she was one of our first kind of hires while I was there. And, she’s just…really gone on and does amazing things and she’s…been able to be there for her kids and be involved…with her grandkids. And, she was just like at that spot where she was ready and she talks about how…what was different with ripple…was the mental health treatment because she had been to treatment before…but she this was the first time she had gotten the mental health treatment that she needed So…I love that I love hearing stories like that. When someone comes to ripple ranch for the first time, what’s their day look like and their near future after that…well it depends on if they’re coming into detox If they’re coming into detox the first seven days are usually rest and recovery and and just trying to kinda get stable. a lot of times…the substance use is covering up some other health issues So kinda getting whatever…infections or,…just damage to the body…trying to get that under control. And they’re able to start attending groups as soon as they want to and feel up to it but our residential program is on the same piece of property. they are in groups starting at nine, and they have lunch break and then they’re in group. Until like about five or six every day. and it’s just a, wide variety of things that we’re supporting them with whether it be grief group, trauma group…different types of trauma or or therapy modalities DBT We have a DBT group We have CBT group so all of those things they do there. DBT is the dialectical behavior therapy, and CBT is cognitive behavior therapy. they also do acceptance and commitment therapy which is ACT. So we have like therapeutic groups woven in with some psycho ed groups woven in with the the kinda holistic treatment that we were talking about the yoga and the reiki and so…they do nature and recovery where they work in the greenhouse with the plants so it’s kind of a variety of things that they do throughout the day and then also, supplemented with medical…assisted treatment…And the therapy. Okay. When someone’s looking for a treatment facility, they’re looking for help What are some of the things you think they should look for and what would be some of the warning signs things to run? How do when you have a good treatment center? A good treatment center…well I think…that again if you’re calling a a facility for help you want to…do your due diligence…ask about their programming. what do they do Like just the same question you just asked me like what does a day there look like, what kind of…things will I be doing? I would wanna know, how often I’m gonna meet with a therapist…because…there are treatment centers that don’t…that’s not a big part of their programming…And I think that’s pretty important. So I would wanna know about that if there’s a psychiatrist, that they can have access to if need be. and I would want to get a sense that They’re willing to refer me out if their facility isn’t the right facility but also knowing if you want like an AA based program or if that’s not something…that really works for you making sure that they have other options…As far as like warning signs…It’s so hard to know at once until you get there…But…I think if you do that footwork about like what the expectations are as far as therapy and the programming that those are the most important pieces to know ahead of time. Yeah. How far did people come to…Ripple Ranch How from from all over the country or is it when you go into treatment facility are usually looking for something nearby How does that work? we have had people from all over the country come…And I think that a lot of times the reason they’re traveling that far is because they want the mental health focus. and again I think that’s kind of one of the things that’s a little harder to find. so yeah they they come from…they come from out of state…and…we get them from everywhere…Yeah. Yeah. There’s one thing you could fix about the system. maybe it’s an insurance issue…maybe it’s…a law that prevents you from doing something, what would you change if you could change anything about our current system…I have to pick one. Well…there’s obviously more than one…No What yeah What are some of the challenges Like if in my chiropractic I would say wait Could you pay for everything but chiropractic…? Mhmm Yeah. I mean I think that the…the barriers to treatment are the things that I would look at and that that can be from like, our state…codes that we have to go by which sometimes…we just went through a state inspection and thank goodness we did well But it’s it’s tough Like it’s tough to…meet all of the requirements and…know sometimes you have masters level clinicians that can’t do certain things that that they really are capable and qualified to do. so that basically means, you have to pay for…clinical…people who have a certain level of licensure…and that’s that can be really expensive so, and honestly some of my interns are,, amazing clinicians so I’d…just some of the state requirements I think I would like to see updated I don’t think they’re up to date Some of them are too stringent and make it difficult to operate. and then yeah insurance. I just I I think insurance needs to be better about…working with us And I I mean, pipe dream would be we could have ninety days. In treatment…to start out with inpatient treatment for people that have been using drugs for twenty years because thirty days is just not. It sometimes takes thirty days just to get their medications kinda stabilized…So yeah it takes so many days to break a habit but you haven’t really broke the habit if you haven’t cleared their systems. Yeah Interesting. Interesting. What’s the best resource people wanna find out more or get in touch with you should they go to the corporate website. Mhmm Yeah RippleRanch.com And you’ll find on their…access to, information about our program, all the programs that we offer because we do have an outpatient as well…in San Antonio and…our admissions team is live usually on there during the day so you can get help, right then They also have the number to have our admissions…line, and that’s that’s the best way And like I said our admit our admissions team is amazing and if we’re not the right fit then they will find they’ll help you with your insurance to figure out what facilities your insurance covers, and, they’re really good about taking care of people even if it doesn’t mean they’re coming to ripple. Oh that’s great. That’s great So you’ll help them find a place that can help them if you can’t Yep Yep. Alright. are there any other things that you wish I had asked that someone…listening to the show might be thinking about getting help something that I should have asked that you would have wanted to mention…Oh I think you did a really good job I can’t think of anything that…that we didn’t cover. Okay…So In the…resources area below the video below the podcast, below any social media we’ll make sure we have a link to Ripple Ranch Are there any of other resources you think we should connect to…That I can think of I mean maybe the DBT book. Okay We can get on Amazon…together make sure I am…I didn’t write it but Make sure I think there you mentioned it earlier. Yeah Chrissy that’s great, thank you so much for educating me taking time to answer so many questions I feel like I am empowered a little bit more now in this area. Excellent Thank you so much for having me
I hope you enjoyed that episode today on the Dr. Haley Show. Make Sure to hit subscribe on whichever platform you are listening to this. If this episode made you think of someone go ahead take a screenshot, and share this exact episode with them. You can catch the show notes for this episode on www.drhaley.com. If you want to geek out with Dr. Michael Haley On other radical health topics, be sure to check out his YouTube channel where he posts exclusive video content. All the details are www.drhaley.com and we can’t wait to hang out with you on the next episode.
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