Treatment Therapies

Our comprehensive treatment programs aim to treat the whole person. As such we combine the best conventional medical care alongside allied health and complementary therapies.

Because we consider each client to be absolutely unique, our customised treatment plans are based on individual client requirements. Each program is created with an integrated selection of therapies after careful consultation with the client and with each practitioner on the treatment team.

The holistic approach we advocate at The Sanctuary requires a coordinated, multi-disciplinary effort to ensure a seamless integration of therapies, with our aim always being to achieve the best possible outcomes within the given timeframe.

 
 

Our broad range of Therapies include:

 

Conventional Medical Assessment & Treatment

Most Sanctuary programs will include a full medical assessment upon arrival, especially if you are seeking treatment for any condition requiring medical supervision. You will have your own personal doctor and registered nursing staff as required. From here further assessments and consultations with a range of medical specialists and allied health practitioners can be arranged. These might include (but are not limited to) psychiatrists, gastroenterologists, physiotherapists, dieticians etc.

Our doctors and nurses are highly experienced and work in a team alongside other allied health and complementary health practitioners. This means we are able to critically review the use of prescription medication and pharmacotherapies, balancing their use with alternative treatments.

Where possible, we will always promote treatments which are non-invasive, and with fewer side-effects. Where pharmacotherapies are recommended, we will always seek to minimise any side effects with the use of complementary therapies.

Our aim is to help you harness your own capacity to heal. While we firmly believe in appropriate medical intervention, we believe that the best results are achieved with an integration of medical and complementary care.

Allied Health

Dietetics

Dieticians are experts in food and nutrition. They provide guidance about management for clients who may be affected by health conditions such as allergies, weight issues, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. Dieticians assess a clients nutritional needs and specifically tailor a diet with planning around monitoring and ongoing evaluation to ensure an ideal treatment trajectory.

Our dietician consults with your personal chef who will take into account your own personal dietary preferences as well as their treatment plan and recommendations.

Exercise Physiology

Exercise Physiology is a specialist field in which physical exercise interventions are used to treat clients with a broad range of health issues. This could be for existing conditions or injuries, or those at risk of developing medical problems.

Our exercise physiologists commence a treatment plan with an assessment of functional capacity to ensure their prescriptions and advice are safe and effective. The interventions are based around sustainable support and lifestyle modification, focussed on achieving behavioural change.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy includes a wide range of treatment techniques to treat psychological problems and some psychiatric disorders. Psychotherapy remains one of the most effective treatments for addictions, depression and anxiety.

While there are many types of psychotherapy practiced, all psychotherapists utilise the relationship between client and therapist as the vehicle for transformation. A therapeutically beneficial interaction is one where mutual trust exists and where the goal of treatment is to ultimately help a client change destructive or unhealthy behaviours, thoughts and emotions so that their quality of life is improved. 

Psychotherapy plays an important role in the healing process at The Sanctuary. For this reason, we only employ highly experienced, mature, and fully qualified therapists. Not only are our therapists innovative, creative and dynamic, they are also committed to working from a supportive, compassionate and respectful stance, where each client is encouraged to change and grow in his or her own unique way.

If your life has become unmanageable and unhappy, psychotherapy can help to shine a light on the parts of yourself that you habitually avoid or from which you are dissociated – including your strengths.

At the Sanctuary we try to help you understand the underlying issues associated with your presenting condition/s through psychotherapy. We aim to educate and inform, so that you may learn to understand yourself more deeply, and conduct yourself better as a result. We will help you understand and develop skills in formulating safe boundaries. We will help you clarify and gain awareness around your relationships, how you relate to the world and how you behave. Most importantly, we will help you find hope for a more fulfilling future.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a clinical evidence-based therapy concerned with gaining maximum mobility and quality of life through the maintenance of a healthy and fit body.

Physiotherapists will assess any pain in the body or physical restrictions and prescribe personalised exercise programs to manage any physical conditions and to further prevent pain and injury.

Physiotherapy can include:

  • joint mobilisation and manipulation;

  • therapeutic exercise and stretches

  • electrophysical agents (such as hot packs, ice and ultrasound);

  • soft tissue massage including gentle manipulation of fascia and viscera; and

  • breathing exercises and techniques.

At The Sanctuary Byron Bay, physiotherapy plays an important role in ensuring that physical exercise is undertaken with care and that any pre-existing injuries are protected and rehabilitated.

Complementary Therapies

A broad range of complementary therapies are available at The Sanctuary Byron Bay as required and on request.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique whereupon filiform needles are inserted into specific points on the body to promote healing and relieve symptoms of ill health.

Acupuncture is based upon empirical observation and accepted by evidence-based medicine as a safe and useful treatment for a range of conditions.

At The Sanctuary, acupuncture treatment is provided as a core therapy and has been successful in treating withdrawal symptoms such as nausea and headaches as well as a host of other conditions. Many clients report increased vitality as well as deep relaxation after treatment, and those clients who are with us to address drug and alcohol use additionally report reduced cravings for substances.

Diet & Nutrition

Diet and nutrition are important healing aspects of your treatment here at The Sanctuary Byron Bay.

During your stay with us, you will enjoy the attentive services of your own personal chef. Your personal chef will shop daily for fresh ingredients, and will prepare delicious fresh, light, unprocessed meals for you, using organic and in-season produce and ingredients.

Menus will be prepared according to the recommendations of our practitioners in order to address deficiencies in your diet, and to nourish and strengthen your body. Your personal chef will take into account your own personal dietary preferences as well as recommendations from the treating team.

Your chef may also take the time to provide you with information on nutrition and if you are interested in cooking, will teach you how to prepare recommended meals.

Natural supplements including vitamins and minerals may also be integrated into your treatment plan where required. You may also consult with a dietician as part of your treatment if required or upon request.

Massage

Sanctuary masseurs are highly experienced and very careful about the therapeutic focus of their work.  Deep tissue massage is only conducted if appropriate and will always begin in a gentle fashion until you are able to withstand greater intensity.

The aim of deep tissue massage is not merely relaxation, although that is often a pleasant outcome.  Deep tissue massage addresses muscle pain, tension, tendon or muscle injury and is useful for increasing blood flow and oxygen flow around your body.

Deep tissue massage is a therapeutically focused massage working on the deeper layers of muscle tissues in the body.  Deep tissue massage is a feature of many styles of massage and is usually characterised by slower, deeper strokes undertaken with firmer pressure, sometimes localised on particular areas which are sore or stiff.

Shiatsu

Shiatsu means 'finger pressure' and is a Japanese healing method with roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine. A Shiatsu therapist utilises finger pressure along the classical meridians (energy lines) of the body in order to assess bodily energy flows, remove blockages and restore balance. Based on an initial diagnosis, each treatment is different and caters to the individual needs of the patient.

Shiatsu combines acupressure, massage and gentle stretching and can be both relaxing and stimulating as a treatment experience.

Personal Training

Physical training is an important component of our therapeutic programs at The Sanctuary Byron Bay, as many interrelationships exist between bodily systems and mental and emotional states.

We provide one-on-one personal training with fully qualified personal trainers, all with many years of experience. Our personal trainers are not ‘bootcamp’ instructors who will push you beyond your limitations. Personal training at The Sanctuary is always undertaken with caution and only after a detailed assessment of your physical abilities. We strive to avoid injury and we will always seek to increase your fitness levels slowly and with care.

Personal training at The Sanctuary will include a combination of both cardio-vascular exercise as well as resistance training with weights. We will always ensure that any existing injuries are noted and not further aggravated and we will include a variety of exercises especially tailored to your level of fitness which we will seek to gradually and persistently improve.

Yoga & Meditation

Yoga is a broad group of ancient practices originating in India which aims to integrate and unite the body, mind and spirit. Though yoga includes both meditative practices and asanas (physical postures), it is often the latter which is commonly described as ‘yoga’ in the West.

At The Sanctuary, both aspects of yoga are taught, that is, postural practices and meditation. Both are especially beneficial in addressing the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of healing.

Our yoga practitioners are highly qualified and experienced with many years of teaching experience. Yoga sequences are created individually for each client as each constitution requires a different program. Our one-on-one teaching ensures that the practices are attuned to your own specific strengths and limitations. Over the course of your program, we will help you establish and develop a personal daily practice for the future.

The postures and breathing techniques we teach you will help to improve digestion, circulation and respiration, resulting in better awareness of your body and a sense of calm within.

Qigong

Qigong (pronounced chi-kung) is an aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine involving set patterns of bodily movement and postures coordinated with specific breathing techniques. Qigong is usually practiced to increase bodily self-awareness and to harness the body’s innate abilities to heal.

Qigong is a calming and restorative practice and can be described as ‘meditation in motion’. Regular practice of Qigong can be beneficial in the management of stress, anxiety or depression.

At The Sanctuary Byron Bay, our Qigong teachers will introduce you to personalised Qigong routines which may help you gain awareness of your body and breath and promote relaxation.

Creative Therapies

An important feature of The Sanctuary model is our focus on helping you reconnect to your creativity and passions. In addition to our clinical program, we encourage you to engage in your surroundings and to discover greater meaning in your life.

We encourage your participation in activities that promote creativity and focus, for example dance, art, martial arts and music.

We employ highly experienced and talented music and art therapists as well as musical instrument teachers, creative writing instructors, photography teachers, dance teachers of various styles and martial arts experts who are available to you as required.

Our aim is to help you recognise your own undiscovered capacities to harness your inner strengths and passions, shifting your reliance away from maladaptive behaviours and negative cognitive patterns.

Personal Care

Personal care is an essential component of all Sanctuary programs. Along with the therapeutic modalities working together to improve your health, personal carers are a key part of your treatment team, ensuring you are accompanied at all times during the intensive stages of your treatment.

Carers usually stay overnight, attending to your well-being and domestic needs. In addition to helping serve meals, monitoring your medication and attending to your laundry, they will also accompany you to external appointments or outings.

Carers are chosen for their experience, compassion and interpersonal skills. They provide companionship, sympathetic care and a friendly presence to ensure your home environment is comfortable and welcoming.