Therapies used in Swiss clinics
Private Swiss clinics combine medical treatment, such as supervised detox and brain stimulation, with evidence-based psychotherapies like CBT, DBT and EMDR, and finish with structured aftercare. Here is what each therapy is and when it is used.
Medical detox
Medical detox is the medically supervised withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines or other drugs, in which doctors use medication and 24/7 monitoring to keep the process safe and as comfortable as possible, typically over 5 to 21 days.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people recognise the thoughts, feelings and situations that drive harmful behaviour and replace them with practical coping strategies; it is the backbone of most programmes in Swiss rehab clinics.
Dialectical behaviour therapy
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a skills-based form of CBT that teaches mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness; Swiss clinics use it for addiction with intense emotions, self-harm, dual diagnosis and eating disorders.
EMDR trauma therapy
EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) is a WHO-recommended trauma therapy in which the client recalls distressing memories while following bilateral stimulation, helping the brain reprocess them so they lose their emotional charge.
Family therapy
Family therapy in rehab brings partners, parents or children into treatment so that the whole system understands the illness, repairs trust and agrees how to support recovery, which significantly improves outcomes after discharge.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain-stimulation treatment that uses magnetic pulses to activate mood-regulating areas of the brain; it is mainly used in Swiss clinics for depression that has not responded to medication.
Functional medicine & biochemical restoration
Functional medicine, often called biochemical restoration in Swiss luxury rehab, is a medical approach that uses laboratory testing of nutrients, hormones, gut health and metabolism to identify physical imbalances that may worsen mood, energy and cravings, and treats them alongside psychotherapy.
Aftercare & relapse prevention
Aftercare is the structured support that follows a residential stay, including a written relapse-prevention plan, outpatient therapy, medication follow-up and often remote check-ins, and it is one of the strongest predictors of long-term recovery.
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