Trauma Therapy

How Trauma Affects Mental and Emotional Health

Traumatic experiences in a person’s life include experiencing physical violence, abuse, danger, witnessing injuries or death, going through a sudden loss, or having a shocking experience. These experiences can lead to a person developing post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health issues, and being more susceptible to adapting negative patterns of behavior, such as substance abuse leading to drug addiction

Many people who have been through trauma begin to develop incorrect or unhelpful beliefs about themselves and the world around them as the trauma becomes internalized over time. This affects their relationships, mental health, and emotional well-being.

Trauma therapy has been developed to help patients properly process the trauma they have experienced, which will, in turn, help them make behavioral changes and gain new coping skills to use when they experience stress in the future. Behavioral therapists who are properly trained will always use trauma-informed methods when providing treatment to substance abusers and those who are displaying signs of trauma. Through integrated treatments, therapists can help their patients process the traumatic event, understand how it has affected their thoughts, reframe their worldviews and beliefs, and gain new tools to use to help them live healthier and better life overall.

Effective Addiction Therapy

Suffering from trauma can result in issues like Xanax addiction, Adderall addiction, meth addiction, marijuana addiction, cocaine addiction, alcohol addiction, or opioid addiction as a means of escaping disturbing or unhelpful thoughts, memories, and feelings in the body. Effective addiction therapy needs to include behavioral therapy, talk therapy, and group therapy within a dual-diagnosis treatment plan that incorporates mental health treatment for PTSD and trauma as a co-occurring disorder along with drug addiction treatment.

According to a study done by Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, nearly 95% of people who have an addiction have been through traumatic experiences. This is no coincidence and is why an effective addiction therapy plan needs to address the underlying causes of the addiction, and when it comes to trauma responses, triggers need to be identified and neutralized. Trauma can cloud judgment, and make it difficult to make rational decisions, so turning to drugs and alcohol as an escape or as self-medication for symptoms of PTSD is common. Healing the underlying pain and fear can help the person become empowered to take back control over their behaviors and responses to challenges, stopping negative behaviors like substance abuse and working toward healthy sobriety.

Many people find that family therapy can help, as rebuilding family relationships and improving communication with loved ones can create a strong support network, help families heal, and help family members better understand their loved one’s addiction.

Dual diagnosis programs that provide trauma-informed care, combined with a family program, behavioral addiction recovery therapy, and, if needed, a medication-assisted treatment plan, are often the best way to help a person dealing with trauma and addiction. Addressing the root causes of substance use disorder in the addiction treatment program will greatly reduce the risk of relapse by breaking the cycle of substance abuse, freeing the patient, and allowing them to be able to overcome addiction and their mental health issues.

Recognizing the Trauma

Recognizing trauma is one of the biggest challenges that people who are suffering from trauma and addiction face. They need to not only overcome a physical disorder, but also heal underlying mental and emotional health issues, not an easy task when trauma is unprocessed. A trauma therapy program helps patients and their therapists work together to discover the effect traumatic events have had on their physical, emotional, and social well-being, and to understand how these traumatic experiences have shaped their behaviors over time. This type of therapy program will allow therapists to help patients take forward steps toward healing, improved mental health, and freedom from addiction and other negative behaviors.

Why People Resist Trauma-Informed Treatment

Of course, every patient is unique, but some common reasons that people avoid trauma-informed therapy are:

• Avoiding pain and discomfort
• Embarrassment at needing help
• Social stigmas
• Lack of self-worth, not feeling like they deserve care in a therapy program
• Not realizing they have experienced trauma
• Not recognizing the connection between past experiences and the present
• Trying to ignore the pain to make it go away on its own
• Addiction and substance use disorders as self-medication getting in the way of seeking help

At Sylvan Detox, we provide trauma-informed therapy in all aspects of treatment, including programs like:

• Medical detox programs with medication management for those in a medication-assisted treatment plan
• Recovery management services including case management and relapse prevention programs
• Behavioral therapy program options including dialectical behavior therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy
• Acceptance and commitment therapy
• Rational emotive therapy
• Dual diagnosis programs
• Family therapy
• Individual therapy
• Group therapies including Seeking Safety, Relapse Prevention, Cognitive Restructuring, Anger Management, Emotional Regulation, and Social Skills groups
• Holistic treatment therapies like mindfulness, yoga, meditation, physical fitness, sound healing, and nutritional health
• Trauma-focused therapies
• Narrative therapy
• Gestalt therapy
• Person-centered addiction therapy

We are an inpatient treatment facility and detox center within a network of several trusted rehab facilities for drugs and alcohol throughout the country. Once you have completed your program inside our rehab center, we can then refer you on to further substance abuse treatment in an outpatient program like:

• A partial hospitalization program
• An intensive outpatient program
• A virtual outpatient addiction treatment plan
• A customized long-term outpatient program
• Sober living homes in your area
• Peer support and alumni groups for sober connections during and after outpatient treatment

Please contact our team today to learn more about trauma-informed substance use disorders treatment like: 

• Marijuana addiction treatment
• Meth addiction treatment
• Xanax addiction treatment
• Adderall addiction treatment
• Cocaine addiction treatment
• Alcohol addiction treatment
• Opioid addiction treatment
• Prescription drug addiction treatment
• Any other drug addiction treatment program

Please contact our team today to find out more about how you can get involved in customized, comprehensive substance abuse treatment programs for drugs or alcohol that will not only help you regain your physical well-being, but through integrated behavioral, holistic, and evidence-based care, will help you heal your psychological, emotional, and spiritual health as well.