Trauma is one of the most complex and widespread factors influencing addiction. Understanding the answer to the question “What is trauma?” and how it ties to substance abuse can help the recovery process. This treatment can be done with appropriate intervention and care from compassionate, patient counselors.
At The Willows at Red Oak, we strive to treat every aspect of your life that has led you to develop your addiction. We include a trauma therapy program as a critical component of many client’s recoveries. As a women’s addiction treatment center, we want to give you everything you need to feel safe, cared for, and empowered in your treatment.
Recovering from trauma begins by understanding the ways it affects substance abuse, mental health, and your everyday functioning.
What is Trauma?
Trauma has two definitions. The first is a disturbing event that an individual witnesses or experiences. The second is a condition that results from adverse or threatening experiences that have a long-lasting effect on someone’s mental health, relationships, and functioning.
Trauma doesn’t have a timeline. You may have suffered childhood abuse and not recognized the signs of trauma until adulthood. Recognizing the symptoms of unresolved trauma and healing the source can lead to lasting recovery.
Signs of Trauma
You might be familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety condition that results from exposure to a traumatic event. The effects are long-lasting, but the disorder is often only discussed in the media in relation to war veterans. While soldiers do make up a large percentage of patients with PTSD, it can happen to anyone.
Some of the symptoms of trauma include:
- Persistent feelings of anxiety and stress
- Difficulty feeling or expressing emotions
- Trouble sleeping or bad dreams where you relive traumatic experiences
- Social problems including appearing withdrawn, detached or having trouble opening up to others
- Depression, a sense of hopelessness or worthlessness that doesn’t go away
- Fear of angering others or being rejected
- Taking drugs or drinking to alleviate stress, anxiety or feel more relaxed
Trauma can be paralyzing, and people need ways to cope and manage as best they can. These coping mechanisms can include substance abuse or mental illnesses such as eating disorders, which provide a false sense of control.
Recovery requires not only trauma-informed care but also a personalized program that focuses on your specific trauma and needs. Not everyone can confront things the same way or at the same pace.
At The Willows, we believe in building confidence by focusing on your strengths, developing coping skills, and working through your addiction and trauma one day at a time.
How to Recover from Trauma and Addiction
Everyone deserves help for their mental illnesses. Healing from what might be a lifetime of pain and fear might not seem possible, but it is never too late to start healing. There is no cutoff point for hope. As long as you are willing to participate, we are here to help.
Trauma-informed care is an important part of our program’s core philosophy. We connect each one who comes through our door with her own strengths. Awakening to your innate power helps you overcome the challenges, scars, and emotional wounds inflicted on her by others.
By incorporating trauma awareness into our dual diagnosis treatment, we can help you overcome both your substance abuse and trauma. You need to understand how they interact and influence one another.
Trauma can lead you to abuse drugs in the first place, which can then expose you to more trauma that only perpetuates the cycle.
Our professional team is not going to let your doubt get in the way of your progress, because we know your addiction story and trauma experience deserves a happy ending. We are here, and we believe in you.
Treatment Options
There are a variety of therapies that can be used to treat both trauma and substance use disorders. Every patient needs their own plan in order to gain the most out of treatment.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is one of the most common forms of psychotherapy. It helps you identify negative thought patterns and beliefs and change your automatic reactions to them. This can help you regain a sense of control and choice.
Eye movement desensitization and processing (EMDR) therapy has become one of the more popular ways to help patients process and recover from trauma. This treatment helps calm your body’s emotional response and essentially reprograms your brain’s reaction to the trauma.
While these are two of the main forms of trauma therapy that patients find most helpful, we utilize a variety of techniques from different disciplines based on your preferences and needs.
Embrace Your Recovery Today
You deserve a chance to experience life on your own terms without addiction, trauma, or mental illness. Contact The Willows at Red Oak at 855.773.0614 today to learn more about the question, “What is trauma?” and discuss how we can help you.
