We commonly hear individuals say “I need to work on my trauma.” We will be careful here to talk about trauma in a general way so as to not pretend we know about your experiences and to not contribute to developing narratives around trauma. There are experiences in life that change how an individual moves in the world. Depending on that experience one can feel unsafe, can relive a past experience, and can experience unidentified strong emotions. Sometimes substances work to alleviate a feeling and because they take away a hard feeling, it strongly encodes the desire to use. In this case, the substance is helping. That’s why trauma and substance use disorder treatment go hand-in-hand. In some ways, one feeds the other and vice versa.
Fortunately, group and individual therapy in a safe environment can help identify resiliency factors and ways in which the individuals responded to themselves in a caring way. Traditionally, discussions around therapy unintentionally disempower people by stating in the face of trauma they shut down, ran, or fought. We do know that there are some biological activities that take place that demonstrate some version of fight, flight, or freeze. And what we don’t talk about enough are the decisions people make in the moment of intense fear to protect themselves.
We hope to provide education on trauma and be curious about the experience with you. The definition of trauma is “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.” Our hope is to talk about the types of trauma women can experience, normalize the responses to scary experiences, and be curious about a way out from them. We rely on you as the expert in your life. Given that you have already gotten thus far, we want to be curious with you about how that came to be. How the trauma didn’t take you out, and how you came to be here with us. We want to help provide education on the restorative process of the body, the healing of the mind, and the resiliency of your spirit. Trauma doesn’t get to be a main character here.
What is Trauma-Responsive Care?
Trauma-Informed care is a popular buzz word that is used in treatment and therapy everywhere. This language is used to mean that the services that are being provided take into consideration the effects of trauma. Generally, in this case, staff are aware of trauma and how to navigate clinical situations that arise because of trauma. At New Directions for Women, we aim to be trauma-responsive. We are continuously working on efforts to make sure that we are not just informed about trauma and its effects but that we respond to the needs of women by establishing policies and procedures that demand we respond by incorporating trauma-responsive practices at every level of our facility. Trauma-responsiveness allows us to address trauma at every interaction that takes place in treatment from operations to clinical.
Types of Trauma
Few fortunate people are lucky to live out their lives without experiencing traumatic events. However, trauma presents itself in multiple ways for those who have experienced trauma.
Types of trauma include:
Involves physical attacks through beating, hitting, blows, kicks and punches with or without weapons.
Occurs when one is touched, raped, or molested without consent.
All forms of violence, including physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional assault by an intimate partner or spouse.
Involves parents failing to perform their duties of providing children with basic survival needs. Addiction and childhood trauma from emotional, physical, and sexual assault harm both childhood and adulthood.
Occur when people tease, threaten, and abuse others with or without force to dominate them.
Occurs when one uses hurtful words or slurs to manipulate, embarrass or shame another person.
Unexpected natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions could cause trauma.
Loss of a loved one, employment, and body parts such as blindness or amputations could cause trauma.
Accidents such as car crashes, train crashes, slips, and falls could cause trauma due to physical injuries and emotional disturbances.
Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and HIV/Aids could cause depression and trauma.
How Trauma Affects Addiction
Although trauma does not automatically guarantee addiction, it does increase the risk of addiction. Experiencing trauma increases the risk of addiction, as most people develop an addiction as a coping mechanism for negative situations. Research and scientific studies show a strong correlation between trauma and drug addiction or eating addiction.
The National Center for PTSD and the Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that 25-75% of abuse victims develop alcohol abuse. While 10-33% of accident and natural disaster survivors develop alcohol abuse. Female trauma survivors who do not have PTSD are also likely to experience addiction due to alcohol abuse.
Alcohol, cocaine, tobacco, and marijuana are some of the drugs that trauma survivors often abuse. Although drugs offer relief by regulating mood and intrusive thoughts and suppressing stress hormones, there is the risk of addiction. In the long run, frequent alcohol and substance abuse cause drug addiction.
Besides disrupting brain development, trauma also causes long-term mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately, people may develop an addiction which consuming medication for mental health conditions.
Causes of Addiction
Despite harmful physical and psychological effects, addiction prevents people from stopping specific behavior or using substances. It results from a neuropsychological disorder that creates a mental and physical dependency on the behavior or substance.
Risk factors and potential causes of addiction can include:
Substance abuse such as alcohol is hereditary; thus, alcohol addictions in parents could result in addiction in their offspring.
environment causes expose someone to drug addiction through peer pressure, poverty, parental drug abuse, and drug access. Trauma-related reasons such as parental neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault, and bullying can also increase the risk of drug addiction.
Help with Trauma & Addiction
Individualized and comprehensive treatment plans that combine professional addiction and trauma therapy can help victims’ trauma and addiction recovery. People with trauma and addiction can be helped in the following ways;
Therapy
One of the best ways to provide trauma and addiction recovery is through therapy. Undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions can help develop a better coping mechanism for dealing with trauma and addiction. Grief or loss counseling can help heal trauma clients who have experienced the loss of loved ones.
ERP therapy is suitable for drug addiction and specific traumas such as fear of driving cars caused by accidents. The continuously regulates exposure to drugs and trauma triggers until addiction and trauma imprints subside. EMDR treatment can also help eliminate the emotional distress associated with traumatic memories.
Inpatient Treatment
Another form of trauma is placing a person with trauma and addiction within rehabilitation centers with inpatient treatment. Inpatient treatment centers monitor clients through the withdrawal symptoms and recovery process through addiction detox. In these facilities, clients can receive medication and individual and group counseling sessions using CBT, ERP, and other forms of therapy.
How Common is Trauma?
A study by the Agency for Health Research and Quality showed that around one in three women had experienced at least one physical assault in adulthood. In addition, at least one in six American women have experienced attempted rape. The study also posits that at least one in five girls experience sexual abuse by age 13.
Hundreds of women suffer from addiction and trauma every year. Treating trauma with care prevents the escalation of the trauma to depression and other physiological and psychological issues. Trauma-informed care is crucial in supporting clients and responding to the root cause.
What is Trauma-Informed Care?
Trauma-informed care is a strengths-based, trauma-sensitive approach that recognizes the impact of trauma on an individual’s life. This method responds in a way that is respectful of the individual’s experiences. This approach focuses on the individual’s strengths and resilience rather than the individual’s deficits. It recognizes that the individual has survived a traumatic event and can heal and thrive. Trauma-informed care is based on the understanding that an individual’s response to a traumatic event is expected. It emphasizes that the individual is not to blame for the event. It also acknowledges that an individual may have experienced multiple traumas and that the impact of trauma can be cumulative.
Trauma-informed care helps people who have experienced trauma and addiction develop healthy relationships with healthcare providers. This engagement helps care providers dig into the root cause of the client’s problem before administering treatment.
This approach to treatment emphasizes the need for healthcare providers to develop a clear picture of a client’s condition. Trauma-informed healthcare providers understand the need to create a trusting relationship with the client to establish the cause of their trauma.
What are the 5 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care?
The five principles of trauma-informed care include:
Safety. This may sound obvious, but not in some cases. For example, healthcare providers working with clients who have suffered traumatic events must ensure physical and emotional safety before and during treatment.
Trustworthiness. Consistency in providing safe care and meeting clients’ expectations is essential for showing that a healthcare setting is worthy of trust.
Choice. There is a need to understand that most trauma victims take a lot of time before deciding on professional help. Hence each care setting has to work closely with the client to determine the treatment choice to provide desired results. Working on a client’s choice of intervention is essential to building their trust.
Collaboration. Unlike conventional treatment, trauma-informed care does not involve strict treatment protocol. Instead, it depends on intuition and empathy. Informed care emphasizes collaboration between healthcare providers and clients to develop a practical solution.
Empowerment. Trauma-informed care focuses on empowering trauma victims to realize and build on their existing strengths. The approach establishes healthy coping skills based on clients’ strengths. This helps to build a strong foundation for dealing with current and future events.
Benefits of Trauma-Informed Care
Creating an effective relationship with the client through their special attention to trauma and understanding their past can help provide better care. Clients with a history of adverse traumatic experiences such as physical assaults and rape can be reticent to trust, especially strangers.
The benefits of trauma-informed care are limitless to women suffering from trauma and their loved ones. Trauma experiences can be inherently associated with physical and psychological well-being. There has been a wide linkage between these events and risky behaviors that may cause deaths among victims.
The Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) advocates for the need for healthcare providers to understand the impact of trauma in providing effective treatment. Consequently, trauma-informed care is a comprehensive approach that focuses on improving the healthcare experience for all clients.
There hasn’t been a comprehensive study on the impact of trauma-informed treatment. However, preliminary research shows improvement for trauma and addiction clients under this approach.
Trauma & Addiction Treatment in Orange County, CA
Trauma can often be a dual diagnosis for women struggling with substance abuse and addiction. To treat trauma while finding recovery from substance abuse, the two should be treated at the same time. Individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management as needed can be used to treat trauma and addiction.
New Directions for Women provides a safe and secure rehabilitation facility for women suffering from trauma and addiction. Our drug and alcohol detox programs have professional health practitioners and therapists committed to providing clients with proper rehabilitation and recovery. Contact us today to learn more about our addiction and trauma therapy and other treatments available in our rehabilitation program.
Contact New Directions for Women for effective trauma-informed treatment today.
