Trauma is a leading factor in developing a substance use disorder. The reason for this is that many individuals who undergo trauma are left with many feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety, anger, and depression. They try to soothe these symptoms with substances, ultimately leading to addiction or substance use disorder.
The only way to get to the heart of the addiction is to treat the trauma. As such, addiction and trauma treatment go hand in hand. Without treating the psychological trauma, addiction treatment will not be as effective. This fact is what makes addiction and trauma treatment so important in the lives of millions around the world.
The Relationship Between Addiction and Trauma
To understand the importance of addiction and trauma treatment, it’s important to understand the relationship between psychological trauma and addiction.
Trauma can occur from any incident that caused distress or fear. Traumatic incidents kickstart the brain’s fight or flight response. The brain will store all this information, even if the individual disassociates during the traumatic incident.
Because the brain stores the information from the trauma, trauma can be felt years down the line. Individuals who undergo severe trauma often experience stress, anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, anger, insomnia, and inability to concentrate.
These are feelings that no one wants to experience, let alone live with for years. When people have experienced severe trauma, these feelings stay with them constantly. As a result, many individuals turn to substances as a way to soothe these feelings and help to decrease the symptoms.
Why Addiction and Trauma Treatment Is Important
In cases where trauma is felt, addiction treatment must focus on the trauma. As explained above, trauma is often a leading cause of addiction. Without focusing on the trauma, the root cause of the addiction is not improved upon.
What this means is that the patient may feel successful in their recovery while at the rehab facility. However, they may fall back upon their addictive ways if they begin to experience the traumatic feelings again or are put in a familiar scenario.
Only by focusing on addiction and trauma treatment is addiction recovery possible. For this reason, many recovery facilities take a trauma treatment approach in order to help addicts work through their trauma and put an end to the harmful cycle.
Psychological Trauma and Addiction Treatment: What It Looks Like
Trauma therapy includes many tasks and components. Some common approaches to trauma treatment include:
- Uncovering any personal trauma and working through it.
- Learning how past trauma impacts you.
- Learning how to deal with trauma-related stress in a healthy way.
- Learning new skills for how to react whenever you find yourself in a triggering situation or thought.
- Working on your ability to ease your mind and body from past trauma.
During this process, you will be seen by top professionals who specialize in trauma treatment as well as addiction treatment. These professionals will provide you with the support you need to tackle these difficult situations head-on. They will also help you develop skills for overcoming your addiction after overcoming your trauma.
Contact Hillcrest Recovery Today
Addiction and trauma treatment go hand in hand. Because trauma is often the root of addiction and substance use disorders, addiction treatment must include trauma treatment in order for recovery to be possible.
If you or a loved one is suffering from psychological trauma and addiction treatment seems like an option, contact Hillcrest Recovery. Hillcrest Recovery offers comprehensive, holistic addiction treatment that can help target any past traumas and allow you to move forward with your life. Call Hillcrest Recovery today to learn more about our programs and offerings.