Trauma-Informed Care For Addiction & Mental Health Conditions

Heal From The Past and Present While Building A New Future

The Impact of Trauma Does Not Have To Define You Or Your Journey

Experiencing trauma can be devastating and can even completely change the trajectory of one’s life. It’s well documented that trauma exposure leaves individuals drastically more vulnerable to substance-abuse disorder than those without it.

In fact, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that 2/3 of individuals facing addiction have been through traumatic events like sexual abuse, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and toxic stress.

We believe it’s important for recovery centers to be well-versed in evidence-based,trauma-informed care and interventions in order to treat the whole patient without re-traumatization. A deeper understanding of trauma and its effects is essential to successful treatment and true healing for addiction or mental health conditions,

What Is Trauma-Informed Addiction Treatment or Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma-informed addiction treatment service systems are the emerging best-practice approach to achieving long-term recovery for those who have experienced child abuse, ACEs, domestic violence, neglect, discrimination, sexual abuse, violence, and other traumatic events in their life. It’s a shift towards looking at an individual’s life as a whole to identify the effects of trauma that have contributed to their current mental state and forming their addiction treatment plan accordingly. Taking a trauma-informed approach and service delivery means understanding the monumental impact of the effects of trauma and how they influence the parasympathetic nervous system. Implementing practices that specifically address trauma at both the organizational and clinical levels can improve health outcomes, emotional safety, and the likelihood of clients sticking to their treatment plan and engaging in meaningful interactions with staff and care providers[1]. A trauma-informed addiction treatment center shapes its practices and policies around the following principles: safety, patient empowerment, collaboration, choice, and trustworthiness. Done correctly, this allows clients to work through their traumatic experiences in a healthy way to get to the root cause of any undesirable habits and behaviors that results from their histories of trauma.

What Does Trauma-Informed Addiction Treatment Look Like At Absolute Awakenings?

Understanding the prevalence of trauma and our client’s history to take a trauma-informed approach is of utmost importance at Absolute Awakenings. As a trauma-informed addiction treatment center, we are deeply committed to fostering an environment that is respectful of cultural, historical, and gender-related issues.

Every client is thoroughly screened by health care providers to identify the experience of trauma and circumstances in their past or present life and the ongoing effects these events have on their substance use and behavioral health. We offer evidence-based, trauma-specific treatment options that address their individual symptoms, whether related to adverse childhood experiences, adult-onset trauma, toxic stress, grief and loss, institutionalization, frustration tolerance, and managing cravings and chronic relapse due to co-occurring issues.

We integrate daily mindfulness and meditation groups into treatment plans for all our clients to help improve their ability to cope with anxiety, manage triggers, and achieve emotional safety. Mindfulness and distress tolerance is key to overcoming the long-term effects of trauma, and making a recovery from drug addiction more successful.

At Absolute Awakenings, we model the SAMHSA definition of a trauma-informed approach which “realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, family, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.”[2]

How Does Trauma-Informed Addiction Treatment Help Clients?

Substance abuse and mental health struggles are often symptoms of trauma, whether ongoing or in the past. The long-term effects can be devastating, but recovery is possible through therapy and changing one’s emotional response to the difficult set of cards they’ve been dealt. Trauma-informed care helps with a wide range of diagnoses, such as PTSD, depression and anxiety, substance use disorder, and more.

Trauma-Informed Care For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Maintaining recovery can be difficult when dealing with the effects of unacknowledged trauma. Many of our clients have co-occurring PTSD that has been misdiagnosed as depression, anxiety, impulse control, intermittent explosive disorder, or other personality disorders. Our philosophy is to focus on what you need to heal and reach well-being, rather than “what is wrong with you”

Trauma-Informed Care For Grief and Loss

Experiencing significant loss, including the passing of a loved one, lack of sense of self, and spiritual indirection, can put a major roadblock on the road to recovery. Absolute Awakenings, clients are provided the knowledge and support they need to navigate grief and loss, including specialized grief therapy groups

Trauma Informed Care For Substance Use Disorder

Substance abuse is complex and can be exacerbated by undealt with trauma. Chronic relapse due to a failure to address the root cause of the issue can stifle recovery and make long-term success difficult to achieve. Our treatment plans are specifically designed to address underlying trauma making true freedom more likely to be achieved.

Trauma-Informed Care For Sexual Abuse

Clients who have endured sexual abuse is shown great compassion and empathy at Absolute Awakenings. Our trained professionals intentionally take a trauma-informed approach to treating those who are affected by the lasting repercussions of sexual abuse. We want our clients to understand that trauma is never their fault, and they don’t have to let it control them.

Trauma-Informed Care For Physical Abuse

Untreated trauma from physical abuse puts one at a higher risk for drug and alcohol addiction. We believe helping clients feel safe and earning their trust is crucial to effective treatment. Our facility features a warm and safe environment, including salt lamps, weighted blankets, and UV light therapy boxes placed throughout to be as supportive and encouraging as possible.

Trauma-Informed Care For Trauma Related To Natural Disasters

Providing clients time and space to safely process trauma related to natural disasters is paramount to our healing process. We are here to walk through the events together so you can learn to cope in a healthy way.

Trauma-Informed Addiction Treatment FAQs

How does the experience of trauma contribute to addiction?

Trauma can lead to a dysregulated stress system, detachment, toxic stress, and/or numbness, leaving the individual at an increased risk for substance abuse. Choosing a trauma-informed addiction treatment center is crucial to long-term recovery.

What are the six elements of trauma-informed care?

The six key principles of trauma-informed care and addiction treatment include[3]:

— Safety
— Trustworthiness & transparency
— Peer support
— Collaboration & mutuality
— Empowerment & choice
— Cultural, historical, & gender issues

What does it mean to be trauma-informed?

Being trauma-informed means understanding and recognizing the adverse effects trauma can have on an individual’s life. It is a shift in perspective from asking, “what is wrong with you” to “what happened to you” and “what do you need?”

What are some examples of trauma-informed services?

Examples of trauma-informed addiction treatment and competency in practice include maintaining a safe, peaceful facility, creating a welcoming environment through intentional language and open communication, training all staff and providers (including non-clinical providers, caregivers, and decision-makers) in trauma-informed interventions, involving clients and caregivers in the substance abuse and mental health treatment process from start to finish, and thorough screening.

Recover Safely. Recovery Well. With Trauma-Informed Care At Absolute Awakenings.

You don’t always get to choose your circumstances, and some mental wounds are hard to overcome. The impacts of trauma and substance abuse are deeply intertwined. But with trauma-informed care and interventions from Absolute Awakenings, freedom is possible through healing.

Sources

24/7 Confidential Helpline