Far too often, there’s a direct correlation between trauma and the onset of addiction. It’s difficult to blame someone who has been through a traumatic ordeal when it manifests into a psychological issue. The hope is it doesn’t result in an addiction that creates another level of problems. When an addiction counselor suspects a patient’s addiction is a result of trauma, there’s usually a need for trauma therapy.
What Is Trauma Therapy?
It’s important to note that trauma can be physical and psychological. Physical trauma can occur when the individual suffers an unexpected injury, usually violent. Falling down stairs or being the victim of a car accident comes to mind.
Psychological trauma occurs when a person experiences an event that leaves them unable to function or cope. These types of events might include something that creates fear or stress. A natural disaster can create anxiety. Seeing another individual getting hurt can also create fear. Events such as abuse and rape can create both physical and psychological trauma issues.
Therapists use trauma therapy to help people cope with the stress and fear that comes from trauma. The first stage of trauma therapy involves a therapist helping their patient create the appropriate coping skills. During the second stage of trauma therapy, the therapist will ask the patient to remember traumatic events. The goal is to help the patient understand how specific traumatic events are affecting their desire to abuse substances. If the patient can come to grips with their past, they’ll have a basis for moving forward.
The Signs of Trauma
When a patient enters a rehab or detox facility like Serenity House Detox, the attending clinicians know nothing about the patient. Through the interview and assessment process, they might start seeing signs of trauma. Furthermore, the clinician will be particularly interested if they believe a patient’s addiction results from the trauma.
Trauma is not easy to diagnose. The patient will usually exhibit both physical and emotional signs of trauma. The clinician has to be careful to not confuse addiction side effects with trauma symptoms. To help clarify, here are a few trauma symptoms that are both remarkable and indicative of real trauma:
- Feeling disengaged from their surroundings
- Vivid recurring nightmares
- Pulling back from loved ones
- Viewing strangers with a good deal of suspicion
- Guilt, shame or blaming oneself
- Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
- High levels of anxiety, jittery
It should be clear that anyone dealing with these types of issues plus an addiction will need help. If both trauma and addiction are apparent, the patient needs to address both problems at the same time. Failure to do so almost assures the patient will relapse. The best way for the therapist to deal with the scope of these problems is to exhibit patience. It takes time for a patient to work through deeply traumatic events.
Detoxing at Serenity House Detox
While our counselors at Serenity House Detox may note signs of trauma, our primary goal is to help patients detox. We focus on this because the patient will need to clear the physiological addiction issues to prepare for addiction counseling. From one of our two facilities in Florida, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, we offer the following detox programs:
- Womens detox program
- Mens detox program
- Heroin detox
- Pain pill detox
- Multiple types of detox therapies
- Alcohol detox
- Cocaine detox
If you feel a traumatic event led you to addiction, you need to get help. You are no doubt dealing with a lot of issues. If you can summon the strength to reach out for help, Serenity House Detox is ready. We can help you with the detox portion of treatment.
After detox, we will help you find a treatment facility that offers trauma therapy. For a chance to improve your mental health and arrest your addiction, call us at 866-294-5306. Once you hit the road to recovery, you will find yourself living a healthy life without harmful substances.