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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes trauma as the universal experience of most people with a substance abuse problem. A person's experiences influence his or her actions. For some, traumatic events or abuse are the cornerstone to their drug problem.
Addiction is a disease that develops from the chronic use of a drug, but trauma is often the underlying force that keeps a person seeking the relief they find in drug use. It becomes a cycle that keeps repeating until the underlying traumatic problem is treated, as well. This is the basis of a trauma-informed care plan.
What is the Definition of Trauma?
Trauma is an event or experience that is overwhelming both physically and psychologically. It can be a single moment or something that occurs repeatedly. Trauma is a complex concept, but it generally falls into one of these main categories:
Trauma-informed care is about awareness. It starts with developing an understanding of the need behind the drug addiction. Eventually, addiction becomes a physical craving, but it doesn't start out that way. Something drives a person to use for the first time; many times it is some form of trauma. Understanding that need is a critical part of successful treatment.
A system that is trauma-informed:
The trauma-informed approach to recovery focuses on six key principles.
Traditional treatment models focus on managing the symptoms of addiction. A trauma-informed care plan works to resolve the trauma in order to alleviate the symptoms, instead. This care plan enhances survival skills and resilience through problem-solving techniques. Reestablishing a sense of self-pride leads them down the path to a drug-free life.
The Whole Person Approach to Treat Addiction
Trauma-focused treatment integrates addiction recovery with trauma care to create a whole person approach to sobriety. It focuses on evidence-based programs like:
Trauma-informed rehabilitation is a healing process that looks beyond the addiction. Drug-seeking behavior is a coping mechanism. This specialized therapeutic process will combine trauma care with addiction recovery to heal the whole person.
Addiction is a disease that develops from the chronic use of a drug, but trauma is often the underlying force that keeps a person seeking the relief they find in drug use. It becomes a cycle that keeps repeating until the underlying traumatic problem is treated, as well. This is the basis of a trauma-informed care plan.
What is the Definition of Trauma?
Trauma is an event or experience that is overwhelming both physically and psychologically. It can be a single moment or something that occurs repeatedly. Trauma is a complex concept, but it generally falls into one of these main categories:
- Impersonal - This is the wrong place, at the wrong time scenario like a natural disaster or a car accident.
- Interpersonal - This is a deliberate act such as assault or neglect.
- Identity - This is shaming behavior based on an individual characteristic - gay bashing, for example.
- Community - Something associated with a person's family or culture like racism.
- Complex trauma - This chronic abuse or a trauma that happens repeatedly, such as long-term sexual abuse.
Trauma-informed care is about awareness. It starts with developing an understanding of the need behind the drug addiction. Eventually, addiction becomes a physical craving, but it doesn't start out that way. Something drives a person to use for the first time; many times it is some form of trauma. Understanding that need is a critical part of successful treatment.
A system that is trauma-informed:
- Realizes the impact of trauma,
- Recognizes the signs of trauma,
- Responds to the trauma by integrating evidence-based treatments for it into the program, and
- Takes steps to avoid re-traumatization during the treatment.
The trauma-informed approach to recovery focuses on six key principles.
- Safety
- Trustworthiness
- Peer support
- Collaboration
- Empowerment
- Cultural issues
Traditional treatment models focus on managing the symptoms of addiction. A trauma-informed care plan works to resolve the trauma in order to alleviate the symptoms, instead. This care plan enhances survival skills and resilience through problem-solving techniques. Reestablishing a sense of self-pride leads them down the path to a drug-free life.
The Whole Person Approach to Treat Addiction
Trauma-focused treatment integrates addiction recovery with trauma care to create a whole person approach to sobriety. It focuses on evidence-based programs like:
- Prolonged Exposure (PE) - Re-experience a traumatic event in a safe place in order to engage it.
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) - Learning to manage traumatic memories instead of avoiding them in way the work against recovery
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - an 8-phase approach to adaptive coping of traumatic memories
Trauma-informed rehabilitation is a healing process that looks beyond the addiction. Drug-seeking behavior is a coping mechanism. This specialized therapeutic process will combine trauma care with addiction recovery to heal the whole person.
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