Legacy Healing Center Blog

Healing Trauma as a Root Cause of Addiction

The word “trauma” may seem scary, but trauma can refer to many different experiences and is more common than many realize. There are two definitions associated with the word trauma.  One t is “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.” The second is “an emotional shock following a stressful event.” For some people, the way they deal with trauma is to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs instead of reaching out for help.  Fortunately, effective trauma therapy does exist to help tackle this problem.

To overcome their addiction, they will need professional help that can be found at Legacy Healing Center. Whether you need to begin your journey in drug detox or alcohol detox, our team is here to provide you with the care you need not only to address your addiction but to work through the emotions that you have in connection with your trauma.

Click here to speak with a treatment specialist today or call us anytime 24/7 at (888) 534-2295

The Connection Between Trauma and Addiction

It’s not uncommon for a person who has experienced some type of trauma to develop an addiction to drugs or alcohol at some point in their life, and many people don’t realize that there is a direct connection between trauma and addiction.

When you experience a certain type of trauma, your mind goes into a sense of survival mode. Some people understand that they need to reach out for help to survive. In contrast, others simply don’t feel comfortable taking that step for one reason or another, resulting in developing an addiction to try to cope with what they are thinking or feeling.

Trauma Therapies Used in Addiction Treatment

There are several forms of trauma therapy that you may experience during the time you are working through a drug rehab or alcohol rehab program. Here are a few examples:

Cognitive behavior therapy

One of the consequences of trauma and addiction is that it triggers a person to respond to an event in an unhealthy way. Cognitive behavior therapy can help to retrain your brain in a way to learn how to react positively to certain situations.

Cognitive-processing therapy

Understandably, many clients have reacted negatively for so long to certain situations that they simply may not see that they are doing it anymore. Cognitive-processing therapy can help to identify those negative responses initially. This form of trauma therapy can incorporate speaking to a counselor and writing about your thoughts and feelings. Recognizing the shortcomings in your responses is one of the best steps that you can take to overall self-improvement.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, also known as EMDR, is one of the most well-known forms of trauma therapy because it has a history of proven results. During these sessions, a counselor guides the eye movements of their clients as they begin to speak about traumatic events and negative emotions. The premise behind this form of therapy is to help a client process these events so that it is not as painful as it has been in the past.

Of course, it’s essential not to overlook the more traditional forms of therapy that are also used in connection with trauma therapies:

Group therapy

Group therapy provides you with a sense of camaraderie between yourself and the other members of your group. Keep in mind that addiction thrives in the darkness. When you simply don’t talk about your addiction, it’s impossible to overcome it.

Group therapy gives you the unique opportunity to talk to other people that have gone through their own struggles with addiction and are working through their recovery program. Actively participating in group therapy is an excellent way to begin making connections with other group members, which can help you develop your own system of support.

Individual counseling

It’s understandable that you may not want to talk about specific details in a group setting if you have suffered from a traumatic event, making individual counseling so valuable. During these sessions, you will speak in a personalized environment to one of our counselors about different aspects of your addiction, traumatic events in your life, and how you feel that your recovery is progressing. Remember, if you feel like you would like to make any adjustments to your treatment plan, we can coordinate that with you during these sessions.

When you come to Legacy Healing Center for trauma therapy, you can count on the personalized care and attention you need to overcome your addiction and the traumas you’ve suffered during your lifetime. Whether you decide to work through our inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment plan, you can count on our team to be there for you every step of the way. One of our recovery specialists is available right now to provide you with more information regarding your treatment options. Please reach out to us today at 888.534.2295 to learn how we can help you overcome trauma and addiction.