At East Coast Recovery Center, we know that addiction rarely exists in a vacuum. For many individuals struggling with substance use disorders, there is an underlying issue of unresolved trauma, be it traumatic experiences, emotional distress, or co-occurring mental health disorders like PTSD.
Traditional rehab focuses on the physical addiction, but not the emotions behind it. That’s why at our Cohasset facility, we utilize a trauma-informed approach for those who need it, shifting the fundamental question from “What is wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
Within our structured outpatient framework, this change in perspective gives our clients the space they need to recognize any psychological wounds, and heal them while still treating the physical side of addiction.
The approaches of trauma-informed therapy are based on a neurological and cognitive understanding of the way trauma is processed in the brain and are used to translate that science into effective therapeutic interventions. These methods are not aimed at treating the traumatic event, but instead, assist patients in coping with the effects of trauma and preventing re-traumatization. Because trauma-informed care is suitable for many health practitioners across a range of settings, a wide variety of health practitioners can use it.
Individuals with substance abuse issues who suffer from post-traumatic stress or experience the lingering consequences of past trauma are assisted through trauma-informed drug rehab. This method helps people recover by teaching them how to handle their future path in addition to trauma-informed counseling at rehab centers. When people arrive at rehab, they want detox and therapy, but they might not be aware that a trauma-informed approach is a delicate balancing act between who they are now and what they underwent.
No matter what types of drugs or alcohol they used, for whatever reason, how severe their addiction became, or what happened as a result, there is always hope for people struggling with addiction and trauma to discover more about themselves and heal. Individuals dealing with co-occurring mental health conditions can also find support with evidence-based treatment that integrates these various elements for a more comprehensive approach.
Our Boston trauma therapy is offered in a safe, supportive environment, with trauma-informed therapy sessions utilizing evidence-based psychotherapy practices.
In an outpatient environment, trauma-informed therapy serves as an essential framework for our full or partial day program. A trauma informed approach to treatment is not an individual therapy but rather a framework that can be applied over the evidence-based therapies we already incorporate such as cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavioral therapy.
At East Coast Recovery Center, we provide addiction treatment with mental health support that doesn’t treat trauma as an isolated event but rather as an integrated part of our outpatient programs. We aim to create a safe, predictable, and transparent environment where clients feel physically and emotionally secure.
Our facility specializes in flexible outpatient programs including our full day and partial day programs both of which make it possible for clients to live at home or in a sober living environment while they attend treatment.
However, this structure also means that our clients will face real world stressors and triggers on a daily basis. Outpatient trauma therapy provides a space where individuals can bring those real-time triggers into group or individual sessions. From there, clients have the opportunity to discuss the impact those triggers had, if they applied coping mechanisms or techniques learned from things like CBT sessions. Clients have the chance to manage the way their body responds physically to this type of stress while being supported by peers and staff alike.
This real world opportunity means triggers and potential sources of relapse can be better dealt with in real time.
Our trauma-informed framework is embedded within a comprehensive Dual Diagnosis Treatment model. We know that unresolved trauma frequently co-occurs with substance abuse and other mental health conditions. At our Cohasset facility, we utilize trauma-informed therapies to treat things like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma, co-occurring mental health disorders aggravated by trauma, including Anxiety, Depression, and Bipolar Disorder, as well as alcohol and drug addictions.
At our Cohasset facility, we employ trauma-informed approaches to each of the clinical therapies we provide.
Clients who are participating in our full-time day treatment or our part-time partial day treatment can expect individual and group sessions which have been tailored to a more supportive and trauma informed approach.
Every session at our facility starts by reinforcing safety. Clinicians use Mindfulness Meditation and somatic grounding techniques to help clients stay anchored in the present moment. This ensures the nervous system does not get trapped in a fight-or-flight response.
Our therapists leverage scientifically based treatments to address the root causes of trauma and addiction. This might mean actively working with modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to reframe traumatic beliefs and build emotional tolerance.
Whether in Individual Therapy or specialized trauma groups, clients safely unpack the memories or core beliefs driving their substance use. Our aim is to make sure this is a collaborative process so the clients don’t feel pushed beyond where they are comfortable. Each of our clients move at a pace that is manageable, something that is determined by themselves and their clinicians as a team.
During psychoeducation sessions, clients learn more about the biology of trauma, how things like past experiences can alter the brain chemistry, and influence actions and thoughts. This, combined with things like cognitive behavioral therapy can help remove feelings of blame or shame, freeing clients up to focus on their recovery from a healthy, whole person approach.
There is no single trauma therapy, but rather a variety of therapies that may be utilized in conjunction with one another or independently. Every trauma therapy follows a fundamental structure. The three phases of trauma therapy are:
A key element of trauma therapy is helping the client feel safe and secure. The client must learn productive self-soothing and self-care approaches to feel secure. Many victims of psychological trauma use self-destructive self-care methods. Through trauma therapy, the client is enabled to achieve his or her full potential by developing healthy coping skills to manage stressors, which contributes to personal growth and safety.
Once the client is prepared to remember the painful event, the second phase is initiated. The client is then allowed to re-experience the traumatic memories in light of the actual events. The client is able to express and experience his or her feelings freely in this phase. The client feels less isolated or distrustful after overcoming the traumatic memories in a safe, trusting environment. The client is also able to remember forgotten traumas. It is less distressing for the client to integrate the traumatic memories into his or her life narrative after being given the opportunity to grieve the loss they caused.
The last phase of treatment addresses the client’s acceptance of the trauma, thereby helping him or her move forward with life. Traumatic memories and emotions become less intense as the client’s symptoms improve. The client is then able to function better in daily life, and he or she can overcome previous dangerous situations with ease. The client has realized that the traumatic incident does not define him or her, and he or she feels empowered as a result.
At East Coast Recovery we incorporate trauma therapy where appropriate, as part of an individual treatment plan. Not all of our clients are mindful of their existing trauma which means that previous attempts at rehab or even therapy might have proven insufficient.
Our goal is to help clients break the cycle of re-traumatization or relapse by learning in a safe environment that is empowering and provides the right level of peer support.
Our clients step into a place where they are physically and mentally safe. Our beautiful campus is enriched with natural spaces and welcoming staff, providing a secure and secluded place where clients can start their therapy from a place of peace.
By employing a trauma informed approach to individual and group therapy sessions, our team makes sure that clients are able to disclose things they need or share their stories without re-traumatization. This includes empowering our clients to share the things they might need or need to avoid as part of their treatment such as a gender-specific therapist.
With our trauma-informed therapy programs, clients participating in a flexible outpatient setting collaborate with their treatment plan. Many clients with a history of trauma worry about the type of treatment they will receive and whether it might trigger them. Those who have had their choice or freedom taken from them in the past might worry about not having a voice in their care.
At East Coast Recovery Center we empower our clients by giving them that voice and that freedom to approve the level of care in which they participate, the type of therapy they have, and the holistic offerings that are best suited.
We know how isolating traumatic events can feel especially when individuals cope with maladaptive behaviors that cause them to place distance between themselves and others. With our trauma-informed approach, we make it possible for each of our clients to share in a safe environment, to feel empowered and know that there will not be re-traumatization. All of this works together to integrate our clients into the community, to build a support system, and help them engage with their peers.
An event can be traumatic regardless of where it takes place. It may occur at home, in school, at work, in the community, or in a war zone, for example. Whether an event is considered traumatic is based on the ‘subjective interpretation’ of it rather than the event itself.
An individual can suffer from either physical or emotional trauma. A physical injury is a severe physical wound. An individual who has experienced an emotionally disturbing situation or event will respond emotionally. Acute emotional trauma is a response to an unpleasant event that occurs and ends immediately. A person who has been exposed to prolonged or repeated distressing situations may suffer from chronic emotional trauma. Furthermore, a person who has experienced multiple distressing events that may or may not be connected may experience complex trauma.
Trauma can be a result of the following:
Child abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual assault
Domestic violence
Victim of crime
Bullying
Neglect
Natural disaster
War
Intergenerational trauma
An individual who has been through a traumatic event may experience both emotional and physical trauma symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an adjustment disorder may result after a traumatic incident, in addition to an emotional response that changes a person’s attitude, behavior, and interpretation of the world. Life and safety are thought to be in danger, resulting in fear, terror, and helplessness.
Emotional reactions to trauma can manifest as one or a combination of the following:
Fear
Anger
Depression
Paranoia
Helplessness
Denial
Anxiety
Avoidance
Guilt
Withdrawal
Increased heart rate
Body aches
Muscle tension
Feeling on edge
Jumpiness
Insomnia
Nightmares
Difficulty sleeping
Fatigue
Sexual dysfunction
Appetite changes
Excessive alertness
Various treatments can be used in addition to addiction therapy to address trauma. The following are some of the most common ones:
An individual undergoing CBT may be guided to re-evaluate their thoughts and assumptions in order to identify unhelpful thinking patterns (known as “distortions”) such as overgeneralizing negative outcomes, negative thinking that debilitates positive thinking, and always anticipating cataclysms, to more balanced and effective thinking patterns. These help the person re-evaluate their understanding of traumatic experiences, as well as their self-image and coping abilities.
When it comes to treating trauma-informed addiction treatment, many rehabs and clinicians prefer cognitive-behavioral therapy (DBT). This therapy teaches individuals how to handle difficult emotions and alter negative behavior. Borderline personality disorder is one of the conditions that DBT was developed to treat, but it has become a common approach.
Some individuals may not be mindful of their trauma, especially if it occurred when they were young, so they may not receive adequate treatment during addiction treatment. This leads to a vicious cycle of relapse that the individual appears unable to break. You may benefit from learning about the various advantages of trauma-focused therapy in order to see if this specialized therapy might be what you need to achieve long-term recovery. Benefits include:
Patients are made to feel physically and mentally safe in trauma-informed care environments. Patients are made to feel safe in any environment where they are present. A patient waiting room, for example, may be made more welcoming to patients by providing more secluded seating instead of long rows of chairs. Patients are more likely to engage with their treatment and discuss their experiences with their healthcare providers if they feel safe and their well-being is being protected.
Healthcare providers can actively avoid re-traumatization by embracing trauma-informed care as a central methodology. Re-traumatization takes place in a variety of ways. For instance, asking survivors to recount their stories repeatedly or forcing them to disclose everything are two examples of re-traumatization. Re-traumatization frequently results in severe mental health issues, such as severe anxiety and clinical depression. Re-traumatization makes the situation worse and can cause serious mental health concerns. Trauma-informed care seeks to prevent this.
In contrast to a doctor telling the patient what he or she should or should not do, care shifts from a paternalistic approach to one that is collaborative. This collaborative approach is crucial because it fulfills another principle of trauma treatment and that is patient choice. Because it is a powerful motivator for patients who may have thought there was no chance of recovery, patient empowerment allows them to make their own decisions.
Individuals who have experienced anything awful frequently feel isolated. They believe they are distinct from everyone else and, therefore, frequently hide their condition in order to fit in. Trauma-informed care can be utilized in a practical setting. People who share the same experience are brought together and integrated into the organization. They are made to believe that an organization can only operate if they are there.
Because trauma and addiction are so deeply connected, people often turn to alcohol and drugs to combat the unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms of trauma. These substances initially seem to be an effective way to lower inhibitions and generate a sense of calm and relaxation, but once the short-term benefits wear off and the trauma and unpleasant feelings from prior trauma are still present, the discomfort returns, and the addiction cycle begins anew. Self-medicating is extremely difficult for people who have not addressed their trauma if they are unable to resist the urge to do so.
Despite the fact that drugs and alcohol appear to be effective, substance abuse leads to dependency over time. On the other hand, some people develop drug or alcohol addictions prior to developing a substance use disorder. Since these individuals consume drugs or alcohol compulsively, they are at risk of being exposed to trauma and, consequently, may develop trauma after addiction and further exacerbate the substance use disorder symptoms.
People who are experiencing PTSD and substance abuse difficulties may benefit from trauma-informed therapy. Because trauma-informed care helps treatment providers understand the consequences of trauma on substance abuse, this approach uses the highest level of care. Rather than concentrating on one specific approach, trauma-informed care refers to a range of therapeutic techniques that help alter the way trauma is processed in the brain in order to reduce symptoms.
Unresolved trauma shatters an individual’s sense of internal safety. This can leave our clients vulnerable to mental distress and emotional distress. That’s when clients typically turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.
With our trauma-informed approach, we work to break this cycle by restoring emotional regulation in our clients, teaching them to ground themselves through behavioral therapies or mindfulness instead of avoiding uncomfortable emotions.
Our clinicians work with clients to dismantle destructive core beliefs of being broken, unworthy, or unsafe. By building up self-worth, clients are in a better position to sustain their recovery. Our holistic offerings help to promote that connection, connecting the mind and body as one.
Where necessary we use things like medication assisted treatment from a trauma informed approach to give clients the behavioral and emotional stability they need during recovery.
If you or a loved one are ready to start trauma-informed therapy, reach out to East Coast Recovery Center today at (617) 390-8349.
When someone has been affected by trauma and addiction, it feels like there is no escape. With the assistance of compassionate professionals and proper treatment, anyone may abstain from addiction and recover from trauma. If you or a loved one is struggling, we are here to assist you. At our dual diagnosis facility in Boston, Massachusetts, we offer long-term, evidence-based, and personalized treatment programs for those with co-occurring disorders. Every client in our program will receive a custom treatment plan, a primary psychotherapist, and a variety of alternative and recreational services and treatment modalities.
Contact the experts at East Coast Recovery to find out more about we can help you or a loved one. You don’t have to struggle alone. We are here to help you.
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