WHAT IS TRAUMA?

 Trauma can be many things and is experienced differently by everyone. Trauma can stem from one event or multiple occurrences that is interpreted as physically or emotionally damaging or deadly. The traumatic experience can have continuing negative consequences with regard to a person’s well-being and may also impact their ability to live meaningfully. According to SAMHSA trauma is defined as, “Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.” ¹ Santé Center for Healing offers trauma treatment to help people identify, address, and reduce the impact of trauma in their life.  

HOW COMMON IS TRAUMA?

“70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. That’s 223.4 million people” ²  

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAUMA?

Trauma can occur in many different forms. Trauma can be acute, chronic or complex.

• Acute trauma can result from a single distressing event. An example of this may be a car accident or a witnessed assault. The event is extreme to the individual that had the experience, emotional or physical security was threatened, and trauma symptoms resulted after the event.
• Chronic trauma is when someone is subjected to multiple traumatic occurrences over an lengthy timeframe. Multiple acute traumas that aren’t dealt with can develop into chronic trauma.
• Complex trauma and chronic trauma are comparable as they have been experienced over a period of time and include multiple trauma experiences. Complex trauma can also be a consequence of traumatic experiences in relationships. This could be experiences like chronic neglect or emotional abuse.

Finally, it is most important to consider how these traumas and experiences were perceived, interpreted and how it impacted them and the type of trauma is less important.  

HOW DOES TRAUMA LEAD TO ADDICTION?

Although substance use is not an official symptom of PTSD, about 59% of people diagnosed with PTSD develop issues with substance use and dependence. ³ When people experience trauma, our bodies and minds may have difficulty processing the events. This processing difficulty can result in symptoms such as hypervigilance, difficulty sleeping, recollections, difficulty managing emotions, difficulty in relationships, and many others. If these symptoms become unmanageable people often turn to maladaptive coping skills such as using substances like drugs and/or alcohol to manage the symptoms discussed above, and in-turn this can result in addiction over time. Some time ago, addiction treatment facilities focused mostly on treating physical addictions and associated behaviors. While this did help people in the short term, it wasn’t addressing the fundamental issues that precipitated substance use to begin with. Unaddressed fundamental issues continue to put an individual at risk for relapse and continual negative life consequences. Trauma treatment includes assisting someone with the processing of their traumatic experiences through safe, evidence-based trauma treatments. Trauma treatment also assists patients with developing healthier coping skills.  

WHAT IS A TRAUMA-INFORMED APPROACH?

A trauma-informed approach is defined by SAMHSA “as a program, organization, or system that realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, 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.” ¹ In Santé Center for Healing’s experience, trauma is often a core, underlying issue for substance abuse, problematic sexual behavior, disordered eating and other compulsive behaviors.  A trauma informed approach means that our therapists understand that trauma presents differently for everyone and treating that trauma is vital to understanding someone’s substance use disorder. Santé works towards helping our clients understand and process their trauma, decreasing the psychological (anxiety, depression, guilt, shame), physical (chronically activated stress response, sleep problems, chronic pain, inadequate medical care) and social (isolation, rigid or inauthentic relationships) effects of trauma. Here at Sante, we understand that trauma can affect all of our behaviors, reactions, and relationships. We use this understanding to develop individualized treatment plans and therapy approaches to move towards healing from trauma and long-term recovery.  

WHAT ARE SOME OF SANTE’S CLINICAL TOOLS?

Santé was one of the first residential addiction treatment centers utilizing evidence-based EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and neurofeedback. Other tools our clinicians use include: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT); Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); Guided Meditations, Mindfulness and Somatic Practices; Psychodrama; Spirituality Groups; Expressive Arts; and Experiential Therapies. For more information on Santé Center for Healing and to seek help or resources for treating trauma click here.  

Sources:

1. SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma14-4884.pdf.

2. The National Council for Behavioral Health. How to Manage Trauma. Retrieved from https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Trauma-infographic.pdf.

3. Very Well Mind. Understanding the Link Between Trauma and Substance Abuse. Retrieved on 8/21/23. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/connection-trauma-and-substance-abuse-7269368.

  Graphic: Shanea Couch & Julie K. Ballard   For More on Social Media: