The Importance of Trauma Treatment That Includes Possible Dual Diagnosis for Addiction

Trauma treatments have evolved over the years. They went from one-sized fits all modalities to a menu of options designed to help brains heal and people live a thriving and healthy lifestyle. When combined with dual diagnosis for addiction, both mental health issues and substance abuse can be treated. Here’s the importance of doing both.

Create a Foundation for Trauma Recovery

Recovering from trauma is a long and difficult process. Once someone starts receiving care, it can sometimes take years to start feeling healthier and whole. Part of the process requires setting a firm and stable foundation to build from. Sometimes that is as simple as weekly therapy sessions. Sometimes someone needs to move away from the source of the trauma, and other times it may require a stay at a mental health facility.

A residential treatment center for mental health and trauma work can offer the supportive start that someone needs in order to start healing from the hurts of the past. The right facility will integrate a relaxing environment with multiple different therapy types so that patients can learn to reconnect with themselves and feel safe to start the work of healing. It’s often in these spaces that people find the motivation to move forward and not give up.

Types of Trauma-Informed Therapies

In treatment centers and in therapy offices around the country, people experience mental health healing in different ways. They may spend some time on a ranch for equine therapies or in a studio using art to move the therapy process along. Therapists may use EMDR and somatic therapies to help process the physical feelings that arise in certain situations.

They might leverage cognitive behavioral therapeutic methods to help clients rewire brain patterns and old ways of thinking. Family systems therapy is another trauma informed option that often helps people with trauma understand why they respond the way they do and to create new habits going forward. These therapies become an important part of the healing process so people can move forward in their lives even when they have a traumatic past.

Importance of Stabilization Before Deep Trauma Work

It’s important to understand that you can’t just jump into deep trauma work. Instead, it takes time to develop trust with a mental health professional. Plus, deep processing work can be extremely emotional and requires support to ensure safety going forward. This stabilization isn’t just about mental health either. It’s also connected to addiction and if there is substance use and other harmful habits happening behind the scene.

Other ways to create stabilization include getting proper rest, good nutrition, adequate hydration, and even light physical activity. Patients may also need the right medication or supplements to create the stability that can help them get to the point of deep trauma work.

How Trauma and Substance Use Are Connected

Trauma impacts the whole body, mind, and spirit. When some is deeply wounded emotionally, they may turn to substances to help them cope with or numb the pain temporarily. That temporary relief often turns into something more and they end up becoming addicted to those substances and abusing them long term. Substance use then becomes a maladapted coping strategy instead of something that they simply lack the willpower to stop.

This can lead to worsened mental health and a downward spiral that impacts physical health, relationships, and more. Shame then compounds the situation making it harder to get help. Sometimes a family intervention helps them get connected to support, while other times, a dangerous overdoes is what leads them to get help for their underlying trauma.

Benefits of Dual Diagnosis for Patients

Dual diagnosis is when there are clinical mental health issues that occur alongside addiction. Trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, dissociative symptoms, and even PTSD or cPTSD. Getting a dual diagnosis gives each condition a space in the room so that they can be adequately treated.

If they are treated separately without acknowledging their connection, it can delay progress and keep people from getting more healing. A skilled practitioner will be able to help the patient determine which symptoms are related to the trauma directly and which ones are more connected to the addiction.

Avoiding Relapse Even With Trauma

Because of the way that trauma and addiction impact the brain, many people turn back to substances at least for a little while during the healing process. It’s important to know about various triggers to help a patient mitigate situations that may cause a relapse. These can be people, places, and even handling conflicts. Therapy, group sessions, and continued outpatient care can help people navigate hard things as they arise. This support can help build confidence that they can handle life without relying on unhealthy substances like drugs and alcohol to cope.