Like addiction, trauma can be a complex diagnosis. Trauma can stem from a wide variety of places. Avalon Malibu knows trauma typically would have caused a threat to your life or safety at some point. We also know that struggling with addiction can sometimes lead to risky behaviors. These risky behaviors could also put you in danger in some way. The question “Does addiction cause trauma?” may not have a simple answer. There are, however, some commonalities surrounding the topics of addiction and trauma.
Addressing Trauma in Addiction Treatment
In treatment, you are commonly surrounded by a high level of support. With an increased support system, addressing trauma could feel a bit easier. Coping with trauma and processing trauma can be very different. In treatment, you will learn a variety of new healthy coping skills. Practicing these skills in treatment can make processing trauma with your therapist less difficult. Addressing trauma while there is a high level of support could be very important to your recovery. At Avalon Malibu, we believe trauma therapy can be a key piece to your recovery journey.
Addressing trauma while in treatment for addiction could feel scary for you. The fear behind addressing your trauma is a valid response. We want to assure you that you are safe to process your trauma with us. In not addressing trauma while in treatment, you could be at risk of not fully coming to understand the addiction. When you have the best understanding of addiction and your specific experience with it, you can have a better opportunity to recover.
For the sake of your overall well-being, we can support you in addressing any trauma you may have experienced due to addiction. As previously mentioned, we understand that people with addiction can struggle with engaging in behaviors that are not safe or healthy. We do not believe you are defined by these unhealthy ways of coping, but it is vital you learn from them. We know addressing trauma is important in addiction recovery because, ultimately, addiction can cause trauma to occur.
A Closer Look At “Can Addiction Cause Trauma?”
Avalon Malibu knows struggling with addiction can result in damaged relationships with others. We also know addiction can cause financial issues and serious health problems. All of these factors can lead to trauma. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines individual trauma as
“an event or circumstance resulting in:
- physical harm
- emotional harm
- and/or life threatening harm”
Addiction can cause any of the above circumstances to occur. Addiction often causes physical harm to your body, and its toll on your mental health can be extremely challenging. You may have even experienced situations where your life was in danger because of addiction.
SAMHSA also explains anyone can experience trauma. It is important that you know you are not alone and will not be judged. Evidence shows that the results of trauma can go on to affect your mental and physical health, but treatment can help.
We understand trauma can be extremely difficult to talk about; however, in the safe setting of our treatment center, we believe we can help you. As previously stated, trauma can be complex. This could mean there are other mental health diagnoses that will need to be treated. For example, you may experience anxiety as a result of your trauma. With all of this in mind, it is vital to reiterate that we can help you recover from addiction and treat your trauma.
How We Can Treat Trauma Caused By Addiction
At Avalon Malibu, we have a variety of methods we can utilize. These methods can help treat the trauma that potentially resulted from addiction. One of the treatment methods we can use to treat your trauma could include eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The use of EMDR can be beneficial to your recovery process as it will help you process past experiences and how they affect your life today.
Trauma can commonly cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD may seem like a scary diagnosis, and although it can be complex, there are specific methods that can treat it successfully. A study completed by Béatrice Perez-Dandieu and Géraldine Tapia concluded that individuals with addiction can effectively lower PTSD symptoms with the use of EMDR.
We know recovery is a brave choice to make, and we want you to know you are safe in choosing to heal from trauma caused by addiction. A variety of therapies can be used in combination to treat your trauma that was caused by addiction. Finding what works for you is important to your recovery. We can help create your individualized treatment plan to ensure the best outcome in your addiction recovery journey.
Addiction can be very complicated. Many different factors can play into the development of addiction. Addiction can cause you to behave in ways you wouldn’t normally choose. You may have found that addiction has put you in dangerous situations at some point in your life as well. This could mean your mental health or physical health was at risk. Treating addiction is possible, and if you have trauma that developed because of addiction, we can help. There are many different methods we can utilize to help you recover from addiction while we treat your trauma. Please call (844) 857-5992 for more information on how we can help you heal from the trauma that developed from addiction.
