Trauma/PTSD Therapy

Psychological and emotional trauma can happen to anyone no matter their race, age, or gender. Trauma can be the result of being involved in life-threatening or overly stressful situations. Psychological and emotional trauma is not limited to physical harm. It can happen after any situation that left you feeling scared or detached.

Being traumatized can impair all of your systems. These consist of:

• Social: It interferes with your relationships with other people.
• Emotional: Trauma can make feel a handful of negative emotions such as guilt, shame, anger, depression.
• Spiritual: Trauma can leave you questioning your beliefs and can also give you a warped view on reality.
• Physical: Having a traumatic injury can affect your immune system and your temperature.
• Cognitive: Trauma can impair your judgment.

Trauma can be caused by:

• One-time event: This can be an accident or an unexpected attack.
• Pro-longed situation: This can mean bullying or a series of assaults from childhood or a long relationship.
• Forgotten experiences: This can include the sudden death of a loved one or a medical emergency.

A person who’s suffering from trauma can feel a wide range of unnerving signs and symptoms. How you react to trauma won’t necessarily be the same as how someone else reacts to trauma and that’s normal. That being said, there’s not a specific way you’re supposed to feel after a traumatic experience. These symptoms can manifest themselves in several ways. These include:

Emotional:

• Irritability, anger, anxiety, mood swings
• Sadness, Hopelessness, Despair, Depression
• Self-blame, guilt, shame

Psychological:

• Difficulty concentrating, confusion, flashbacks
• Emotional numbing, repressed memories, disassociation
• Low self-esteem, denial and disbelief, constant fear

Physical:

• Nausea and vomiting, aches and pains, dry mouth
• Exhaustion, nightmares, insomnia
• Agitation, edginess, easily startled
• Headaches, muscle tension, racing heartbeat

Trauma and addiction both have heavy and detrimental effects on the brain and body. Treating them both at the same time increases the chance of undoing their damage. According to SAMHSA, a study was done on 27 women who suffered from PTSD and substance dependence. After three months, the researchers found that there was an increase in abstinence from substances following trauma treatment. There was also a decrease in depression and symptoms related to trauma.

If you or someone you know is dealing with trauma and addiction, it’s not too late to get help. It’s never too late. Contact us to take back control of your life today.