Trauma-Informed Treatment for Addiction
Have you ever heard of trauma-informed treatment (TIC)? Trauma-informed treatment is a form of addiction recovery care that takes an individual’s life experiences into account in order to deliver the most effective medical care. With TIC, treatment providers understand that trauma can continue to affect us in powerful and debilitating ways, and that it needs to be considered when addressing mental health issues. In short, TIC asks, “What happened to you?” Instead of “What’s wrong with you?”
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA), trauma can be defined as “events or experiences that create long-lasting adverse effects for people.” Depending on the individual, trauma can include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, as well as war or natural disasters, stress disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, and more. As it turns out, experiencing any type of trauma increases a person’s risk of substance abuse or substance use disorder.
Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies six guiding principles to trauma-informed care:
- Safety: Throughout the process and organization, patients and staff need to feel physically and psychologically safe
- Trustworthiness and transparency: Change happens with transparency and with the goal of building and maintaining trust
- Peer support: Studies show that individuals with shared experiences are integrated into the organization and viewed as integral to service delivery
- Collaboration and mutuality: Power differences, such as between staff and clients, are leveled to support shared decision-making
- Empowerment voice and choice: Patients and staff recognize, build on, and validate each other’s strengths and have a belief in resiliency and the ability to heal from trauma
- Cultural, historical, and gender issues: Bias and stereotypes and historical trauma needs to be recognized and addressed
A trauma-informed approach is the combined use of these guiding principles and requires constant attention, caring awareness, and sensitivity. With these six guiding principles, trauma-informed care aims to realize how trauma can dramatically impact an individual’s life, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, and actively avoid retraumatization.
Benefits of Trauma Informed Treatment for Addiction
According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, more than 70% of American adults have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives and about 12 million American adults have posttraumatic stress disorder or experience posttraumatic stress. To cope with the trauma experiences, many people turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism and become addicted to drugs or alcohol. No matter what trauma an individual is dealing with, trauma-informed treatment aims to address the trauma and integrate these past experiences into a variety of addiction treatment methods.
Studies show that adopting trauma-informed treatment practices can improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, as well as benefit provider and staff wellness. In addition, TIC can help reduce avoidable health care costs and reduce excess costs for the health care industry and social service sectors.
Healing Trauma and Addiction at Serenity Oaks
If you or a loved one is healing from trauma experiences and is in need of addiction treatment, seek medical attention and help from a treatment program at Serenity Oaks Wellness Center. At our addiction rehab center, we specialize in a variety of addiction treatment and longterm recovery, including trauma-informed care for addiction. This level of care focuses on collaboration, empowerment, and trust, as well as open decision making. That way, Serenity Oaks patients can allow themselves to be vulnerable and honest with their therapists and with themselves.
Addiction recovery and substance use disorder treatment at Serenity Oaks is tailored and personalized to each individual and their needs. In addition to medically assisted treatment, Serenity Oaks offers cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, dual diagnosis treatment, relapse prevention, as well as other alternative treatments like acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and more. To learn more, call (833) 720-0708.
