One of the major underlying issues for individuals experiencing addiction, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or mental health conditions is a history of complex trauma. Many individuals may not even realize they have suffered from trauma until one of these co-occurring conditions takes place. In order to begin healing from these conditions, trauma therapy is essential. Keep reading for all you need to know about trauma therapy with all of your most popular questions answered.
How Does Trauma Therapy Work?
At The Pointe Malibu, our Clinical Director oversees the development of all trauma treatment plans and ongoing care, supported by an expertly skilled, comprehensive Trauma Team. Every component of care is accounted for so that you can focus completely on your recovery. The Trauma Team consists of:
- Internist/Addictionologist
- Trauma Therapist
- Case Manager
- Psychiatrist
- Family Therapist
- Primary Therapist
- EMDR Therapist
Our evidence-based treatment modalities include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Family Therapy
- Experiential Components including Surf / Water Therapies, Art & Music Therapy, and Nutritional Counseling
How Is Trauma Counseling Done?
When taking part in Trauma Therapy, you will see your individual therapists, including primary, family, or specialty therapists, as well as case managers, numerous times throughout each week. For anything that may arise outside of specified meeting hours, we maintain licensed therapists at the facility to support you.
Our flexible scheduling allows you to work out at a private health club any day of the week, enjoy outdoor therapy sessions on the beach, shop at nearby stores, and tend to your personal grooming needs to keep self-care a priority and stress levels low.
Why Do People Avoid Trauma Therapy?
People avoid trauma therapy for one major reason: Avoidance. According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs, emotional avoidance is when a person avoids thoughts or feelings about a traumatic event. This type of avoidance is internal to the person; others around you may not know what you are avoiding and why.
Many individuals who experience trauma may try to keep a stiff upper lip or count on time to heal their wounds. However, by going through great lengths to avoid thoughts, feelings, and reminders about the traumatic event, the symptoms will eventually get worse and more difficult to get over.
What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy allows healthcare providers to care for their clients without retraumatizing them, while also working with their clients to help understand how their trauma may be impacting every aspect of their life — even if they are not realizing it.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) outlines the following principles of the trauma-informed approach:
- Safety
- Trustworthiness and Transparency
- Peer Support
- Collaboration and Mutuality
- Empowerment, Voice, and Choice
- Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues
Can You Ever Heal From PTSD?
The good news about Trauma Therapy is that it can help you learn to deal with PTSD and overcome the negative thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behavioral conditions that coincide with it. By learning how to deal with triggers when they arise, how to cope with negative feelings in a healthy way, and much more, our clients are able to live healthy, happy lives in recovery.
Healing from PTSD isn’t as simple as a treatment stay or taking a magic pill to make it better. It takes ongoing work and dedication, but the rewards are outstanding.
What Are Some Methods To Relieve PTSD?
There are several ways to relieve PTSD symptoms in treatment. You can learn how to address your symptoms, learn ways to cope and have a better outlook on yourself and the world. These include:
- Psychotherapy. Modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help you regain control after a traumatic event.
- Medications. Trauma can severely impact the chemical wiring in the brain, especially if the trauma took place in childhood during the brain’s development. There are medications available to help assist with this, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.
- Support. Having a strong support system is very important while going through Trauma Therapy and moving forward from a traumatic event. Having a supportive family, friends, or other individuals who have experienced the same type of trauma as you can be very beneficial to recovery.
- Lifestyle changes. Making sure that you have healthy routines is important in recovery. Eating healthily, staying active, maintaining hobbies, and having an active social and family life are all important to long-term recovery.
About The Pointe Malibu Recovery Center
You deserve to have a happy, fulfilling life, free from the traumatic stress that has played a role in your self-limiting actions. Whatever those traumas may be, and the serious repercussions they might cause, The Pointe Malibu can help you find peace and purpose going forward. We are dedicated to working individually and privately with you, to help open your eyes to the exciting possibilities ahead.
At The Pointe Malibu Recovery Center, we recognize your individuality and the fact that your experiences, including your pattern of substance abuse, your process addictions, mental health challenges, and treatment history are unique to you. We factor all of the underlying issues of your condition into our diagnoses to produce successful treatment results. This requires an individually tailored treatment plan that maximizes your ability to achieve your recovery goals.
If you’re ready to start your journey to long-lasting recovery from PTSD, we are here for you.
