Personalised Trauma-informed care is essentially the backbone of our program because trauma, addiction and adaptive behaviours are so often intertwined. If the emotions underlying painful events in your life are not addressed and worked through in a therapeutic setting, you will be more likely to return to dysfunctional behaviours or substance use as a coping mechanism.
Trauma can be experienced via a single event, a series of events, or sometimes very subtle experiences over a long period of time. The effects or memories of distressing events such as childhood abuse, emotional betrayal, natural disasters or accidents can all cause a person to suffer from emotional shock and resulting trauma, the full impact of which can take months or years to fully come to light.
It is quite common in our culture for people to use substances to regulate unmanageable feelings. Once substances are removed, those difficult feelings or traumas can rise to the surface.
As a result, simply detoxing from a substance such as alcohol or opiates is rarely effective, as the underlying issues have not yet been addressed. This is why a trauma-informed approach to treatment and ongoing care is critical for successful long term recovery.
Once you come to a clearer awareness and understanding of why you may be behaving in a self-destructive manner, you can begin to heal the layers with an integrated approach. You may also arrive at self-compassion – a moment when guilt falls away to be replaced with understanding and self-awareness.
MENU
