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trauma-informed care

The Benefits of Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-informed care is an important part of therapy for many drug treatment clients. Whereas many treatment centers focus on using and addiction, there are many benefits of trauma-informed care. Many people come to recovery and treatment with unresolved issues related to something traumatic they have experienced in their life.

Some people may have anxiety or PTSD, which are both mental health disorders that are treatable and often require medication and talk therapy. For others, the effects of trauma may not be as noticeable but can often reveal themselves during therapy or recovery work.

Trauma and Coping Behaviors

In recovery, people often “peel back the layers” of their life and discover that their past trauma is a trigger to continue to use alcohol or drugs. They may learn that their poor coping behaviors were a result of dealing with trauma.

Oftentimes, an individual may have developed coping behaviors that worked well while in crisis but now need to be changed to live a happier, healthier life.

Understanding how traumatic experiences can affect the individual and how they can learn to cope with their past trauma today are important parts of trauma-informed care.

Trauma-Informed Care and Addiction

Post-traumatic stress disorder is one way a person’s life can change when they have survived a traumatic experience. Professionals will often describe this mental health disorder as a “normal reaction to abnormal circumstances.” The brain often creates different ways of thinking as a result of a person’s life experiences.

Coping with trauma can change how a person acts, feels, and thinks, as they often go into “survival mode,” and their mind continues to return to that mode after the threat has passed. Trauma-informed care can help treatment providers address both addiction and triggers resulting from traumatic experiences.

Addiction is common among people who have experienced trauma. People who have been to war or survived sexual assault often are diagnosed with PTSD and other issues. It’s widespread for people who have unresolved or unexplored traumatic experiences in their past to self-medicate, especially during the holidays or even anniversaries of the event that caused them so much pain.

Addiction can make a bad situation much worse and puts further strain on your mental health.

Getting Help for Addiction and Trauma

Getting help for resolving past trauma and caring for mental disorders can help a person become more healthy and cope with their life instead of using substances.

At Cycles of Change Recovery Center, trauma-informed treatment helps us meet our clients where they’re at. Trauma-informed care encompasses a treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.

Through this trauma-informed approach, we can help our clients by emphasizing physical, psychological, and emotional safety. This approach helps trauma survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment in their lives and provide new coping skills.

Get help for addiction and learn to cope with past trauma. We’re here to help you chart your path to recovery. Please call us at 855-604-1367 to learn more about our services and which insurance companies we accept.

man practicing self-care

Learning Self-Care In Recovery

When you were using drugs or alcohol, how well did you take care of yourself? For most people with substance use disorders, the answer is, “I didn’t!” Using your substance of choice was probably one of your highest priorities, despite your best intentions. This is a part of the disease aspect of addiction. Addiction behavior includes obsession and compulsion, meaning you’re thinking about things to do with the drug, and will make reckless decisions quickly in order to obtain it. Because of this, most people in recovery have to learn how to take care of themselves. Not only does your body need to heal, but so does your mind and spirit. Self-care can help you learn to nurture your body, mind and spirit.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care is typically an activity that you perform alone, for yourself, that helps calm your mind and emotions. Usually this means doing something you find soothing, but for some people, it may be something that helps get your adrenaline pumping so you can relieve negative feelings like anxiety.

Whatever the case is, self-care doesn’t do harm like drugs or alcohol. This means that gambling, competing, or overworking have nothing to do with self-care. Activities that make you feel calmer, happier, and more peaceful are great ideas for practicing self-care.

Practical Self-Care In Recovery

People in recovery can get pretty busy, especially when they’re going to 30 meetings in 30 days or attending an inpatient treatment center. Yet it’s important to carve out at least 15 minutes a day to de-stress from whatever activity you’re doing. Here are some ideas to make self-care a part of your life:

  • Write in a journal every day. Explore feelings, wants and dreams. Getting these out on paper can be highly motivating.
  • Exercise. Try swimming, surfing, yoga, running or walking for at least 15 minutes a day. Exercising creates natural endorphins – the feel-good chemicals that helps use destress and stay calm.
  • Spend time vibing to your favorite music. Upbeat music is a great way to start or end the day, and can also give you a mood boost.
  • Get a massage. Massage is a great way to practice relaxation and help any physical tension you carry.
  • Learn to meditate. Meditation, including mindfulness, has been shown to lower stress levels and help maintain optimal blood pressure.
  • Paint, draw, or do something else that’s creativity. Creativity is a great way to work through emotions and clear your head.

These are just a few ideas for self-care. There are many other ways that may be overlooked in this list. Don’t be afraid to create your own list of things that can help you de-stress. As long as it’s not harmful or cause negative emotions, try it out.

Getting Help for Addiction

At Cycles of Change, we understand how that addiction affects your mind, body and spirit. We  are fully invested in helping create an individualized treatment plan to help you recover and reclaim your life. You deserve a chance to get and stay sober. Contact us at 855-631-2548 to learn more about how we can help.

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