Trauma Therapy in Riverside, CA

The clients at Everlast recovering from a substance use disorder often have a history and symptoms of trauma. At Everlast, we recognize that our clients use substances to cope with the overwhelming emotions that stem from past trauma. 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that a history of trauma makes a person more likely to use substances in the future. When past trauma continues to trigger these painful emotions, therapy for substance use must also address the underlying trauma. Addressing trauma’s emotional and behavioral results helps our clients recover from substance abuse and achieve long-term sobriety.

Trauma Therapy
Trauma Therapy

What Is Trauma Therapy?

The Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines trauma as an event that a person experiences where they perceive themselves to be in immediate danger.

A person who goes through a traumatic experience will experience harmful effects on their lives and ability to function. Not everyone who survives the same event will suffer the same trauma. Everyone responds differently to these experiences

Trauma can occur at any time in a person’s life, from early childhood to adulthood. Many types of trauma therapy used with adults direct their treatment focus toward coping with trauma. Some therapists also only work with certain kinds of trauma. Trauma can come from an artificial or natural disaster or life-threatening event, the constant presence of danger, or a long-term result of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.

Everlast Recovery Centers offers several treatment options to address trauma. The coping skills and emotional self-regulation learned in various therapy types apply to many trauma symptoms. However, trauma therapy must also help the person understand how their past trauma affects their current behavior and how to start moving past it.

How Do We Teach Trauma Therapy?

SAMHSA notes that harmful traumatic experiences happen often, and many children and adults should get therapy for their trauma but do not choose to do so. Many people have buried traumatic experiences as much as possible to try and live everyday life. When entering treatment, talking about trauma can trigger upsetting emotions. 

Trauma experiences may arise in other types of therapy if people do not disclose a traumatic experience immediately.

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These people might have sought treatment for anger management, substance abuse, depression, or anxiety.

Methods of addressing trauma vary, but therapists at Everlast may use:

Trauma Therapy and Addiction

Substance abuse helps people cope with the pain of trauma by numbing the emotions behind the experience or helping them not think about what happened. For some people, what begins as an attempt to function normally leads to substance abuse and addiction. 

For example, someone who experienced trauma in a crowded place and now fears crowds might have a few drinks to keep their fear under control if they have to go to a crowded place. After a while, this can develop into dependency. Instead of dealing with the trauma that made them fear overcrowded areas in the first place, they continue to use substances until they are addicted. 

Trauma leaves a legacy of emotional damage that people struggle to cope with. Substance use disorders and trauma often repeat themselves in generations of the same family, as noted by NIDA. While some people live with raw feelings, others bury them, only to have them emerge as anger or other harmful behaviors.

Trauma Therapy in Residential Treatment

Our clients dealing with trauma and a substance use disorder must treat both issues together. Our residential treatment program provides a safe and comfortable setting to work through trauma and substance abuse addiction. Digging up old, buried trauma can overwhelm a person who has used substances to avoid it for an extended period. In residential treatment at Everlast Recovery Centers, our exceptional therapists and staff are always available to assist our clients in coping with trauma when they need help processing their feelings. 

Our residential program also provides group therapy sessions that let our clients share experiences and learn from each other. In group therapy sessions, many of our clients find comfort that others have survived similar trauma, helping them feel less isolated and ashamed. Group therapy also provides the space for specific therapeutic modalities for treating trauma, such as psychodrama or experiential therapy. 

By offering trauma-focused therapies at Everlast, our qualified therapists have the chance to break a cycle of trauma and substance abuse going back generations. Our residential treatment program gives people the time and intensive therapy they need to open up about trauma and start working through it.

SAMHSA encourages residential programs to offer the following steps as part of comprehensive trauma care:

Our clients must feel physically and emotionally safe in treatment so they do not have to worry about experiencing harm or mistreatment. At Everlast, you can be sure your comfort and safety come before anything else.  Our staff will always be there to guide our clients and ensure they understand the individual treatment plan.

After experiencing trauma, many of our clients earn not trust others as a defense mechanism. Learning to trust the staff at Everlast is the first step in learning how to build trust. Choosing to enter our residential program is a significant first step in trusting our team of exceptional staff to help you along the early recovery process. Our staff will always be there to guide our clients and ensure they understand the individual treatment plan.

Peer support is a crucial aspect of recovery. You cannot do everything alone! At Everlast, group therapy provides structured peer support where our clients can begin the process of having others who support them in their recovery journey. Mealtimes and leisure time with other clients and staff also offer time for peer-to-peer support.

In residential treatment at Everlast, clients have the time to learn critical coping skills that may be hard to teach in outpatient settings. Our clients have the opportunity to practice these skills in a residential treatment setting while our staff works with them throughout the week in groups and therapy sessions.

Most importantly, Everlast Recovery Centers offers a place where people can address trauma and substance use disorders together in a holistic environment. Untreated trauma may sidetrack a successful recovery unless both problems get the treatment they need. With our clinical programming at Everlast, you can be sure to address everything needed to achieve a happy, healthy, sober life.

Interested in the benefits of Trauma Therapy?