Trauma and substance abuse often go hand in hand, making the healing process difficult. Past traumatic events can have long-lasting effects. Whether it occurred when you were a child or an adult, these situations can change you in unpredictable ways, leading to unhealthy coping techniques. Addressing trauma is undeniably an important aspect of recovery. However, at The Key, our first priority is to support your addiction recovery. Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, we focus on learning skills to self-regulate emotions and engage in positive behaviors, thus feeling more effective in how you think, feel, behave, and relate to others. It helps build positive structure in your recovery and increases self-motivation, self-trust and self-reliance. It is focused on developing effective living – to create “a life worth living.”

• Abstain from addictive substances (use skills to prevent relapse).

• Learn and practice skills to improve emotion management.

• Learn skills to replace self-destructive or self-defeating behaviors.

• Develop new coping skills to develop a healthy alcohol/drug-free lifestyle.

 Your stage of recovery is an important factor to consider before starting trauma therapy. Have you been working hard to prevent addiction recovery relapse by keeping up the lifestyle changes you’ve made, like getting regular exercise, recreational activities, staying sober, paying attention to sleep hygiene and attending support groups? If you’ve been in the Maintenance Stage of Recovery for 6-12 months, you should discuss trauma therapy with your addiction specialist to see if you’re ready to start working through your trauma.

Collective trauma is a shared psychological reaction to a major traumatic event. Examples of events that can cause collective trauma or PTSD include wars, pandemics, terrorism, divorce & loss of employment.

More than two-thirds of children report experiencing at least one traumatic event before age 16. Types of childhood trauma can include physical, psychological or sexual abuse, community or school violence & neglect.

Survivors of sexual assault are at an increased risk of developing PTSD. Survivors may experience severe trauma symptoms, including insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts & relationship issues.

Traumatic loss can happen anytime and spark a wave of emotions where you may find relief in using substances to release the pain. Traumatizing circumstances include homicide, suicide, natural disasters, accidents & war or terrorist attacks.

Medical trauma occurs when an individual develops persistent traumatic stress reactions after a serious injury, life-threatening illness or major illness, especially if the threat is long-term or permanent. 

Survivors of violent crimes may experience PTSD symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, numbness and avoiding certain situations. Examples of violent assault include robbery, physical assault, prowlers/stalkers & domestic abuse.

A person struggling with both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition is typically diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder. Without proper treatment, an individual may turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate symptoms of an untreated mental illness such as PTSD, depression or anxiety. Instead of treating the symptoms, this can make them worse.

Co-occurring disorders cause a lot of turmoil in a person’s life, making it harder to heal trauma. In Santa Cruz, CA, trauma and addiction treatment can primarily benefit clients and assist with personal growth.