Trauma

Trauma and addiction are two things that can greatly impact an individual's mental health. Healing from these two conditions is difficult, but treatment can help. Treatment is often necessary to effectively recover from these conditions. Those who are struggling with trauma and addiction can rest in the knowledge that they are not alone and there are ways to heal.

Trauma is a response to experiencing a traumatic event. Such events range from accidents, unstable living environments, abuse, natural disasters, bullying, violence, war, and other situations an individual perceives as threatening to their well-being. Individuals who have experienced trauma may encounter symptoms such as flashbacks, mood swings, and avoiding things that remind them of the event. They may also have physical symptoms such as headaches, muscular tension, and nausea. When trauma happens, it becomes stuck in the body and mind. Sometimes the experience of trauma can kickstart substance use and addiction as a way to cope with the pain. For this reason, it's essential to incorporate both the body and the mind into the treatment of trauma.

Healing from trauma is often part of recovering from substance use disorder (SUD) because experiencing trauma is one of the many factors that can lead to the development of addiction in the first place. Although processing trauma may sound intimidating, there are certain therapies such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) that can help make this process feel safer.

After struggling with addiction, mental illness, trauma, complex family dynamics, and other forms of pain and suffering, it can be hard to allow yourself to recognize and feel joy. Joy can even feel more vulnerable than pain, especially when pain is what is familiar.

Experiences a person has in childhood influence the character traits they develop as they grow to become adults. Some children are abandoned by their parents, a form of abuse that can be profoundly traumatic and leave emotional scars for years to come. Borderline personality disorder is, in part, caused by trauma and leads to abandonment issues in relationships and problems with drugs or alcohol. The weight of emotional baggage can be lightened with therapy. Learn about the signs of abandonment issues in adulthood and the types of therapies that can help individuals heal.

Discovering inner peace requires a pattern of asking yourself what you need to feel at peace with yourself while letting go of what you do not need. It also means beginning to trust yourself rather than judge yourself and accept where you are rather than force yourself to be somewhere you are not.

Breaking free from an unhealthy, traumatic relationship takes a significant weight off of one’s shoulders. However, many lingering effects can continue to impact an individual long after the relationship has ended. Feelings of anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and a myriad of other emotions can be prevalent, and it is essential to acknowledge and move through this stage of one’s life slowly.    Getting over a traumatic relationship is not easy, especially with the new perceptions about romance that may have developed during the experience. However, recovery is possible, and there are vital steps to take when beginning to rebuild a new identity separate from that of a traumatic relationship.

Trauma has a way of affecting us in not just an emotional sense but also our physical bodies. Because of its effects on the brain, our mental and physical functioning will change due to trauma. Although trauma can alter our bodily functioning, the body has an amazing healing process when unprocessed trauma gets reintegrated into the mind. In addition, many researchers believe that working to release the energy of stored trauma in the body will also help release the tissues and muscles that have been locked in a holding response pattern since the initiating traumatic event.

The recovery process teaches you how to learn and identify your triggers with coping mechanisms, and when those triggers occur, you need a prompt response. Everyone, at some point or another, is going to experience triggers. It is important to understand how to manage them to avoid relapse or other deconstructive outcomes and address them right away.

If you have experienced trauma in your life, you may find yourself having a range of strange reactions to certain events. When you have experienced trauma, it is important to remember your brain has been sensitized to certain stimuli and that you should be gentle with yourself as you unpack, process, and alchemize your trauma. The path of healing the wounds of trauma imprinted on your subconscious is not a linear journey and takes a variable amount of time for everyone. As you go about your life, you may find yourself easily triggered at times. Sometimes it is hard to recognize that feeling or acting a certain way is caused by feelings from a past trauma surfacing. By learning the signs of feeling triggered by a precipitating event, you can be on your way to pacifying yourself and de-escalating your response in sensitive situations. Not to mention, when you have a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of trauma-related triggers, you can react with compassion and empathy to create a safe space when you are experiencing anxiety from those stirred-up emotions. See below for common signs that you or someone else may be reacting to a trauma-related trigger.

After you’ve left the emotional strain of an abusive relationship, you may walk away with a fragile heart scarred from the deep emotional agony of the relationship. Many, out of protection, close their hearts off and may also feel scared, angry, hopeless, or depressed. In times like this, when your heart feels small and hurt by others, you have the greatest opportunity for creating heart space. Your heart space is a place of pure love and acceptance within you where healing for yourself and others takes place. Holding heart space in your life happens through nurturing love in what you choose to witness, listen to and become, and happens when you are aligned with your values. Only when your heart space is open can you have a full heart of love, joy, and gratitude.

When we experience trauma in our lives, we might begin to experience anxiety or PTSD afterward, but why does this happen? Is there a physical component to it, or is it all psychologically driven? Understanding what the limbic system is and what limbic trauma loops are can help answer these questions.