Trauma underpins most major mental illnesses and substance use disorders. When life deals someone with a challenging card, they only have so many ways to cope. There are genetic and environmental factors that guide the decisions we make in the wake of trauma. Some turn to alcohol or drugs, some experience psychosis; others enter significant bouts of depression that render them practically non-functional. We can attempt to treat all of these different ailments, but we also need to address the root cause: trauma.
How Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Affect Us?
Now, we are beginning to understand the environmental component. We’re learning how Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs can significantly impact a person’s ability to cope and safeguard themselves from other physical manifestations of the harm. Adult trauma has a similar effect on the body. At that moment, blood pressure rises, breathing gets heavier, and your heartbeat quickens. Chronic stress builds up over time with lasting effects on your health. It can shorten life expectancy and lead to a greater susceptibility to the development of significant mental illness.
What Therapies Heal Trauma?
Finally, evidence-based therapies are starting to be developed to help people heal from the effects of trauma and chronic stress. Some of these approaches include trauma-focused – cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), prolonged exposure therapy (PE), and more. Crucial to some of these approaches is the construction of a trauma narrative.
Relaying your story of suffering to someone else is no easy task. Often, we lack the words to summarize our most challenging memories. It is challenging to verbalize horrible memories. It is even harder to make sense of acts that make no logical sense. Sometimes, we forget our painful memories altogether as a protective mechanism. Trauma-informed care is core to help clients heal.
At Valiant Living, we deliver compassionate and trauma-informed care to our clients to help them heal from the ills of addiction and co-occurring mental illness. At our men’s only facility in Denver, Colorado, we seek to validate your lived experiences. We want to help you identify the origin of your suffering to get to the root cause of the matter. Our expert staff is trained in therapies to help you work through trauma. We prioritize treating your addiction through detoxification services and a living facility fitted to your comfort. To learn more about our services, you can reach us today at (303) 952-5035.
