Before you or someone you care about needs to consider trauma-informed substance abuse treatment programs to help them overcome an addiction, it may be worth dealing with long-unresolved trauma.
Dealing with trauma means decreasing the chances of developing an addiction. But it can also help with overall health and wellness. For example, getting professional help can ease mood swings and help you understand where feelings of anger are coming from. If you have inexplicable feelings or feel “off” somehow, unresolved trauma could be at the root of your negative emotions.
Searching for trauma-informed substance abuse treatment programs near Boston, MA? Reach out to Rockland Recovery today by calling 855.732.4842 or contacting our team online.
What Is Unresolved Trauma?
Unresolved trauma is a disruptive emotional response to a terrible event or experience. Unresolved trauma can be characterized by behavioral, emotional, mental, and physical symptoms or distress. Unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, relationship problems, and physical health issues like headaches or nausea are some ways that unresolved trauma can manifest.
If the disruptive emotional response isn’t recognized and dealt with, unresolved trauma can eventually affect a person’s entire life. Their traumatic experience can color how they make life-changing decisions, leading to developing a substance use disorder.
What Can You Do To Learn How To Deal With Unresolved Trauma?
There are many ways for a person to process their unresolved trauma, especially if no co-occurring mental health issues have developed yet. Here are some ways to work on unresolved trauma with or without professional help:
- Yoga: Studies show that yoga can reduce symptoms of trauma.
- Meditation: Being able to quiet your mind and let thoughts come and go without judgment can regulate emotions and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
- Physical activity: Exercising has many health benefits, including reducing symptoms of PTSD.
- Journal: Writing your thoughts down can be a therapeutic exercise that helps you release built-up energies and emotions. It may help you keep track of your symptoms and help you identify triggers or patterns.
- Reach out: Talking about a traumatic experience can be helpful, but many people don’t want to undergo psychotherapy unless necessary. Instead, you can talk to close friends or family members, but seeking professional help will be more fruitful.
How Can Substance Abuse Treatment Programs Help With Dealing With Trauma?
First of all, if you’re at the point of considering a substance abuse treatment program for yourself or someone you care about, it’s likely that you’ve put off how to deal with unresolved trauma for too long. Now that a substance use disorder has developed, still having unresolved trauma can mean a dual diagnosis. After all, unresolved trauma can develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While not impossible to treat, a dual diagnosis case complicates addiction recovery and the recovery from the other mental health issue.
A dual diagnosis treatment program, also a substance abuse treatment program, can provide cases like this with the best possible help. Programs like this work to understand that co-occurring mental health issues can quickly worsen because their symptoms affect each other negatively. Thus, both conditions should be treated at the same time.
If your unresolved trauma hasn’t yet resulted in PTSD, a typical trauma-informed substance abuse treatment program would be ideal. Programs like this consider the effect of trauma on a client throughout their comprehensive treatment plan.
Ready To Learn More About Rockland Recovery’s Substance Abuse Treatment Programs?
If you’re looking for trauma-informed substance abuse treatment programs near Boston, MA, contact Rockland Recovery today. Reach out to our team online or call 855.732.4842.
