Emotional trauma was once associated with men who lived through war time experiences and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More and more, the term is expanding to include women and children of all ages who suffer from the detrimental effects of stressful events. Sexual or physical abuse and childhood neglect are common sources of emotional trauma which can come up in treatment. Finding a way to treat emotional trauma can help a person find clarity and peace to move forward.
How it Happens
Trauma and physical abuse are not isolated experiences. The population at large experiences physical abuse at a rate of around 8.4 percent, the rates of such abuse among alcoholics being higher. Men who abuse alcohol report a 24 percent rate of physical abuse and 33 percent of women who abuse alcohol were physically abused. Sexual abuse carries similar ratios. Kids directly exposed to the events of 9/11 developed a similar pattern and the greater the exposure to events, the greater likelihood it was of developing a substance addiction. Children who had three or more exposures to events were as much as 19 times more apt to become dependent on substances.
Why it Matters
Many people who enroll in a rehab program discover underneath the substance abuse problem lays an emotionally traumatic life event. The emotional trauma must be addressed as directly as the substance abuse itself. Treatment of a substance addiction and an emotional condition as part of drug rehab is referred to as dual diagnosis. The person’s trauma may be an incident in the distant past but one which yet reaches forward to impact the person’s life to this day. Though emotional trauma behind substance addiction is unique to each person, there are common themes:
- The person did not anticipate the event
- The person was not prepared for the event
- The person felt powerless to prevent it from happening
Because it is not the event itself, but how the person perceives it, any occurrence could lead to emotional trauma and produce trauma in one individual but not another. Being human means no one person is invulnerable to emotional trauma. The treatment of dual diagnosis in an individual who seeks rehab must be done with competent persons who understand how substance abuse and emotional trauma co-occur so emotional trauma can be dealt with and provide hope for long lasting recovery.
Cypress Lakes offers a place to explore what it means to heal and be whole again. Recovery is a journey of a thousand steps, each one unique. When you are ready to move forward, Cypress provides support for dual diagnosis individuals who seek mental health support and physical help for addiction. If you are struggling, let us help you. Give us a call today: 877-938-1577