Trauma-Informed Therapy

Trauma is an emotional response to an event or experience that someone found distressing or disturbing. 70% of adults have experienced some type of trauma and it’s common for people to respond differently to trauma. The same kind of trauma can also impact people differently too. Some examples of trauma include:

1: A near-death experience
2: Physical or mental illness of a loved one
3: Death of a close family member or friend
4: Witnessing a violent event
5: Physical or sexual assault
6: Divorce
7: Imprisonment
8: Bullying
9: Emotional neglect
10: Natural disasters

Trauma-informed therapy focuses on understanding a patient’s history of trauma and how it’s impacting their behavioral health. This form of therapy can help patients if they are unable to cope with the trauma they’ve experienced, or if it’s affecting their ability to function. Trauma-informed therapy can also address issues of guilt and shame that trauma survivors often carry. Tyler Bowman, Founder and CEO of Brooks Healing Center, understands the role trauma can play in addiction, “I had a lot of shame and guilt that were underlying from my childhood that I never really dealt with,” Bowman says. “I want to make sure everyone gets the treatment they need and they’re able to address these issues that have been chasing them for so long and help guide them through that process.”

Some techniques used in trauma-informed therapy include:

Overcoming Fears – Helping patients come to terms with specific places, people, or activities that remind them of their trauma.

Creating Coping Mechanisms – Allows patients to build confidence and provides them with the tools to cope when they’re feeling overwhelmed by their trauma.

Providing Validation – If a patient has been told that they’re overreacting to their trauma or are making them up, trauma-informed therapy can help them to validate their feelings so they can start the healing process.

When patients are struggling with their emotions after experiencing a trauma or after years of trauma occurring to them, they may turn to alcohol or drug abuse as a form of self-medicating to avoid dealing with their pain. This can lead to a cycle of addiction as patients have to repeatedly use drugs and alcohol to continue to feel free from their emotions. Trauma-informed therapy will help patients identify their trauma triggers and provide them with the tools and resources to overcome them. It can also help them deal with other emotions that commonly occur with trauma such as anger, anxiety and depression.

Our knowledgeable staff at Brooks Healing Center will help you identify if trauma-informed therapy is a good fit for you or your loved one. Our treatment center located in the foothills of Central Tennessee provides the perfect setting to heal from past traumas so you can focus on your addiction recovery journey.