How Trauma-Informed Care Could Benefit Your Recovery

Trauma is a common phrase nowadays, with common words like “It’s the trauma” or “It was traumatic” being utilized in everyday conversation. But trauma goes much deeper than a moment that was out of the ordinary or alarming. 

For those who have experienced a traumatic event or group of events, it can take years to recover and feel a sense of sanity. Trauma affects the brain in ways little else can and takes a lot of intentional treatment to address. Luckily, effective, trauma-informed treatment care exists and has made recovery possible for many.

Where does trauma come from?

“Trauma is when we experience very stressful, frightening or distressing events that are difficult to cope with or out of our control. It could be one incident or an ongoing event over a long period. Most of us will experience an event that could be considered traumatic. But we won’t all be affected the same way.”

In other words, trauma comes from a variety of sources and manifests in a variety of ways. What may be traumatic for one person might not have the same visceral effect on another. 

Some people may experience trauma through repeated traumatic situations, like instances of abuse or domestic violence. Others may experience one event – like a car accident or active shooter – that leaves them battling symptoms of trauma until they are properly addressed.

Signs you may have experienced and are struggling with trauma include:

• Experiencing avoidance symptoms, such as staying away from people, places or things that you associate with the traumatic event 
• Feeling on edge and jumpy, or being easily startled
• Having vivid nightmares or flashbacks of the event
• Suffering from physical symptoms like stomach aches and headaches
• Finding yourself lacking an appetite
• Battling substance use as an unhealthy coping mechanism or method of self-medication
• Feeling detached, isolated or removed from loved ones
• Experiencing a sense of overall numbness and disinterest in activities that you previously enjoyed
• Struggling to maintain daily routines and obligations
• Having uncharacteristic mood swings, including irritability and angry outbursts or periods of intense withdrawal

Trauma is not something that goes away on its own. The body stores it, leading to an inevitable release in either a physical or emotional form that is usually difficult to manage. To find the most peace and the best chance at recovery, it is vital to find a treatment program that offers trauma-informed care.

What is trauma-informed care?

According to the Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center, “Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation – past and present – to provide adequate health care services with a healing orientation.”

Trauma-informed care is an approach in which the service provider or treatment organization works to understand that every client likely has some form of trauma as part of their story and participates in their clients’ recovery by incorporating the principles of trauma-informed care. 

These principles are: 

• Safety – Where both client and staff within the organization feel safe both physically and psychologically 
• Collaboration – Where both the client and staff work together throughout the processes of decision-making and goal-planning
• Trust and transparency – Where all goals, decisions and treatment objectives are made in an environment of safety and openness between staff and client
• Empowerment – Where strengths are recognized and utilized in the recovery process, and an attitude of positivity is fostered regarding the possibility of healing from trauma
• Peer Support – Where those with shared experiences are activity utilized to promote greater community and support in the organization
• Humility and responsiveness – Where biases, stereotypes and historical trauma are acknowledged and addressed

“TIC provides clients more opportunities to engage in services that reflect a compassionate perspective of their presenting problems. TIC can potentially provide a greater sense of safety for clients who have histories of trauma and a platform for preventing more serious consequences of traumatic stress. Although many individuals may not identify the need to connect with their histories, trauma-informed services offer clients a chance to explore the impact of trauma, their strengths and creative adaptations in managing traumatic histories, their resilience, and the relationships among trauma, substance use, and psychological symptoms.”

Needless to say, there are countless benefits to pursuing a treatment program that integrates trauma-informed care. Not only will it provide an environment of safety and security, but it will, hopefully, offer a greater success rate to those who may have pursued and been unsuccessful with other forms of treatment.

Ready to begin trauma-informed treatment?

If you are looking for a facility that provides trauma-informed care, options are available. To begin your journey towards freedom, contact us online anytime to learn more about our programs.