How Does Addressing Trauma in Recovery Aid Healing?
The Dalai Lama famously said, “It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.” This statement is emblematic of the goals of recovery. Yet, many people are blocked from getting to this essential place because they have not yet addressed their underlying issues of trauma. Now, the reality is that addressing trauma in recovery is paramount if one is to heal at the cellular level.
The Prevalence of Addiction in the U.S.
Addiction remains a serious and prevalent problem in the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “In 2022, 48.7 million people aged 12 or older (or 17.3%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 29.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder (AUD), 27.2 million who had a drug use disorder (DUD), and 8.0 million people who had both an AUD and a DUD.”
Many people who struggle with addiction also struggle with issues of trauma. Often, people who struggle with trauma use alcohol and/or substances as a way of self-medicating to manage issues of trauma. Ultimately, this can lead to instances of co-occurring disorders.
The Prevalence of Co-Occurring Disorders in the U.S.
More people struggle with co-occurring disorders in the U.S. than many people may think. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “7.7 million adults have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses,” and “Among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders.”
These co-occurring disorders don’t specifically refer to trauma, but they do refer to the disorders by which trauma is often an underlying cause. This includes disorders like anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Better Understanding Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Trauma is often discussed, but many people are unfamiliar with its details. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines a traumatic event (TE) as exposure to threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence. Such exposure may occur directly or indirectly by witnessing the event, learning of the event occurring to a loved one, or repeated confrontation with aversive details of such event (e.g. emergency responders). Exposure to TEs is a prerequisite for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is also associated with a wide range of other adverse mental and physical health outcomes.”
Also, trauma and PTSD affect more people than many people may think. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Center for PTSD, “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.” Also, “About 5 out of every 100 adults (or 5%) in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD.”
How Does Addressing Trauma in Recovery Aid Healing?
Addressing trauma in recovery is all about getting to the underlying issues that cause negative behaviors. Many people also don’t even realize that they may be struggling with trauma. This is often why people end up self-medicating with alcohol and/or substances rather than using more effective coping mechanisms.
Addressing trauma in recovery aids healing because it gets the essential root/core causes of mental illness and/or addiction. It is also an essential step if one’s aim is to heal at the cellular level.
Addressing Trauma in Recovery for Healing at the Cellular Level
Healing at the cellular level is all about healing every part of the “Self.” This means healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Also, this is what holistic healing (whole mind-body healing) is all about.
However, this type of cellular-level healing does not just happen by entering treatment. It takes accountability, acceptance, and action. Also, it takes the right type of treatment. Treatment that is individualized and comprehensive.
The Importance of Individualized and Comprehensive Addiction and Mental Health Care
One of the best approaches to recovery is the multi-angled approach. This means utilizing as many means, methods, and modalities as necessary to accomplish a level of healing at the cellular level.
The fact of the matter is that the recovery industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and not all recovery centers and treatment facilities are made equally. Unfortunately, there are some bad actors in the industry that put profits over their client’s well-being. These are the types of treatment facilities that offer overarching “one-size-fits-all” recovery plans that rarely work to address all of an individual’s issues, especially if those issues involve underlying traumas.
When it comes to individualized and comprehensive care, it is critical that a recovery center utilize means, methods, and modalities from all avenues of the recovery industry. This includes experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy and surf therapy, psychedelic therapies like ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, nutrition therapy, holistic healing methods like yoga and meditation, and psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT is highly effective at getting to the underlying issues of trauma because it focuses on addressing the negative way that one views oneself and the world around them. These negative views are often heavily linked to one’s trauma.
CBT is all about the process of reducing symptoms for long-term growth. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns… Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.”
Another type of therapy that can be highly beneficial is psychedelic therapy. This includes ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Psychedelic therapy has a lot of stigma associated with it. This is because many people associate psychedelics solely with recreational substance use. However, this is a fallacy, and many professionals now agree that psychedelic therapy may be highly beneficial for issues like trauma.
According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), “In clinical research settings around the world, renewed investigations are taking place on the use of psychedelic substances for treating illnesses such as addiction, depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since the termination of a period of research from the 1950s to the early 1970s, most psychedelic substances have been classified as ‘drugs of abuse’ with no recognized medical value. However, controlled clinical studies have recently been conducted to assess the basic psychopharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy of these drugs as adjuncts to existing psychotherapeutic approaches.” One of the drugs being studied is ketamine.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is showing a lot of promise. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, “The potential for ketamine to be used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders was first noted in the 1970s and has been the focus of formal investigation since the 1990s, with investigative and off-label use in the context of mental health increasing across North America and Europe since that time. The first approval by the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a ketamine-derived therapy for mental health came in 2019 for intranasal esketamine (the S-enantiomer of ketamine) as augmentation therapy for treatment-resistant depression, which has increased clinical and public interest internationally.”
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Nutrition Therapy
Another critical part of long-term recovery at the cellular level is physical health and well-being. A big part of this is a healthy and nutritious diet, which can be gained via nutrition therapy.
Nutrition therapy is as much about what stays out of a diet as what goes in. According to the Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP), “Nutritional Therapy uses food to prevent and reverse diseases that plague most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression. In order for food to be therapeutic, it must be nutrient-dense, measured in part by the nutrients and anti-nutrients, contained in consumed foods. Nutrients are plant and animal sources providing macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, probiotics), and fiber,” and “Anti-Nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity.”
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in the maxim, “Food is medicine.” As the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates famously said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” We also believe that satisfaction and satiation are just as important as nutrition. This is why our menus are created by world-class chefs, and all of our meals are tailor-made for each client. We also use organic and local foods, some of which are grown right on our luxury thirty-acre property and cultivated by some of our elite clients.
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Horticulture Therapy
Walking onto our luxury 30-acre property at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, one will see some of the most lush citrus trees and exceptional coconut trees, pineapple patches, bursting guava bushes, and vegetable boxes. These are all ready and waiting to be cultivated during horticulture therapy.
Horticulture has been utilized for thousands of years as a way of finding centering and emotional balance. It can also be a great way to get to the underlying issues of trauma.
Horticulture therapy offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.”
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Nature Immersion Therapy
Many people also connect with nature as a way of addressing their underlying issues. It can help them find a sense of being in the world. One of the ways to do this is by engaging with nature immersion therapy.
Nature immersion therapy can be highly beneficial. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning… While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN).” This CN can also be attained via connecting with the ocean.
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Surf Therapy
A mere 15-minute journey from our luxury 30-acre recovery center sits one of the best surf breaks on Hawaii’s Big Island. Here, one can meditate on the sea and catch some amazing waves.
The benefits of surf therapy are vast and varied. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development [18]. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”
Addressing Trauma in Recovery With Yoga
Like horticulture and connecting with nature and the ocean, yoga has been utilized as a way of finding balance and well-being for thousands of years. Now, yoga is being used in the recovery space to help individuals manage their trauma.
Yoga helps people recover physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent reduce or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”
Another critical part of yoga is often meditation, and meditation can be an ideal way of treating the underlying issues of trauma. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency.”
Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
The Dalai Lama also famously said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” This is also what we practice at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why we only offer the best individualized and comprehensive recovery plans with a focus on the future. Also, this includes those who struggle with underlying issues of trauma.
It is important to remember that recovery is always about the journey, never the destination, and that journey can start right here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab. Recovery is possible. There is hope. We can help.
Trauma is more common than many people may think. This is often because people mask their trauma with alcohol and substances. This ultimately only leads to more complicated problems of co-occurring disorders and addiction. It is crucial to get to the underlying issues of trauma if one is to heal at the cellular level. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this alone. For more information about getting to the underlying issues of trauma, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.