Healing after harm
Trauma Treatment Center
Trauma is a psychological response to deeply distressing experience — one event or years of them. Left untreated, it shapes a life in ways that are hard to see from inside. Healing is possible.
About this condition
Trauma treatment
Trauma can follow a single event — a natural disaster, an assault, a car accident — or ongoing experiences such as abuse or neglect. It can overwhelm a person's ability to cope and leave long-lasting effects: flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and difficulty with relationships. Not everyone who lives through a traumatic event develops trauma; prior experiences, support systems, and coping mechanisms all shape the response.
Research has shown that over 46% of people with PTSD also have a substance use disorder. For many, substances briefly numb the pain of trauma before becoming a problem of their own — so when trauma and addiction appear together, we treat them together, adding detox and psychological support to the trauma treatment plan.
Trauma treatment at Ambrosia Behavioral Health spans residential care, a partial hospitalization program, and an intensive outpatient program, so the level of structure matches the severity of symptoms.
Causes and risk factors
Trauma results from experiencing or witnessing a distressing or threatening situation that overwhelms the ability to cope. Common causes include traumatic events like disasters, serious accidents, and violent attacks; childhood abuse and neglect, which raise the risk of trauma-related disorders later in life; and military service, where combat exposure contributes to PTSD.
Some factors increase vulnerability: a history of mental illness, previous traumatic experiences, chronic stress or adversity, and a lack of social support. Others protect — resilience, coping skills, and people to lean on all reduce the likelihood that a traumatic event turns into a lasting disorder.
Signs and symptoms of trauma
Physical symptoms
Unexplained aches and pains, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and changes in appetite or sleep patterns.
Emotional symptoms
Fear, anxiety, shock, anger, guilt, helplessness, or hopelessness.
Behavioral changes
Irritability, aggression, isolation, or withdrawal from social interactions.
Flashbacks and nightmares
Vivid memories of the event that seem to come out of nowhere, and recurring nightmares about it.
Avoidance
Steering around situations, people, or places that bring the event back.
Hyperarousal
Being easily startled, unable to relax, and constantly on edge — along with difficulty concentrating on everyday tasks.
Trauma and addiction
In an attempt to find relief from overwhelming emotions, some people turn to drugs or alcohol. The temporary numbing provides a sense of distance from the pain — but the relief is short-lived and can turn into a destructive cycle of addiction. Trauma also raises the risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD, and those co-occurring conditions can further fuel substance use as self-medication.
Trauma is not the sole cause of addiction, but it significantly contributes to the underlying issues that drive it. Dual-diagnosis treatment addresses the traumatic experiences and the addiction at the same time, which is what lasting recovery usually requires.
Therapies that treat trauma
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
The most widely known method for trauma and PTSD: identifying the thought patterns and behaviors behind negative emotions and outcomes, then working on the source of the suffering.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Re-establishing mindfulness and emotional regulation, with the goal of ending self-harming behaviors that add turmoil.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Learning to accept and cope with difficult thoughts and emotions rather than fight them, through mindfulness practice and behavior change.
- EMDR
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing uses guided bilateral eye movement while recalling traumatic events, changing how the brain holds the memory and greatly reducing symptoms.
Levels of care
Inpatient (residential) treatment provides round-the-clock care in a specialized facility — typically recommended when symptoms are severe: intense flashbacks, severe anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. The structure creates a safe space to work through trauma with intensive support.
Outpatient treatment — an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program — suits people who do not need 24-hour care but still need professional support. Therapy continues on a regular schedule while daily routines and responsibilities stay intact.
Ready to talk with admissions?
Admissions is available 24/7 to answer questions about mental health and substance use treatment options.