Treat Repressed Childhood Trauma

Treat Repressed Childhood Trauma

There are many varieties of trauma that cause people to experience mental and physical issues later in life. For people who have experienced childhood trauma, the repercussions can be devastating.

One of the main issues is that they may not realize just where their issues stem from. This is often due to their trauma being repressed.

What Is Trauma?

When asked to identify trauma, medical professionals discuss the fact that there are two types of trauma:

  • Physical
  • Mental

These two types of trauma can exist independently or in tandem. However, more often than not, if a person has experienced physical trauma, they will also have some mental trauma associated with it.

What Is Childhood Trauma?

Many people suffering from substance abuse have some level of trauma in their past. This trauma can be categorized as abuse. Unfortunately, this abuse is often at the hands of a close relative, such as a parent.

Childhood trauma may stem from a variety of abuses:

  • Physical
  • Sexual
  • Verbal
  • Emotional

Again, these often exist in tandem rather than on their own. One of the hallmarks of trauma is just how insidious it can be and how it never affects just one part of a person’s psyche.  When it comes from abuse, especially from someone a child should be able to trust, the damage is compounded.

An issue that can come up is that the abuse can be so severely traumatic that it becomes repressed. This means that the child buries the issues in a way that they may not remember what happened to them.  It may even happen while the trauma continues to be perpetrated upon them.

What Happens With Repressed Trauma?

When a person represses trauma, it may have the effect of compounding the side effects the person goes through later in life.

Many people will find themselves experiencing mental health problems without realizing their origins. These may include:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Nightmares
  • Problems with personal relationships
  • Insomnia
  • Unexplained anger

Most people will not seek professional treatment even when these issues become commonplace. Even those who have repressed issues may be afraid of what these feelings and emotions could mean. They may see themselves as broken and do not want a stranger “looking inside their heads.”

Others may turn to illicit substances in an effort to self-medicate. This substance abuse may even start at a young age with experimentation. The person will find that when they use these substances, they experience numbness that can calm and blank out their minds, even for a little while. While this can be cathartic, it will quickly turn into a habit and an addiction.

When these addictions take hold, people may be functionally addicted, working and living in a way that others remain in the dark about their problems. However, it will only become worse as they progress. Many substances require a person to consume more as they find themselves (getting used to) certain amounts.

A person’s reticence to speak with a medical professional or enter a program often does not end until their loved ones reach a breaking point or the individual overdoses. The hope is that these people get help before this happens. Either way, recovery centers are ready to help.

How a Recovery Center Can Help

The first thing a recovery center will do is a full assessment of the individual. This will include a rundown of what they have been going through, both mentally and physically. For many people, this assessment will simply identify what immediate needs the individual has. This often means discussing the level of detox they will be going through. It is important that the person have their system purged of any substances that are causing problems. Without this step, there is no reason to continue treatment.

Once detox is complete, the individual will be given another assessment. They will take a deeper dive into their issues to determine the types of therapeutic treatments they require. This will always include some type of individual therapy as well as group therapy. However, if a person is given a dual diagnosis, they will often require some type of medication-assisted therapy.

This means that they will be given specific medications under strict supervision to assist with some of their overarching mental health issues in an effort to give their mind space to deal with the deeper problems.

How Individual Therapy Can Begin the Healing Process

Quite a number of addicts have never set foot in a therapy session. Therefore, when they enter recovery and begin discussing their repressed issues, it is a pivotal moment in treatment. They must be with a medical professional they trust and are comfortable talking with.

In these sessions, they will be heavily encouraged to take down the walls they have put up around themselves. These protective shields have existed for decades to stop the person from having to deal directly with the issues that have placed them in the position they find themselves.

Sessions may feel combative at first, perhaps emotionally draining, and definitely cathartic. They will act as a way to begin the process of unburdening oneself from the chains that others placed upon them years ago. People will begin to understand that although treatment and recovery have become their responsibility, the roots of their issues were not their fault.

Though they have been put in this position by the neglect and abuse of others, there are better ways to deal with these problems than substance abuse.

Twilight Recovery Center’s Approach to Trauma

At Twilight Recovery Center, we focus on the individual and their continued care. Our approach is to give individuals a new beginning and set them up for future recovery. We are proud to say that our program is the first step on a long road, but one that we are proud to offer.

There are many problems rooted in childhood trauma. Some people with mental or substance abuse issues may not even realize where their issues stem from. Twilight Recovery Center is prepared to assist individuals in their attempt to find the origins of their problems. Often, this means making considerable headway into understanding and confronting situations that may feel uncomfortable and frightening. Our caring staff is on call to make sure that you are cared for every step of the way. We will make sure that each moment of your time with us is utilized to assist you in confronting your past while looking forward into your recovery. Call us today at (888) 414-8183.

Sexual Trauma and Addiction

Sexual Trauma and Addiction

Sexual trauma can lead to various issues throughout a person’s life. Although sexual trauma can happen at any point in life, it can be even more deceptive when it occurs in childhood. Some people may not even remember the specifics of what happened to them. They may remember that something bad happened when they were children.

Often, a person with sexual trauma in their background will feel shame and confusion. This may lead them to avoid seeking help or even outright refuse to share their experience with even their closest friends or family members. Avoidance like this can lead to a variety of behaviors, including:

  • Sexual promiscuity
  • Self-harm
  • Inability to connect
  • Substance abuse

Other negative behaviors can be detrimental to the individual. However, the main thing to remember is that this may all arise due to an inability or refusal to seek help.

Trauma and Addiction

One way that people deal with the effects of sexual trauma is through substance abuse. They may not realize the reason at first, but it can be readily apparent to outsiders and professionals.

Often, there are two reasons someone who has experienced sexual trauma seeks out illicit substances:

  • They present a way to act out against authority
  • It provides a way to dull the pain of memories of trauma

When people experience sexual trauma early in life, they may see substance abuse as a way to achieve both of these ends. Authority figures may seem frightening and something to be ignored. Even when people are attempting to help, they may be seen as untrustworthy.

Often, those people with these experiences cannot trust others, especially those who remind them of whoever hurt them. That can mean adults or even fellow young people. They may try illicit substances because they see it as a way of telling people they don’t care.

Unfortunately, this solution to their issues will only cause more problems. It will allow them to detach in a way that will affect their lives, possibly for years to come. When a person pushes the trauma down and it resurfaces, even for a moment, they may dive deeper into their addictions to dull it more.

Trauma-Informed Care

The purpose of trauma-informed care is to explore the concept of addiction through the lens of trauma. In this case, sexual trauma. When a person has this in their background, they must be carefully eased through the recovery process.

Care will begin with standard detox. After that, the rehabilitation process will begin. Before this process begins, the individual will be assessed, and their trauma will be discussed. It will be hard at first, but eventually, they will come to understand that it must be addressed to experience and utilize recovery truly.

Through group and individual therapy, these people will be shown how their sexual trauma led them to their current state of addiction. Once they have accepted this concept, it may cause them to break down even further than the initial admittance of their addiction.

For a number of these individuals, being wholly broken down in a safe environment may be the best way to achieve recovery. There is no better place to address all aspects of one’s trauma and addiction than a recovery center whose only goal is to provide care. A few things that people can find at a recovery center are:

  • Knowledgeable and dedicated staff
  • 24/7 care and monitoring
  • Like-minded peers
  • The chance to truly let go

When someone is so deep into their own issues that they have finally accepted that they need help, it may be their most vulnerable moment. It is at this lowest point that there is nowhere else to go. That is the point at which to build them back up.

Twilight Recovery Center’s Treatment Program

All the emotions and trauma that have arisen in someone’s life can be addressed at Twilight Recovery Center. We have seen different types of people with all manner of addictions and trauma.

Our job is to help people ensure they are ready to rejoin society as healthy individuals. For us, one of the most important steps is to remind each client that we will give them top-notch care for as long as they require. However, further care will be needed once they leave us.

It can be challenging for people to reconcile previous trauma and addiction issues with any life after treatment. Luckily, at Twilight Recovery Center, we are confident that recovering individuals will learn and understand their limitations, their need for assistance, and why certain behaviors require more help.

Each person needs to know their worth, regardless of trauma or addiction. At Twilight Recovery Center, we show people that their past does not define them. They are each capable of healing, even when that healing requires outside help. There is no shame in recovery, only hope.

Though many people have trauma in their lives, there may be nothing more insidious than sexual trauma. When a person is exposed to this at a young age, it can have vast, overarching effects on how they live their life. For many of these people, one of their coping mechanisms may be substance abuse. They turn to it as a way to dull the pain and memories. When someone enters rehab with this type of trauma, it is essential that their needs are addressed at their own pace. Sexual trauma therapy is not something to be rushed. At Twilight Recovery Center, we are prepared to help in any way we can. Contact us today at (888) 414-8183.

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Receive the highest level of care at our upscale recovery center. We offer world class treatments to ensure the finest road to recovery.

Contact

Address

Farallon #9751, San Antonio del Mar, Baja California Mexico CP 22560

Phone:

(1)888-414 81 83
+52 664 80 58 882 

Email

info@twilightrecoverycenter.com

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