Psychology: Understanding Trauma and Its Impact on Addiction

This discussion board post explores the critical connection between trauma and addiction, highlighting the adverse effects of traumatic experiences on mental health and the increased risk of substance use disorders. The author emphasizes the importance of understanding trauma, particularly for healthcare providers, and discusses the link between early-life trauma and addiction, the use of substances to cope with negative emotions, and the role of trauma-informed care in behavioral health services. The post references key studies, including Kaiser Permanente's Adverse Childhood Experiences study, to illustrate the correlation between childhood trauma and addiction. It also emphasizes the symptoms of trauma and PTSD, such as hypersensitivity and depression, and how alcohol can temporarily alleviate these symptoms, leading to addiction. The author concludes by advocating for a trauma-informed approach in the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders, recognizing the signs of trauma in clients, families, and staff and integrating this information into policies and practices.

Running head: IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANING TRAUMA
Trauma can be defined as the psychological or the emotional reaction to an experience or
an event that tends to be very much disturbing or even upsetting (LaCapra, 2014). The effect of
the trauma leads to the increase of the heart rate, stress hormones and blood pressure. Since, the
trauma has a great influence on the health, behaviours, work, relationship and even in other
aspects of life; it is very much important for the health care providers to acquire the knowledge
and even the skills that are required to promote healing, recovery and wellness. Studies that have
been done in this field indicates the fact that traumatic experiences that have been experienced in
the early stage of life tend to increase the risk of substance risk disorder. It is being assumed
that trauma and addiction are very much linked to each other. Addiction generally tends to take
place after experiencing trauma. An individual suffering from trauma fails to manage the
emotions which are negative and they, therefore, tend to rely on the substance use abuses to cope
up with it. Research done in this field shows that about 90 per cent of the people in the
behavioural health care setting has gone through some form of trauma. Apart from this, people
who are involved in risky and harmful behaviours as a consequence of substance use are the ones
who have experienced an event which is traumatic in nature. In such a situation, trauma is
considered to be the result of the outcome abuse. Some people use substances to dull the
symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorders (Clark et al., 2014). The general symptoms
associated with the disorder are hypersensitivity, depression, insomnia etc. Alcohol acts as the
temporary care but later transforms into an addiction which is physically and emotionally
damaging which is similar to that of the traumatic event (Levenson, Willis & Prescott, 2016).
Hence, it is very important for the therapist who is providing substance use disorder and co-
occurring disorders to understand trauma.

2IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANING TRAUMA
A trauma-informed approach is a process which tends to recognize the signs and even the
indications of trauma in families, clients and staffs who are engaged in the system. It is a system
which tends to respond on the fully assimilating information about the trauma into policies,
procedures and even practices (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014). In other words, it
can be said that the trauma-informed approach is based on the understanding and even on the
responses which are associated with that of the trauma. Therefore, to successfully conduct the
trauma system care, the therapist needs to understand the trauma which the patient has faced or is
going through.

3IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANING TRAUMA
References
Clark, C., Classen, C. C., Fourt, A., & Shetty, M. (2014). Treating the trauma survivor: An
essential guide to trauma-informed care. Routledge.
LaCapra, D. (2014). Writing history, writing trauma. JHU Press.
Levenson, J. S., Willis, G. M., & Prescott, D. S. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences in the
lives of male sex offenders: Implications for trauma-informed care. Sexual Abuse, 28(4),
340-359.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral health
services.