According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly 11% to 20% of veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom reported PTSD in a given year.1 This highlights the destructive role trauma plays in countless veterans' lives. To address this, Banyan Treatment Center’s Veterans in Recovery program employs trauma-informed therapy for our service members. Read on to learn more about the benefits of this treatment method and how it can help you or a loved one that has been affected.
What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy is a therapy method that takes any existing trauma that the patient has experienced into account. It also focuses on understanding and considering the impact these experiences can have on that person’s ability to succeed in treatment and their behaviors and overall mental health. Practitioners of this therapy method purposefully keep the traumatic history of the patient in mind to avoid any instances of retraumatization.
This type of therapy is also worth considering in the realm of addiction treatment. Often, a traumatized person will resort to using drugs or alcohol to manage their symptoms. This can lead that individual to develop a tolerance, meaning they need more of the substance each use to produce the desired effects. At this point, they risk falling into addiction, which can make recovery much more complicated. Luckily, our Veterans rehab offers addiction treatment programs to help these individuals heal and recover.
Trauma Therapy Techniques
There are certain steps that a trauma-informed therapist can take to help patients make the most of their sessions.
These steps can include:
- Promoting a sense of safety – To avoid retraumatizing the patient, the therapist will take conscious steps to ensure feelings of physical and emotional safety are promoted.
- Collaborating with the patient – A key goal of this method is to empower the patient by making them aware of their options regarding their treatment. Doing this allows them to play an active role in their own care as opposed to passively moving through the process.
- Practicing transparency – Being honest and open is another crucial factor when empowering a person. Being deceitful can lead the patient to feel blindsided and can undermine the lessons that have been taught.
- Staying informed – A therapist handling a situation as delicate as trauma should always stay up-to-date on research regarding treating patients who have experienced it.
The Advantages of Trauma-Informed Therapy
By working with a trauma therapist, our patients have the ability to enjoy a number of benefits in their own recovery.
These benefits include:
- Reclamation of personal power
- Appropriately shifting focus
- Having a space to face past trauma
- Developing a sense of agency
- Learning coping skills to prevent relapse
- Minimizing the severity of trauma symptoms
Banyan’s military rehab center prides itself on its regimen of effective therapy methods, which can help patients address the experiences that continue to affect their daily lives. Trauma is not an easy thing to overcome. However, with the right support, we believe that anyone is capable of doing so.
For more information on the veteran's recovery program at Banyan and how it can help you or a loved one, call us today at 888-280-4763.
Source:
- Dept of VA - How Common Is PTSD in Veterans?
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