For many people who struggle with substance use disorder, there is a direct link to past trauma that played a role in their addiction. What exactly that trauma is can look different from person to person. It is critical to address trauma as a root cause of addiction for the person to begin to heal. Psychodynamic healing is a good option for those who want to work through their trauma while also receiving treatment for substance use disorder.
Some people may be dealing with trauma that took place in their adulthood, while others may still be affected by trauma that took place many years ago during their childhood. They might not even fully recognize the full effect that this trauma continues to have on their life as they attempt to move forward. However, through psychodynamic therapy, a person can help develop trust with a therapist and work through their trauma at a pace that is comfortable for them.
At Profound Treatment in Los Angeles, California, we recognize the deep-rooted impact that unaddressed trauma can wreak in your life. We believe that treating that trauma is a critical part of promoting healing from substance use disorder. If you or someone you know are currently struggling with substance misuse of any kind, we can help you take the big first step towards a happier and healthier life today.
Understanding the Connection Between Trauma and Addiction
People can experience trauma in many different ways. For some people, their trauma may be from experiencing abuse, abandonment, neglect, bullying, or from living in a home where domestic violence is taking place. In the case of other people, their trauma may be from witnessing something violent or distressing, like a natural disaster, a car accident, or a family member going through a severe sickness.
When trauma occurs in a child’s life, they often can’t yet make sense of what happened to them. Thus, they may try to deal with that trauma in the only way they know how. This could involve trying to bury it deep down and pretend like it never happened.
For some people, this can go on for years. However, at the end of the day, the trauma will still be there, and it will likely cause mental health problems until the person seeks treatment for it and can begin to heal.
In adulthood, some forms of trauma may involve relationship issues, severe financial issues, or going through a difficult divorce. The person may think that if they ignore the issue it will go away. However, they may find themselves turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma. In many cases, this will involve substance misuse.
People who turn to substance misuse to deal with unaddressed trauma are often searching for a “quick fix” for the emotional pain they are experiencing. While alcohol or drugs may numb the pain temporarily, it will come back and will likely lead to even more serious issues in the future.
Understanding What Psychodynamic Healing Is
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy. It is based on psychoanalytic theory, developed by Sigmund Freud. However, what sets it apart is that it also incorporates more modern understandings of unconscious thought, self-awareness, and human behavior. Another important aspect of psychodynamic therapy is taking a look at how childhood experiences can lead to emotional patterns later in life.
One of the main goals of psychodynamic therapy is to help you learn more about yourself so that you can get to the root cause of whatever it is you may struggling with in life. In the case of addiction, psychodynamic therapy can help you to understand what specific factors caused you to turn to substance misuse in the first place. From there, you can begin to work through those things and start to heal.
Many people who struggle with addiction can point to at least one if not several, specific factors in their life that led to them turning to alcohol or drug use. For example, this could be a past traumatic incident or an untreated mental health problem. However, for others, pinpointing the root cause of their addiction may be more difficult. This is why working with a mental health professional through psychodynamic therapy can be such an important part of the recovery journey.
Understanding Why Vulnerability Is So Important in Healing
Vulnerability plays a critical role in recovery from addiction and promoting lasting healing. Many view it as a big part of the foundation on which you build your recovery. This is because vulnerability is necessary in the process of admitting that you have a problem and taking steps towards getting help to solve it. From a therapeutic standpoint, vulnerability is necessary while healing from recovery because it allows you the chance to open up to your therapist or to the people in your support group.
In order to address the root cause of your addiction, it is critical to take the time to look within yourself and acknowledge areas you need to work on. This involves what is known as “emotional authenticity,” or being willing to face your emotions head-on and heal from them. Psychodynamic therapy can be used to promote both vulnerability and emotional authenticity in recovery.
One of the most important parts of psychodynamic therapy is a healthy and trustworthy dynamic between you and your therapist. By attending regular therapy sessions with a compassionate therapist, you can build a stable, trusting, and judgment-free professional relationship. This can help to create an environment where you feel safe and comfortable opening up and being vulnerable.
Using Psychodynamic Healing to Unpack Past Trauma
Psychodynamic therapy can be a great tool for unpacking past trauma because it encourages you to explore your unconscious mind and the way that past experiences may impact your current behaviors. Maybe you experienced something traumatic in the past and didn’t realize how much it was still affecting you. Perhaps you thought you had already worked through the emotions associated with that trauma, only to discover that it is causing you distress again, even years or decades later.
Psychodynamic therapy can help you to explore memories and emotions from long ago that you may have repressed. This could be because they were painful or traumatic. Maybe they occurred when you were too young to know how to cope with them effectively. Once you’ve explored these things, you can then work with your therapist to determine how they may impact your life today.
For example, maybe when you were younger, you had traumatic memories of your parent being in an unhealthy or possibly even abusive relationship. This could subconsciously be causing you fears or hesitancies as you navigate your own relationships as an adult. By working alongside your therapist, you have a safe space to process these things and finally begin to heal from them.
Psychodynamic therapy can also help you recognize and address certain defense mechanisms that you may have built up throughout the years in connection to your trauma. For example, this could include repression or avoidance. While you might not even do these things consciously, they may be keeping you from fully addressing the issue and moving on.
Breaking the Cycle of Substance Use Disorder Through Psychodynamic Healing
Those who have experience with the complexities of substance use disorder understand that addiction is much deeper than just a physical dependency on drugs or alcohol. It involves many different complicated factors, including mental health issues, unsolved emotional pain, unaddressed trauma, and different behavioral patterns. Addressing all of these different issues together is key to finally breaking the cycle of substance use disorder. This can be accomplished through the help of psychodynamic therapy.
Through psychodynamic therapy, a person may discover that they’ve been using drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism to help them deal with a much deeper issue. Addressing that issue will be a critical step in making sure that they stay committed to their recovery and don’t feel the need to turn back to substance misuse. This is why going through detox but not seeking mental health help is likely not going to be a good way of preventing relapse. The root cause of the issue must be addressed in order to achieve long-lasting recovery.
Maybe you’ve tried to quit drinking or engaging in other forms of substance use in the past but struggled to follow through with it. Perhaps you ask yourself questions like, “Why do I keep falling into the same habits over and over again?”.
It is easy to get caught up in the cycle of wanting to get sober and having lots of motivation, only to give up before you’ve barely even begun. Psychodynamic therapy can help provide insight into why this may be happening and what you need to stay sober for good this time.
Using Psychodynamic Healing to Build Self-Awareness and Resilience
Psychodynamic therapy can be an empowering experience because it can help you learn more about yourself, your thoughts, and your behaviors. The more you know about yourself, the more in control you can feel of your own mental and emotional health. This can help boost your confidence as you begin to navigate your recovery journey. It can also help you to build better self-awareness and resilience.
Psychodynamic therapy can help you build better emotional resilience by helping you learn healthy and more effective coping mechanisms for stress. This can help you regulate your emotions better, especially during times of disappointment or setbacks. It can also help promote a mindset of growth and better flexibility when it comes to things in life that are not happening exactly as you planned.
Psychodynamic therapy can also play an important role in helping you to develop more self-compassion. Being open about your insecurities and vulnerabilities can be difficult. However, doing so in a safe environment like the one that this type of treatment promotes can be life-changing.
It can help you to develop a more non-judgemental attitude towards yourself. This can also help you to stop looking at your past struggles as something to be ashamed of. Rather, it can help you to start to feel proud of yourself for having the strength to seek help and want to overcome these things.
The greater self-awareness and resiliency you form in psychodynamic healing can also help you strengthen the relationships you have with those closest to you. For example, it can help you to be more aware of what issues may exist within your relationships and what you need to do to improve them. It can also help you to identify negative behavior patterns that you need to address so that your relationships can improve.
The Benefits of Using Psychodynamic Healing in Treating Addiction
We know that addiction is often rooted in past trauma, unconscious thought processes, unresolved pain, and other complex issues. To have someone go through detox without getting to the root cause of these issues would be like slapping a band-aid on the real problem. It’s most likely not going to lead to long-term and complete healing for the person struggling with substance misuse.
However, psychodynamic healing goes beneath the surface to address the issues that may be difficult or uncomfortable for someone to talk about. It does this in a way that ensures the person feels safe and secure being vulnerable. This helps the person not just recover from their substance misuse but to heal and grow as a person.
Some additional benefits associated with using psychodynamic healing to treat addiction include:
- Understanding the unconscious thoughts that may be contributing to addictive behaviors
- Better awareness regarding how past experiences may have led to substance misuse
- A better ability to recognize negative or destructive behavioral patterns and how to avoid them in the future
- Increased understanding of how childhood experiences may have affected who you are as an adult and how view yourself
- Better emotional regulation
- Less guilt and shame surrounding past mistakes
- The ability to break the cycle of addiction once and for all
How to Incorporate Psychodynamic Therapy Into Your Continued Recovery Plan
Psychodynamic therapy doesn’t just have to be a part of your early recovery as you work to address the root cause of your addiction. It can continue to be a part of your recovery plan in the years that follow if you want. This can help you to continue to grow and learn more about yourself. It can also help you to continue to prioritize your sobriety and prevent relapse.
Consider signing up for regular sessions with your treatment provider. Attending therapy regularly can be a great way for you to track your progress and continue working towards new goals. This can also help you to ensure you’re staying on track and motivated with your continued treatment plan.
How to Find a Therapist Who Specializes in Psychodynamic Therapy Today
At Profound Treatment in Los Angeles, California, we recognize that each person’s experience with addiction is unique and different. Thus, at our facility, we offer a variety of different treatment methods that can be tailored to meet each individual’s needs and personal situation. Psychodynamic therapy is one treatment out of many that we use to help people experience lasting and complete healing from addiction.
We believe that this type of therapy helps you to learn more about yourself. It also increases your understanding of the root cause of your behaviors. This type of therapy helps you to become more aware of your subconscious thoughts and past experiences that may have impacted your addiction. As a result, you have the power and knowledge to change your behavior for the better.
We understand that complete trust between the individual and the therapist is necessary in psychodynamic therapy. Rest assured that, at our facility, you can feel fully comfortable with our dedicated and compassionate staff. Consider taking the first step toward living your best possible life today.
Addiction is a complex issue that can be connected to many different factors. Because of this, a treatment provider must help them to get to the root cause of their addiction. Once they work towards addressing these underlying issues, true and complete healing can begin. Now, with the New Year upon us, consider taking a bold step towards living the best version of your life, beginning today. If you’re ready to seek treatment for addiction, be sure to reach out to our team at Profound Treatment today at (310) 340-2609. We can help you learn more about our different treatment options and get started taking the first steps, beginning today.
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