About half of all people with substance problems are also affected by other significant mental health issues. Experts refer to these severe, simultaneous conditions as dual diagnoses. Substance and mental health problems can occur together for a number of reasons. One common reason is exposure to some kind of significant traumatic experience. If you have a history of trauma exposure, dual diagnosis trauma therapy may be crucial to your recovery.
At Memphis Recovery Centers, our team of experts provides dual diagnosis trauma therapy to not only heal emotional wounds but to set people up for genuine, long-lasting recovery. Reach out to our friendly team today by filling out our online form or calling 901-272-7751 to learn more about the connection between trauma and dual diagnosis.
Trauma and Dual Diagnosis
Trauma is a reaction to events that overwhelm your ability to cope mentally or emotionally. It produces responses such as:
- A sense of shock
- Mental numbness
- Intense fear
- Disbelief
- A feeling of being detached from reality or yourself
At its core, this reaction is not unusual or abnormal. In most cases, it fades away gradually over a period of weeks. Once it passes, you will feel more or less back to normal. However, traumatic reactions don’t always pass on their own. Instead, they can continue to linger.
Lingering trauma can have a profoundly negative effect on your sense of wellness. Its impact can change how you think, process emotions, and behave from day to day. In turn, these changes can contribute to serious health problems. The list of these problems includes a variety of physical ailments, which also include both substance problems and a number of other mental health conditions.
What Is Dual Diagnosis Therapy?
If you have a dual diagnosis, help with your drugs or alcohol problems is only the beginning. You must also seek additional treatment for your particular mental health diagnosis to recover.
This is true for several reasons, including:
- The shared roots of substance and mental health issues
- The ways that these issues can interact and damage your well-being
- Reduced chances of getting better if you only address one of your problems
Dual diagnosis therapy is psychotherapy specifically designed for people with dual diagnoses. One common choice for this role is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Your recovery plan may also include dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
CBT and DBT are related in many ways. They both aim to help you change how you think, react emotionally, and behave. The changes you undergo are designed to help you abandon harmful patterns. At the same time, therapy enables you to create healthier alternatives.
Therapy, Trauma, and Dual Diagnosis
Not everyone affected by dual diagnosis has a history of serious trauma exposure. However, many affected people do. If this is true for you, your traumatic experiences may have played an essential part in creating your problems. They may also help reinforce your current symptoms.
For these reasons, trauma treatment frequently plays a role in dual diagnosis therapy. Both CBT and DBT can help you process past traumatic experiences. By working through those experiences, you take an important step in reducing their impact on you. Therapy can also help make you less sensitive to everyday situations that remind you of your past trauma. Your particular recovery plan may include therapy options other than CBT or DBT.
Explore Treatment for Trauma and Dual Diagnosis at Memphis Recovery Centers
Are you in need of dual diagnosis therapy in Memphis or surrounding communities? Turn to our team of professionals at Memphis Recovery Centers. We feature a comprehensive dual diagnosis treatment program, which takes an integrated approach to your recovery that addresses both your substance and mental health issues. This way supports all aspects of your return to a fulfilling everyday routine.
Call us today at 901-272-7751 or complete our online contact form to learn more about therapy and other treatments for dual diagnosis.
