Title : Trauma: Till Death Do Us Part
Abstract:
In my recent effort to achieve disability compensation for the Department of Veterans Affairs, I was called upon to go back and recall what past events in the military affected my current mental health status.
25 years ago, I unlocked the key to my trauma with the help of the therapist and realized that I had no control over that situation. I thought everything was well and it was. Until my recollection of time spent in South Korea uncover something long forgotten. I will spare you the details but needless to say I went back into therapy. It is my belief that trauma can be healed in the same fashion as a broken leg can be healed. They may tell you it's a full recovery, but the truth is it is not the same as it was before it was broken. Similarly, with trauma, it can be healed, but ongoing coping skills and the recognition of when you're experiencing traumatization is necessary to keep the demons at bay.
The Root of Addiction
The present work will look to change the thinking of those who collaborate with those unfortunate people dealing with substance abuse disorders as well as mental health disorders. The addiction treatment model has been wrong for a long time. This is understandable considering that the study of trauma is relatively new to the psychoeducation curriculums.
Trauma informed care is the new catch phrase treatment centers claim to be offering but a deeper look shows that they generally aren’t truly trauma informed, nor do they embark on any education of the client on why they felt the need to use drugs and alcohol as their main coping skill. It is therefore upon this author to paint a picture of how trauma therapy recovery should be the model for the most success. That effort comes from education, research, and personal achievements in overcoming childhood trauma. The difficulty in making this work is that psychiatry, medical, and clinical staff are working alone instead of as a team. Secondly, insurance makes it exceedingly difficult for a drug counsellor to provide the proper treatment plan because of insurance guidelines they must follow. Finally, the lack of education on trauma within the psychiatric and medical fields is extremely alarming.
