7th Edition of Global Conference on
Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health and Psychiatry
October 19-21, 2026 | Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Emotional Trauma and Substance Use
Emotional trauma, whether from childhood abuse, neglect, or recent life events, plays a significant role in the development of substance use disorders. Individuals may use substances as a way to cope with overwhelming emotions or to numb the painful memories of traumatic experiences. This can create a cycle where substance use exacerbates emotional pain, leading to increased reliance on substances for relief. Traumatic experiences can alter the brain's stress-response systems, increasing susceptibility to addiction. Effective treatment often requires trauma-informed care, which includes addressing both the substance use and the underlying trauma. Therapies such as trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are beneficial in helping individuals process trauma while working on recovery.
Nile Stanley
University of North Florida, United States
Ann Marie Leonard Zabel
Curry College, United States
Edie Raether
NeuroShifts and Wings for Wishes Academy, United States
Sindu Padmanabhan
Bharathiar University, India
Kayla Albers
Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, United States
Jorja Jamison
Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, United States
Andrew Drasen
A Vision of Hope Media, United StatesSubmit your abstract Today
Title : The Storm Within: Neuropsychological Insights into Dysregulation and Substance Use in the Adolescent Brain.
Ann Marie Leonard Zabel, Curry College, United States
Title : Sexualizing anxiety and anxiolytic sex: Misattribution of arousal
Sam Vaknin, CIAPS, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Title : Workplace and occupational mental health: Supporting well-being at work
Sindu Padmanabhan, Bharathiar University, India
Title : Resilience in counseling: Processing grief for the addictions counselor
Kayla Albers, Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, United States
Title : Resilience in counseling: Processing grief for the addictions counselor
Jorja Jamison, Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, United States
Title : Identity restoration as a missing variable in relapse prevention
Andrew Drasen, A Vision of Hope Media, United States