Monday, September 26, 2022

When to Seek Residential Treatment for Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, experienced by 18% of adults annually. If your anxiety symptoms are making your life unmanageable, you should consider anxiety disorder treatment.

“Look at your life and see if it is serving you,” advised Melisse Prusinski, Clinical Manager of Morningstar Residential Program at Integrative Life Center. 

Examining your life and whether you’re living it to the fullest may prompt you to seek residential treatment for anxiety.

Understanding Anxiety

Everyone gets stressed out, anxious, or worried sometimes, but if your feelings are persistent, debilitating, or out of proportion to the situation, you may need anxiety disorder treatment. 

Physical anxiety symptoms may include a racing heart, sweating, difficulty breathing, and shakiness. 

Melisse also recommends seeking treatment if you use maladaptive behaviors like excessive eating, drugs, or alcohol to cope with anxiety. 

You can choose from outpatient, inpatient, or residential anxiety disorder treatment. 

When to Seek Residential Anxiety Disorder Treatment

So, who should consider residential anxiety disorder treatment? If your needs are too intense to be managed with outpatient treatment but not severe enough for hospitalization, residential treatment could be for you. 

Factors that suggest residential treatment is the right choice:

  • Unsuccessful Outpatient Therapy. Have you tried outpatient therapy but are still experiencing anxiety? Outpatient therapy has its limitations. If your progress stalled, you might respond better to a residential treatment where you can focus on your treatment goals. Getting away from work and home responsibilities that trigger anxiety symptoms can also be helpful. You can devote all of your energy to getting well.
  • Deteriorating Physical Health. Is your anxiety causing physical symptoms? Digestive problems, trouble sleeping, fatigue, tense muscles, and other physical symptoms are signs you aren’t managing your anxiety well. If your physical health is deteriorating, residential treatment can offer a relaxing environment to focus on addressing your needs.
  • Difficulty Completing Simple Tasks. Simple tasks can become difficult or impossible because of anxiety. Do you struggle to make decisions or think clearly? Do you find yourself feeling apathetic and unable to complete simple tasks? These symptoms suggest you need more intense treatment to address your anxiety.
  • Disruptions in Relationships. Are your relationships suffering? When people fail to manage anxiety, it often impacts how they interact with the people in their lives. Irritability, moodiness, and isolation are all signs of anxiety disorders needing treatment.
  • Having Panic Attacks. Have you experienced panic or anxiety attacks? These attacks are sudden, intense, and extremely disruptive. During these attacks, you may experience chest pain, shortness of breath, intense fear, a rapid heartbeat, trembling, shaking, and sweating. Residential treatment can teach you how to combat these attacks.
  • Unhealthy Coping. Are you drinking excessively or using drugs? If you’re self-medicating to cope with anxiety, now is the time to seek help. Residential treatment can help you learn to manage anxiety and reverse substance use. 

What Residential Treatment Offers

Residential treatment offers a supportive environment where you can devote all your focus and attention to meeting your treatment goals. This focused approach will help you learn how to manage your anxiety and overcome the issues holding you back.

Relationship issues are often a symptom of anxiety. By taking you temporarily away from those relationships and then strategically bringing in close family members, residential treatment can help you develop more functional relationships. Also, residential treatment can provide a plan to reverse harmful behaviors if you’re using drinking, drugs, or other unhealthy coping tendencies to manage anxiety.

Benefits of residential treatment include:

  • Intensive Care. Residential treatment offers trained and experienced caregivers and counselors who can provide consistent help and support.
  • Controlled Environment. Residential treatment places you in a new environment so you can see yourself in new ways and release destructive behaviors.
  • Focus on Recovery. Residential treatment allows you to focus on your needs without worries about things like meals, work responsibilities, or caring for others.
  • Peer Support. Residential treatment allows you to meet other people working through similar issues. These connections decrease isolation and provide support.

What to Look for in an Anxiety Treatment Facility

Finding the right anxiety treatment program can be daunting. There are many choices, and the programs vary in location, cost, emphasis, amenities, and length of stay. 

Different types of residential treatment programs serve a variety of needs. Melisse advises people seeking treatment to consider finding a treatment center specializing in their symptoms. For example, if you have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, you would benefit from looking for a center that specifically addresses that, she said. 

Before choosing a program for anxiety treatment, do your research, ask a lot of questions, and consider which setting would most benefit you in your recovery. Here’s a checklist of questions you may want to ask.

Program checklist:

  • Does the facility meet complete license and accreditation requirements? Licensing and accreditation ensure that the facility meets high standards.     
  • Is the staff trained and credentialed? Trained, credentialed, and experienced staff provide the highest level of patient treatment.
  • Can the facility increase staffing to support any number of clients? Facilities with flexible staffing can respond to fluctuating needs to provide the best care.
  • Is there access to emergency care services? Programs with strong working relationships with local hospitals and urgent care facilities can respond to accidents and, if needed, transition clients in crisis to a higher level of care.

Is Your Life Serving You?

Look at your life and see if it’s serving you. If an anxiety disorder stops you from living your best life, residential anxiety disorder treatment may be the next step. 

At the Integrative Life Center, we offer residential treatment that will help you overcome your debilitating anxiety. You will master new skills and behaviors to handle your anxiety and manage your life. 

The Morningstar Residential programs at Integrative Life Center offer comfortable residences in a retreat-like setting where clients live in community with others on a similar journey. Supported by compassionate professionals, you can focus on recovery and develop approaches to cope with the anxiety-causing aspects of life. 

Don’t let anxiety stand in your way. Consider if a residential program for anxiety disorder treatment may be right for you. Contact us today to start your journey to healing.

The post When to Seek Residential Treatment for Anxiety appeared first on Integrative Life Center.



source https://integrativelifecenter.com/when-to-seek-residential-treatment-for-anxiety/

Monday, September 19, 2022

Is There Effective Treatment for Childhood Trauma?

Trauma is an emotional response to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. When the traumatic event or experience ends, the emotional response can continue. People can carry the long-term effects of childhood trauma for years, well into adulthood. Trauma treatment programs can help begin the healing process.

Understanding Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma occurs when a child experiences a frightening or dangerous event. Some common traumatic experiences for children include institutional racism in their school or community, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, bullying, separation from a parent or caregiver, and any form of abuse or neglect. 

Trauma can evoke a strong fight or flight response, negative emotions, or even physical symptoms like weight loss and lack of sleep. Traumatic experiences overwhelm and break down a person’s sense of safety, dignity, and connection, according to Carmen Dominguez, Executive Director of Clinical Programming at Integrative Life Center. She said childhood abuse causes habitual patterns, even when they aren’t useful. 

“The unconscious brain creates a pattern of fear to present time experiences. These patterns take the form of an array of intimacy disorders and psychopathologies such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance and process addictions,” she said. 

To better help adults with mental illnesses, mental health professionals try to determine if their clients experienced childhood trauma.

When to Seek Treatment for Childhood Trauma

Seeking treatment at the first sign of trauma is ideal. Early intervention can do a lot to prevent the lasting effects of trauma. But even adults are candidates for trauma treatment programs that address childhood experiences, and treating the trauma can get to the root of other mental health issues. Childhood trauma can cause long-lasting adverse effects, but treatment can help identify that trauma and help to heal it.

Adults respond differently when learning that something that happened to them as a child still impacts them today, Carmen stated. 

Sometimes, a client responds by feeling relieved to find the missing piece of the puzzle. However, what follows is feeling overwhelmed with hurt, shame, and anger. They are left feeling vulnerable and mistrustful, and often default to their habitual protective patterns.”

Trauma treatment programs can provide a safe place to work through trauma when you feel vulnerable or distrustful. 

Consider seeking treatment for childhood trauma if you’re:

  • Experiencing unwanted flashbacks or nightmares
  • Having sleep issues
  • Feeling isolated
  • Experiencing emotional disorders
  • Having relationship difficulties
  • Using alcohol and substances to cope
  • Having suicidal thoughts

There are many symptoms of childhood trauma in adults and signs of repressed childhood trauma in adults. Knowing signs and symptoms of trauma can help you better seek the care you need to start your healing journey.

Effective Treatments for Childhood Trauma

Effective Treatments for Childhood Trauma

Trauma treatment programs help trauma survivors identify their triggers, learn healthy coping strategies, and reduce the effects of their trauma symptoms in a healthy environment. Trauma must be treated holistically, Carmen said. 

“The best treatment aims to inspire clients to enter the journey of healing so they can restore their self-agency. Clients benefit from understanding how, in response to developmental trauma, the brain was hijacked and driven into states of chaos or rigidity, and this experience disrupted the relationship with self. The best practice is to inspire clients to re-establish a relationship with their inherent worth, to become curious about who they are beyond their diagnosis.”

Mental health professionals can use various therapies to treat childhood trauma.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Cognitive Processing Therapy is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It is often the first choice for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially when that PTSD results from childhood trauma. The treatment is usually 12 sessions where a patient is taught to identify PTSD emotions and how to best process them.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Like CPT, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy. TF-CBT is effective for children and teens struggling with emotions following a traumatic event. TF-CBT is typically 12 to 15 sessions and relies on parents or caregivers to help in the treatment process.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

A mental health professional uses repetitive eye movements to reprogram memories associated with traumatic events in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Therapists use this type of treatment in cases of trauma or PTSD. EMDR is broken into eight phases and can help patients heal from unprocessed traumatic memories.

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)

Narrative Exposure Therapy is a short-term individual therapy for children or adults. This treatment is most effective in treating people with multiple traumatic experiences. NET is an alternative to TF-CBT for people with PTSD and focuses on embedding trauma exposure into an autobiographical context known as the timeline.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

Prolonged Exposure Therapy is another type of CBT and typically takes place over three months. Therapists use it to treat PTSD and other conditions, and the sessions involve confronting trauma-related fears, memories, and emotions with the help of a therapist. Because this type of treatment involves confronting trauma, the relationship between the patient and therapist needs to be stable.

Trauma Treatment Programs Can Help

Navigating the long-term effects of childhood trauma is difficult, and no one should have to do it alone. Integrative Life Center is here to help you recognize, address, and heal past traumatic experiences. Contact Integrative Life Center today and get the support you need to reclaim your life.

The post Is There Effective Treatment for Childhood Trauma? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.



source https://integrativelifecenter.com/is-there-effective-treatment-for-childhood-trauma/

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Treatment Options for Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States. They affect 40 million adults, or 18.1% of the population, every year. Yet, only 36.9% of those with anxiety receive treatment. This absence of treatment is often due to perceived stigma or a lack of information about the treatment options for anxiety. 

Understanding Anxiety

Most people experience some anxiety throughout their lives. It’s a typical stress response and stops you from getting into potentially dangerous situations. But anxiety becomes a disorder when it starts interfering with your life. It may prevent you from taking part in normal daily activities. At this point, it becomes a mental health condition.

There are many types of anxiety disorders. The most common anxiety disorders are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and phobias. 

Each anxiety disorder has a unique set of symptoms. But there are some general signs and characteristics of anxiety disorders

Symptoms of anxiety disorders include:

  • Excessive worrying
  • Agitation
  • Restlessness
  • Fatigue
  • Excessive sweating or shaking
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Irritability
  • Disturbed sleeping pattern
  • Panic or anxiety attacks

Anxiety Disorders in the COVID-19 Era

Sheena Miller, Clinical Manager of Integrative Life Center, noted how the COVID-19 pandemic greatly exacerbated anxiety disorders and created new mental health concerns. She said:

“Without the interaction of the societal norms in a person’s day-to-day routines (e.g., workplaces, shopping, community worship, or dining out), the pandemic has exacerbated various anxiety and psychosis-like symptoms, such as mood problems, sleep disorders, hyper-phobia behaviors, and panic-like symptoms. As the current state continues, we will likely continue to see an uptick in the number of new cases we will see over the months and even years to come.”

Treatment Options for Anxiety

Anxiety Treatment ProgramsThe good news is that anxiety disorders are highly treatable. No one treatment works for all anxiety disorders or people, but a combination of treatments tailored to your individual needs can help.

Anxiety treatment uncovers the source of your anxiety and addresses unhealthy thought patterns and emotions through therapy and complementary treatments. 

Therapy for Anxiety

Talk therapies and psychological counseling are the most common treatments for anxiety. They involve working with trained mental health professionals to determine why you feel the way you do and what your triggers are. You’ll then learn to reframe your thoughts and behaviors and develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Therapies for anxiety include:

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. CBT helps you get to the root of self-sabotaging beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors and start to replace them with healthier ones.
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Based on CBT, DBT focuses on emotions. It helps you understand, accept, and manage difficult feelings and accept who you are.
  • Exposure Therapy. This therapy type focuses on dealing with anxiety-triggering objects or situations. By “facing your fears,” you may gradually become desensitized to them or neutralize them.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This therapy uses strategies of acceptance and mindfulness to help you commit to behavioral change. It involves identifying your values in life and acting in ways that match them.
  • Interpersonal Therapy. Interpersonal therapy Addresses interpersonal issues and social functioning and how these are linked to anxiety.
  • Social Skills Training. This method is a type of behavioral therapy used to improve social skills in those with social anxiety.
  • Psychodynamic Therapy. This therapy analyzes unresolved conflicts from past dysfunctional relationships that may contribute to anxiety.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on altering the emotions, thoughts, and responses resulting from traumatic experiences.

Alternative Treatments for Anxiety

A trained mental health professional guides the therapies above. There are also relaxation techniques and self-care practices that can help you ease the symptoms of anxiety at home. These work best when combined with help from a professional counselor.

Complementary anxiety treatments include:

  • Meditation and Mindfulness. Learning to bring your attention back to the present moment and let go of worry and fear.
  • Yoga. A gentle form of exercise for reducing stress and anxiety, enhancing mood, and increasing overall well-being.
  • Breathwork. Breathing techniques can help you physically and mentally relax and halt many anxiety symptoms. Over time, it can lessen episodes and severity. 
  • Dietary adjustments. Getting the right amount of magnesium, vitamin B, and calcium in your diet helps boost mood and reduce anxiety.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a new, non-pharmacological treatment for mental health disorders. TMS uses magnetic pulses delivered to the left prefrontal lobe of the brain. These pulses stimulate the neurotransmitters, which are believed to be imbalanced in the brain of those with mood disorders. Stimulating the neurotransmitters retrains the brain and brings your mood back into balance. TMS is most commonly used to treat depression. But it can be used to treat a dual diagnosis of anxiety and depression.

Anxiety Treatment Programs

Anxiety treatment looks different for everyone. The recommended level of treatment depends on the severity of your diagnosis and your personal needs.

Anxiety treatment program options include:

  • Hospitalization. Hospitalization only occurs in the most extreme of anxiety cases. Hospital care happens if you are in danger of harming yourself or others. It allows doctors to monitor you closely. 
  • In-Patient. Residential care lets you live in a safe and monitored environment while undergoing a full-time treatment plan.
  • Out-Patient. A part-time treatment plan that allows you to continue living independently while attending regular therapy and counseling sessions.
  • Counseling Services. Therapy sessions and help groups for ongoing support. The provider determines your level of treatment based on your symptoms. 

Choosing an Anxiety Treatment Provider

Many providers offer anxiety treatment. It’s essential to find the right one for you. So what should you look for when choosing a provider or program to treat anxiety?

When choosing a treatment provider, consider:

  • Credentials. Does the provider have the right education, training, and licensing to treat your anxiety disorder? 
  • Family Involvement. Find out how much involvement your family and loved ones will have in the treatment. Is this something you want and they want?
  • Approach. Make sure you understand what exactly their treatment program entails. How long is the treatment plan? Which therapies do they use? 
  • Fees and Insurance Providers. Understand that quality mental health care may or may not be covered by in-network benefits. Ask questions about the types of therapies your insurance will cover and average length of stay coverage. If in-network insurance won’t cover the care you need, look for a cash-pay provider that can work with out of network benefits.

Anxiety Treatment at Integrative Life Center

At Integrative Life Center, we take a heart-centered approach to treating mental health disorders such as anxiety. As Sheena said:

“Our lives are full of mountain peaks and valley floors. It can seem that the valley is all that is known. However, that is not where a person is meant to live. Addressing the root of the issues is where we can help guide someone out of the valley because the sun is warmer and brighter at the top of the hill.”

Our dedicated and highly-trained professionals deliver various evidence-based therapies and integrative healing approaches in a treatment plan tailored to your needs.

To learn more about how we can help you gain control of your anxiety, contact Integrative Life Center today.

The post Treatment Options for Anxiety appeared first on Integrative Life Center.



source https://integrativelifecenter.com/treatment-options-for-anxiety/

Thursday, September 8, 2022

CE Event: The Integration of Neuroplasticity into the Meal Planning Process for Eating Disorder Recovery

RSVP for the Plano event – September 28th @ 11:00 am

RSVP for the Grapevine event – September 29th @ 11:00 am

 

The principles of neuroplasticity give a refreshed perspective on healing and recovery within the behavioral health and eating disorder professional communities. The brain’s ability to rewire itself, creating new healing patterns that replace destructive thoughts and behaviors, is a resounding message of hope. New clinical directions like neuroplasticity keep this field exciting and innovative; however, “how we’ve always done it”, translated “how treatment methods show up in real-time with real clients”, can hinder us from challenging ourselves as professionals to think, and treat, differently. Meal planning in eating disorder treatment – and the historical use of exchange systems within higher levels of care– is one example of how treatment teams at different levels of care can get stuck in old ways of doing things.

The questions around meal planning are connected to the level of care at which the client is being treated. RDNs in the field of eating disorders agree on the destination of recovery, but we do not always align on the journey to get there. Questions often outnumber the answers: 1) Can we honor the body’s original intuition around food choices at the residential level care when the brain is currently malnourished, and the gut is miscommunicating hunger and fullness after years of disordered eating? 2) How do we guide an outpatient client towards intuitive nourishment if the early stages of residential treatment have taught food rules based on exchanges? 3) How do we inspire newer clinicians, specifically fresh graduates with new registered dietitian credentials, towards innovation if the education system itself is also stuck in “how it has always been done”?

In a spirit of mutual respect and compassionate curiosity, join me as we collaborate through this dilemma together. This presentation will explore the principles of neuroplasticity to help us understand the benefits of breaking patterns of rigidity regardless of level of care. Let’s embrace neuroplasticity in meal planning, without the use of exchanges or measuring tools at any level of care, and redirect clients with curiosity around eating disorder patterns to discover the function that these habits serve. Using creative, simple analogies to open a new pathway, eating disorder dietitians and clinicians can begin shifting meal planning guidelines towards a more adaptive system that honors imperfection and practices trust in the body’s ability to change. Perhaps the powerful ability of the brain to rewire itself through its neuroplasticity can transform not only our clients but also ourselves, as eating disorder professionals.

 

AGENDA:

11:00-11:30am Registration

11:30-11:35pm Introduction

11:35-12:45pm Presentation

12:45-1:00pm Q&A

—————————-

Lunch included!

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Apply the principles of neuroplasticity to traditional meal planning philosophies and explore its impact on brain healing and sustained recovery.
  • Compare the function of eating disorder behaviors and meal planning skills to illustrate brain patterns of rigidity or flexibility.
  • Illustrate neuroplasticity in the meal planning process using real-life, creative analogies that support both clinician and client in the recovery process.

 

About the Speaker:

As the National Strategic Advisor for Integrative Life Network and the first CEDRD/CEDS registered dietitian since 1993, Tammy Beasley, MS, RDN, CEDS-S, continues to devote her experience and passion to the field of behavioral health and eating disorders. Over her 35+ year career, Tammy has collaborated with multi-disciplinary clinical, educational and executive leadership teams to develop innovative nutrition programs to bring continued hope and healing to clients. As co-author of the 2020 Standards of Practice for eating disorder dietitians and former Director of iaedp Certification, she is committed to the training and education of current and future clinicians to support the restoration of both food and body trust without shame and judgment.

 

*Continuing Education Sponsored by: Integrative Life Network:

“Integration of Neuroplasticity into the Meal Planning Process for Eating Disorder Recovery”

This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886579399-9467) for 1.5 continuing education contact hours. Integrative Life Center has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6483. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Integrative Life Center is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

 

*It is required that you stay for the entire duration of the workshop to receive your CE certificate of completion. There can be no exceptions to this rule as it is required by the board.

The post CE Event: The Integration of Neuroplasticity into the Meal Planning Process for Eating Disorder Recovery appeared first on Integrative Life Center.



source https://integrativelifecenter.com/ce-event-the-integration-of-neuroplasticity-into-the-meal-planning-process-for-eating-disorder-recovery/

How Do You Know If You’re Traumatized?

The word “trauma” seems to be everywhere. The term’s increase in common usage is a positive sign of mental health awareness and its importance to living a healthy life. But with so much information swirling around, how do you know if you’re traumatized? An accurate understanding of trauma can help you identify where you are and how to move forward. 

Understanding Trauma

Trauma looks different for every person. It’s your body’s individualized response to an extraordinarily stressful event, experience, or set of reoccurring experiences that leaves you stuck in a place that can affect your mental health and overall well-being for a long time.

Traumatic experiences frequently involve threats to life or safety and trigger a survival response. Once the initial reaction subsides, people experiencing trauma are left with the feeling that the world is an unsafe place.

Causes of trauma include:

  • One-Time Events. Accidents, life-altering injuries, assault, or an unexpected threat to stability (particularly during childhood) are common events that lead to trauma.
  • Relentless Stress. This category deals more with everyday life. Living in a crime-ridden neighborhood, battling or supporting someone with chronic illness, racism, being subjected to repeated bullying or abuse, or neglect can induce trauma.
  • Extraordinary Circumstances. The sudden death of a loved one, a painful breakup, or extreme disappointment can also lead to trauma.

Since trauma is such an intensely personal experience, it’s vital to know how it manifests itself to determine if you have lasting traumatic effects.

How Do You Know If You’re Traumatized?

Most people think they would know if they are traumatized. But it’s not that simple. Some signs are more subtle or can happen long after the event or experience, making connecting the cause and effects difficult.

Signs to be aware of include:

  • Uncontrollable Thoughts. Do you find it difficult to redirect your thoughts to your current surroundings and circumstances? Do they spiral to an anxiety-ridden place where you feel helpless? Trauma can present itself in this way.
  • Flashbacks. Do certain sounds, sights, smells, or locations take you back to the incident? Is your daily life disrupted by haunting memories or nightmares? Any strong reaction that doesn’t seem connected to your present life could be an effect of trauma.
  • Loneliness. Persistent feelings of loneliness and failure are frequent symptoms of trauma.
  • Overreacting. Do you always seem on guard? Do you startle easily? Do you panic when small things don’t go according to plan? These could be signs of trauma.

These common signs and countless others persist even when you try to move past them. Trauma takes away a person’s sense of choice, said Carmen Dominguez, Executive Clinical Director at Integrative Life Center. So, she said, it’s important for treatment to help that person regain control of themselves.

“Clients need to experience therapeutic relationships that make room for authenticity and mutuality while fostering trauma-informed considerations such as transparency, collaboration, cultural humidity, voice choice, and self-agency,” she continued.

Healing From Trauma

Healing From Trauma

The great news is that through therapeutic relationships and proven techniques, you can heal from trauma and live a happy, healthy life.

According to Carmen, there’s no one way to treat trauma because everyone’s experience is different. But there are some proven techniques to help you on your journey.

Prioritizing Self-Care 

Healthy bodies tend to cope better with trauma-induced stress than those that are fatigued and run down. Getting plenty of quality is sleep is an essential way to look after your health. Traumatic events can cause sleep disturbances that can exhaust your mind and body. This issue only exacerbates your symptoms. Try to go to sleep around the same time each night in a distraction-free environment and aim to get at least seven hours of rest.

Avoiding drugs and alcohol, which people often use to mask trauma symptoms temporarily, can help lessen your feeling of anxiety and isolation. And eating a well-balanced diet along with plenty of exercise can give you energy and boost your mood.

Connecting

Trauma can make those experiencing it want to retreat, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Reaching out to loved ones for support can be a lifeline. They can act as trusted confidantes with whom you can share your thoughts and feelings.

Support groups with people who have similar experiences can help you feel less alone. They can also give you ideas for coping with your feelings and moving past your trauma.

Getting involved in community organizations can remind you of the good you do and give you a sense of purpose, and making new friends can broaden your experiences and social circle.

Seeking Professional Help. 

If your symptoms don’t ease and you can’t seem to find a way forward, trained professionals might be your best path to recovery.

“There are many paths to healing. However, the destination to one’s inherit worth is of most importance. We want to guide clients back to their inherit worth, to the intrinsic wisdom that is within them,” Dominguez concluded.

Treatment at ILC

The negative emotional affect resulting from trauma manifests itself in many ways. There is no “typical” response to a traumatic event or experience. And people respond differently to the same traumatic happening. So, if you think you may be traumatized, it’s critical to seek professional help. Trauma response is unlikely to go away on its own. 

If you or a loved one are experiencing the effects of trauma, ILC is here to help. Contact us today to find out what treatment options are best for you.

The post How Do You Know If You’re Traumatized? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.



source https://integrativelifecenter.com/how-do-you-know-if-youre-traumatized/

Female Porn Addiction: Women Struggle, Too

Pornography has become ubiquitous in our society over the past several years. In many ways, the internet and internet-based mobile devices h...