Why Do People Discharge Early From Mental Health Treatment?

For people experiencing mental health crises, a residential treatment center may be the best option for rehabilitation and care. Residential treatment centers allow you to remove yourself from the stresses and pressures of the outside world and focus solely on healing. Still, some people choose to discharge from mental health services before it’s recommended, making themselves more prone to readmittance. 

Understanding the Process of Discharging

Your mental health care team begins thinking about, and possibly creating, your discharge plan upon your arrival. Once you’ve established your treatment goals, they begin using their expert knowledge to determine what success after your residential treatment will look like and entail. 

Your discharge plan will include things like follow-up appointments, referrals, and the types of care the team advises moving forward. The plan is a guide to help you continue the work you started in the treatment center. Its goal is to help you continue your recovery and healing. 

A key element of discharge practices is preparing a person to be independent and empowering them with tools for recovery. Transitioning from a treatment center back to day-to-day life isn’t easy. Careful, comprehensive planning will make the transition easier while maintaining your progress. A discharge checklist is useful for ensuring you have all the support and care needed for successful recovery. 

Your discharge plan can’t really pick up where residential treatment left off if you choose to leave treatment early. Clients who receive a discharge summary and attend follow-up appointments are less likely to be readmitted. Providing the right resources and instructions helps clients manage their condition and know how to respond if their condition worsens. 

Unfortunately, the opposite also is true. Clients who discharge against their treatment team’s advice are more likely to be readmitted and may even experience their condition worsening instead of improving.

“The time a client is advised to stay in residential treatment isn’t arbitrary. A trained mental health professional creates the timeline with an understanding of the clients needs and concerns and expertise regarding the mental health issues they’re experiencing,” said Dr. Julie Eberwein, Executive Director at Integrative Life Center. “Because of this careful, expert-based planning, it’s ill advised to leave treatment before completing it.”

Reasons People Discharge from Mental Health Services

Discharging from mental health services happens for various reasons. Some people leave because they feel better and don’t think they need to be in treatment any longer. Other people may discharge early because they aren’t ready to face their mental health issues or admit to having a problem like addiction.

“It’s wonderful that people start feeling dramatically better during the course of treatment, and it makes sense that they might want to return to their regular lives when they start feeling this way,” Dr. Eberwein said. “Unfortunately, a treatment center isn’t the same as the outside world. Treatment is meant to help prepare that person for the stressors of daily life, which will be much different from those in treatment.”

Planned Discharge

If a client and therapist feel satisfied with improvement and that the treatment achieved what it set out to do, a client may discharge from a mental health treatment center. This departure may be sooner than expected, but it’s typically on schedule. The mental health professionals at the center are experts in the various programs they offer and people’s individual mental health needs. They typically have a firm idea of how long an individual needs to be there, and leaving early is usually a bad decision.

Unplanned Discharge 

Extenuating circumstances may cause a patient to discharge before their plan suggests. These happenings may include:

• Disagreement regarding care
• Missing family and friends
• Struggling with the difficulty of treatment or withdrawal
• Trouble coping with the severity of their illness
• Unaffordable to continue
• The service provider is not a good fit
• A family emergency

If a client discharges before they are determined fit to do so, it’s advised that they transition to another healthcare provider or facility that can be responsible for their care. Leaving a center before completing treatment has risks. It can be dangerous for clients to return to daily life if they haven’t yet reached a stable state of recovery. Healthcare providers should assess the client’s health as best they can and determine achievable next steps.

“The most important thing is that the person gets the help they need,” Dr. Eberwein stated. “Sometimes there are factors outside of their control that make them need to leave residential treatment early, but that doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t still get the help they need.”

When is the Right Time to Discharge?

The client should feel prepared and ready to leave the facility when sufficient treatment is completed. They should feel equipped with the resources and procedures in place to aid in their recovery.

When a client discharges early against medical advice (AMA), they are often met with difficult consequences. Without the time to implement skills for reentry to daily life, they are more likely to be readmitted or relapse. They may experience more frequent extended stays, which can be more expensive and disruptive than one continuous extended stay. 

Reasons to discharge at the scheduled time include:

• To Avoid Readmittance. Readmittance can be stressful, risky, and costly. The client should be ready to continue their own healing journey with regular therapy or group meetings. 
• Improved Condition. Your treatment time is determined based on your individual needs. Checking out of treatment early means missing out on opportunities to learn new skills and continue improving your condition.

“The right time to discharge is when you and your team agree that you’ve accomplished the goals you set out for residential treatment and you can transition into outpatient treatment,” Dr. Eberwein said.

Planning the Treatment You Need

Deciding on a level of care is an important step for someone dealing with mental health issues. If you decide on residential mental health treatment, it’s best for your recovery and healing if you stay and continue treatment for the recommended time. ILC offers inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment options, as well as transitional care after leaving residential treatment. Contact us to learn more about treatment options with ILC.

The post Why Do People Discharge Early From Mental Health Treatment? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/why-do-people-discharge-early-from-mental-health-treatment/

What are Trauma Bonds?

 

Abusive relationships are a prevalent problem in the United States, and it’s getting worse. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. This equates to more than 10 million women and men a year. And that only includes physical abuse, not emotional or psychological abuse, which also happens regularly. 

Common rhetoric surrounding abusive relationships is, “Why didn’t you just leave?” But it isn’t that simple. Abusive relationships are characterized by a distorted power dynamic and can foster intense feelings of loyalty, despite the suffering. What are trauma bonds? It’s the intense emotional connection you develop with someone abusing you. 

What are Trauma Bonds?

A trauma bond is a strong, emotional connection that develops between an abuser and the abused person. The abuse survivor develops an unhealthy attachment to the abuser that can have devastating and traumatic consequences. 

“Some survivors may view trauma bonds as a failure on their part, but they aren’t. Those bonds are how their brain helped them survive their situation,” said Mark Blakeley, MS, LPC, LAC, CSAT, Lead Therapist for Integrative Life Center.

Trauma bonds form in situations where a person has the power to exploit another. Abusers may seem charming initially, but their actions can be unpredictable and dangerous. 

Trauma bonds may occur in situations such as:

• Domestic abuse
• Child abuse
• Incest
• Elder abuse
• Boss/employee relationships
• Kidnapping or hostage situations
• Human trafficking 
• Religious extremism or cults

Why Do People Develop Trauma Bonds?

Trauma bonds are rooted in a person’s innate need for attachment and security. They can cause you to develop sympathy or affection for your abuser. The abuser wields power over you, convincing you that you can’t live without them. You may turn to the abuser for comfort, even though the abuser hurts you. 

“Trauma bonds are tied to deep and powerful levels of manipulation,” Mark said. “You are made to believe you can’t possibly live without the person providing you resources, whether it be love, money, shelter, or something else.”

Many relationships exhibit a pattern of abuse, alternating between poor treatment and intense affection. The abuser may employ a tactic called “love bombing” in which they shower you with gifts, praise, love, and positive reinforcement. The abuser will then seemingly “flip a switch,” and return to their toxic nature. This behavior is often accompanied by a “promise to change,” despite continued offenses. Over time, you may believe the behavior is normal, and the toxic cycle continues.

“Abuse might be easier to spot if the abuser was a terrible person who was bad all the time, but that’s rarely the case. Abuse tends to happen in spurts that are buffered on either side by extremely affectionate behavior and grand apologetic gestures,” Mark said.

A key tactic in abusive relationships is manipulation. The abuser may convince you that their actions are rationalized and that you deserve it. Alternatively, the abuser may tell you that they didn’t mean to hurt you, but they just can’t control their behavior because of something in their past. 

Trauma bonds often are strengthened when you rely on the abuser to provide for you emotionally or financially. You may believe you will be unable to find what the abuser provides elsewhere, so you must continue to stay. Children or other dependents escalate the need for stability and the fear of leaving.

Signs of trauma bonds include:

• Making excuses for an abuser’s actions
• Agreeing with the abuser’s justification for the abuse
• Changing your behavior so as not to upset the abuser
• Becoming numb to emotional or physical abuse
• Lying to loved ones about the relationship
• Growing defensive if a loved one attempts to intervene
• Feeling reluctant to leave the relationship

Breaking Trauma Bonds

An abusive relationship with trauma bonds can feel inescapable. You may fear for your safety or lack the finances to leave. There are steps you can take to break free and find safety. 

To break free of trauma bonds:

• Create a Safety Plan. Determine an exit strategy that allows you to safely and quickly leave and get to a secure location. Tell one trusted person where and when you are going. If you can’t escape safely, contact a hotline or local resource center for help. 
• Go No-Contact. It’s easy for an abuser to manipulate you into returning. It’s safest to cut off contact with them completely. If you must contact the abuser, utilize a therapist, social worker, or mediator as your communicator. 
• Reflect on the Relationship. Learn to recognize the signs and dangers of the relationship and how to avoid them in the future. Make an “OK” and “not OK” list to establish what behaviors you will or will not allow again.

“The most important thing when you decide to leave is that you find a way to do so safely,” Mark said. “Don’t assume you can rationalize with your abuser, or they will permit you to leave. Make a secure plan.”

Healing From Trauma Bonds

Abuse can happen to anyone. It’s not your fault that someone you should have been able to trust betrayed you. Surviving abuse does not make you weak or damaged. It takes great strength to leave an abusive relationship. You can unlearn harmful behaviors, heal from the trauma, and find happiness.

How to find healing:

• Focus on Reality. You may be holding on to hope that the abuser will change. It’s important to recognize the reality of the present and all the negative ways they are treating you. Even if they promise they will do things differently in the future, their actions represent their true self.
• Take One Day at a Time. Make each step easier by focusing on one action at a time. Leaving an abusive relationship can be less frightening if you focus on several small steps rather than one giant step.
• Prioritize Self-Care. Resist the urge to turn to your abuser for comfort and instead focus on positive hobbies or activities you enjoy. Healthy habits include: journaling, meditation, yoga, exercise, or talking to trusted loved ones.
• Don’t Blame Yourself. The abuser may have manipulated you into thinking their actions were your fault. No one deserves abuse. Remind yourself that you are doing the right thing and you deserve better. 
• Learn to Grieve. Leaving an abusive relationship is emotionally exhausting and traumatizing. It’s normal to grieve losing something that was once important to you. 
• Surround Yourself With Positive Relationships. Invest in healthy relationships with people who will support you. It’s crucial to have trusted loved ones you can confide in and who can encourage you, empower you, and keep you safe. 
• Consult a Mental Health Professional. Healing from trauma bonds takes time. Seeing a mental health professional can help you process the trauma and find healing.

“Abuse is traumatic. You can process what you’ve been through and heal with the support of a mental health professional and a community of loved ones,” Mark said.

You Are Not Alone

Breaking trauma bonds can be difficult, but it is possible. There are countless stories of survivors who have broken through and gone on to have successful, happy lives. With support from trusted loved ones, assistance from mental health counselors, or help from a treatment program, you can start to heal and begin your life anew.  

At Integrative Life Center, we approach healing with compassion and care. No matter your circumstances, we can help you understand the trauma you’ve experienced and start the road to recovery. Contact ILC today to take back your life and find healing.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/trauma-bonds/

Understanding the 5 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

Everyone experiences trauma, but some people have difficulty emotionally processing these happenings and need professional mental health support. Understanding the five principles of trauma-informed care allows you to choose mental health treatment that puts you and your healing journey first. 

Understanding Emotional Trauma

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

Responses to emotional trauma vary. For some, it begins during childhood and can go unnoticed into adulthood. Traumatic events can affect your social, emotional, and physical health. These events can shape how you view the world and interact with others, including mental health professionals.

Just like trauma and people’s responses to it vary, so do symptoms of emotional trauma. There’s no standard script to how people do or should respond to trauma. Symptoms may include:

• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Loss of appetite
• Joint pain
• Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
• Anger
• Gastrointestinal, respiratory, and/or cardiovascular issues
• Depression
• Lack of focus

If you experience a traumatic event and have difficulty processing it, a mental health professional can help.

What is Trauma-Informed Care, and Why is It Important?

Trauma-informed care centers on the understanding that trauma can have long-lasting emotional, neurological, psychological, social, and biological effects. The treatment path is “informed” by these past experiences, with a strong sense of empathy from mental health care providers.

Trauma-informed care is unique as it reimagines the client-therapist relationship. The therapist is not an authority figure but instead a partner. They work alongside you during the recovery process, providing support throughout your journey of healing and growth. 

Trauma-informed care helps clients feel safe and in control, so you can be open to healing. It also avoids re-traumatizing people through treatment.

Carmen Dominguez, Chief Clinical Officer at Integrative Life Network, said trauma impacts people as a whole — mind, body, behaviors, self-identity, spirits, relationships, and communities. Because trauma impacts people holistically, they must also heal that way, she said.

“At ILC, we are committed to offering clients a trauma-informed, lived experience where they are invited to reemerge from treatment attuned to their authentic self, and with self agency,” she said. “We aim to prepare clients to live an examined life, so they can continue on a path that brings into what we call authentic alignment.”

To do this, the counselors work to foster safety, trust, transparency, collaboration, and self-agency. They walk alongside their clients to help them learn about and understand their trauma responses. 

“We are committed to offering clients the compassionate, relational collaboration with therapists and their ILC community to begin to live their lives’ from a greater truth,” she said.

5 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

At the core of trauma-informed care is “Primum non nocere,” which translates from Latin as “First, do no harm.”

When the five principles of trauma-informed care are adhered to, the client’s well-being always comes first. They are not harmed further or re-traumatized by working on their past. 

Trauma-informed care focuses on five principles that any healthcare provider can use to care for clients. They are:

1. Safety
2. Trust
3. Choice
4. Collaboration
5. Empowerment

1. Safety

The safety of a client’s emotional and physical well-being is first and foremost. Providing a safe space to share intimate details allows you to have a more relaxed and well-meaning healing journey. 

2. Trust

The provider must show the client they can trust them by creating a relationship based on expectations and transparency. Building this trust allows you to open up emotionally and become vulnerable with your experience. 

3. Choice

Clients can finally feel in control of their life again by having an active choice in their treatment. You can decide how long treatment is suitable, the level of care, or what to discuss in therapy. A provider can support a client’s choice by providing resources that help them rather than contradicting their needs. 

4. Collaboration

Clients who have experienced severe trauma may resist some treatment or distrust the process. Mental health professionals who practice trauma-informed care encourage you to be involved in your healing journey. Rather than telling you what to do, these professionals explain why and invite questions and feedback.  

5. Empowerment

Mental health professionals should empower you to retake hold of your life by making decisions that positively change your life and help you heal. By creating an environment where everyone feels in control of their destiny, morale improves, and favorable treatment results will occur. 

Healing From Trauma

Healing from trauma can be an exhausting journey full of self-doubt and self-discovery. When mental health professionals use the five principles of trauma-informed care, the healing becomes more manageable. 

It’s vital to remember that everyone has their own healing process. People heal differently because everyone has a unique way of processing trauma. Remember, everyone is different, and no brain, heart, or body’s the same. 

It takes time to heal. The healing process can seem grueling and never-ending, but you should be patient with yourself as you try to become whole again. Some of these traumatic events happened long ago, and processing that duration of trauma takes time to unravel. 

Your friends and loved ones may want to help support you during your journey. It’s crucial that not only providers learn how to appropriately approach you during your treatment but also those around you who care and want to see you succeed. By having a positive influence around you, you can thrive. 

How ILC Can Help

Integrative Life Center believes in and adheres to the five principles of trauma-informed care. During treatment, clients can express their boundaries and comfort level to their provider to prevent re-traumatization and help the client heal fully. Contact ILC to learn more about our services and begin taking steps to heal from trauma.

The post Understanding the 5 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/understanding-the-5-principles-of-trauma-informed-care/

What are the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma?

Even if you’re an adult, you can still feel childhood trauma’s emotional and physical effects. An essential part of the healing process is recognizing that childhood trauma is causing the long-term effects you’re experiencing. After acknowledging the cause, you’ll be able to take steps to mitigate these effects. 

Understanding Childhood Trauma?

What causes childhood trauma? Mental health experts point to Adverse Childhood Experiences, referred to as “ACEs.” To be considered an ACE, the traumatic event happens before age 18.

More than 60% of adults have experienced at least one ACE, while 16% have dealt with four or more ACEs. The more ACEs you’ve experienced, the more their effects can add up over time. 

Examples of ACEs include:

• Surviving physical, mental, sexual, or emotional abuse
• Experiencing neglect
• Witnessing extreme violence 
• Surviving a natural disaster
• Encountering chronic bullying
• Growing up in a family with mental health or substance use issues
• Experiencing a family member attempt or die by suicide
• Sensing perceived danger

Some adults who have faced an ACE don’t experience any long-term consequences. But some factors increase the chance of a child experiencing problems later in life.

Risks of experiencing lingering impacts include:

• Age. Children who experience an ACE before age 8 are the most vulnerable to long-term impacts.

• Intensity. The more extreme the trauma, the higher the risk for lasting effects.

• Extent. Did the traumatic experience happen one time or repeatedly? Chronic exposure to adverse events puts children at risk of long-term difficulties. 

Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma can impact you in many ways. From health consequences to psychological and behavioral issues, past traumas can stay with you, lowering your quality of life. Below are some of the symptoms of childhood trauma in adults.

Health consequences:

• Cardiovascular problems
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Stroke
• High levels of stress hormones
• Asthma

Psychological impacts:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Anger and aggression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Poor self-esteem
• Memory loss

Behavioral issues:

• Feeling detached from others
• Excessive use of alcohol or drugs
• Involvement in risky sexual behaviors
• Committing crimes or violence
• Engaging in self-harm
• Less likely to make healthy choices

Other consequences:

• Poor performance at work
• Relationship difficulties
• Inability to perform daily life activities
• Struggling in school
• Issues processing emotions
• Negative sense of self

If you have any long-term consequences of childhood trauma, the first step is to realize you deserve a better life. You’re worthy of healing, but it will require patience and effort. Trauma doesn’t heal on its own. 

Healing Childhood Trauma

Like any other type of trauma, ACEs shape how you view the world. Trauma also impacts how you interact with others, including a therapist. Healing from childhood trauma requires treatment, but a trauma-informed approach is essential.

Trauma-informed therapists shift the focus from your current set of circumstances to, “What happened to you?”. Whatever the trauma’s effect on you, your therapist will devise a plan to help you recover. Throughout the process, your therapist will actively avoid re-traumatizing you.

“Treating childhood trauma requires a collaboration between the client and therapist,” said Carmen Dominguez, Executive Clinical Director at Integrative Life Center. “Our aim is direct clients on the path of establishing safety, dignity, and connection.”

Your therapist will work to build a trusting relationship with you. Establishing a safe partnership frees you to explore your traumatic experience and how it resulted in problematic behaviors. Then, you can understand the reasoning for your behaviors. 

“We want to inspire clients to get curious about what is behind some of their self-defeating patterns,” Carmen said. “We care deeply about addressing our clients’ whole being.”

Healing Requires a Holistic Approach 

“Helping people understand how the body, mind, and spirit are impacted due to unprocessed trauma is also key to their healing,” according to Carmen. 

Since childhood trauma impacts every aspect of your personhood, so should effective therapy. 

No two people are the same. Trauma-informed therapists honor your agency, working with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses every aspect of you.

Evidence-Based Treatments

Through therapy, you can overcome childhood trauma. Here are some evidence-based treatments that can help you improve your overall quality of life:

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Brainspotting Therapy

At Integrative Life Center, we know that holistic healing requires more therapies in addition to evidence-based treatments. Additional adventure and experiential therapies are innovative, holistic ways to heal. These therapies include:

• Equine therapy
• Mindfulness
• Art therapy 
• Music therapy
• Journaling
• Physical activity, including a ropes course, kayaking, and yoga
• Psychodrama
• Martial arts
• Meditation, like the Wim Hof Breathwork method

We use experimental therapies with evidence-based treatments to help you live the most fulfilling life possible. Our programs aid in self-discovery through strengthening your inner wisdom and restoring the balance between your mind, body, and spirit.

Is Overcome Childhood Trauma Possible?

It’s certainly possible to overcome childhood trauma with the help of trauma-informed therapists. At Integrative Life Center, we are honored to see it happen with our clients. If you seek therapy, you can live a higher quality of life. 

The long-term effects of adverse childhood events are challenging. You shouldn’t have to do it alone. A therapist helps you recognize, address, and heal your past experiences. 

Reclaim your life today and contact Integrative Life Center to learn more about your treatment options.

The post What are the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/long-term-effects-of-childhood-trauma/

Can Therapy Make Trauma Worse?

Almost everyone experiences trauma in their lives, but some people can’t adjust afterward and need help processing and coping with it. Opening yourself up to sharing intimate details with your therapist can be triggering, but can therapy make trauma worse? No, treatment doesn’t exacerbate or worsen the trauma, but it may sometimes feel that way because it brings that trauma to the forefront while helping you heal.

Understanding Trauma and Effects

Emotional trauma is a lasting response from enduring a traumatic event or series of events as a child or adult. Childhood trauma can manifest symptoms in adults. Emotional trauma can affect your emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Trauma has a significant impact on self.

Types of traumatic happenings include:

• Physical violence
• Verbal abuse
• Sexual assault
• Neglect
• Death and grief
• Car wrecks
• Racism
• Military combat experience
• Ongoing bullying or fear of harm
• Natural disasters
• Witnessing a crime or death

 

Not every person who experiences trauma will have lingering effects. People process trauma differently. Two people can experience the exact same traumatic happening and respond differently to it. One person may simply move on with their life, having processed the trauma, while the other experiences lingering emotional effects that worsen over time if left untreated. 

Emotional trauma can complicate your life and relationships by severely damaging your well-being. It can cause issues at work and school that make it difficult to focus, get through your day, or achieve goals. Therapy can help you process, heal, and overcome traumatic experiences. 

Trauma-informed therapists approach you with the complete picture of your life in mind. A basic tenet of this type of care is switching the focus from “What’s wrong with you” to “What happened to you?” This approach shifts the focus of therapy from the patient’s current state to what happened to them and lets that knowledge guide their care.

A goal of trauma-informed therapy is to prevent re-traumatization. To do this, the mental health professional tries to understand the effect trauma had on you. From there, they devise a treatment plan to help you recover while minimizing the impact of therapy. 

Mark Blakeley, MS, LPC, LAC, CSAT, Lead Therapist at Integrative Life Center, said understanding the impact on mind and body is vital to treating trauma.

“People respond differently to traumatic stressors, so truly understanding the person and creating an individualized treatment plan is necessary to assist them in healing,” Mark said.

Can Therapy Make Trauma Worse?

It’s one thing to know you need help processing what happened to you. It’s quite another to commit to discussing it with someone else. The truth about trauma therapy is that it may make you feel worse at times. Trauma shatters a person’s sense of safety, so it’s vital to find a mental health professional you feel comfortable sharing with and trust to lead you through the healing process. 

“Treatment is likely to feel worse before you begin feeling better,” Mark said. “You’re working through hard things, and you can’t escape the feelings that come with doing so. In fact, it’s critical for you to experience and understand those feelings as part of your healing process.”

Common adverse effects of therapy to expect:

• Mental. You may find your mind reliving the trauma or self-doubt starting to grow, but remember you aren’t in this alone and should share these thoughts with your therapist. Healing can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be lonely.

• Physical. Your mind and body work as a unit. That means trauma can manifest itself in physical symptoms like an upset stomach, increased heart rate, sweating, headaches, and muscle fatigue. You may experience these and other trauma symptoms before, during, and after treatment.

• Social. You might find yourself moody, irritable, or anti-social, but it is important to remember to be patient with your journey. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and understanding too. 

Can Trauma Therapy Be Difficult?

Trauma therapy will be difficult at times. You may find yourself wanting to give up. But trauma won’t heal itself. Symptoms will only worsen. Speak with your therapist when you feel your therapy sessions are uncomfortable or overly difficult. 

Ways trauma therapy is difficult:

• Establishing Safety. Trauma often makes the world feel like an unsafe place. It makes you feel like you can’t trust anyone or anything. These feelings make establishing safety between yourself and a mental health professional challenging. But safety is necessary for you to share openly and understand how what happened to you affects you.
• Reliving or Recognizing Trauma. You will have to discuss the traumatic happening and your feelings surrounding it with your therapist. Your therapist may also identify other traumatic stressors in your life or lead you to recognize previously unknown trauma. This process can leave you feeling vulnerable and exposed.  
• Processing Trauma. Working your way through your feelings about trauma can be extremely challenging. You’re changing your view of events and attempting to understand your responses. Processing what happened to you also is necessary for healing.
• Understanding and Feeling Emotion. As a result of traumatic experiences, you may have learned to stamp down your emotions or try not to feel them. Trauma therapy means you’ll intentionally work to understand and feel these emotions, which can be extremely challenging.
• Incompatible Helper. You may not automatically sync with a therapist, meaning you’ll need to find someone with whom you feel safe. That could mean telling your story more than once while you find the right person to help you.

 

“Trauma treatment is difficult for a myriad reasons that are unique to the individual,” Mark said. “It’s important to talk to your therapist or counselor about what you’re feeling. This openness will help them treat you most effectively.”

Coping When Therapy Gets Tough

While trauma therapy helps improve your life, it can also be difficult. Remember these methods to help you cope when things get tough. 

Discuss Coping with Your Therapist

Your therapist is your partner during this journey. Sharing difficult times with them will help them better treat you and provide you with coping strategies to help you persevere. Tell your therapist about your feelings and have a plan for when you feel triggered. If the plan you developed doesn’t seem to be working, discuss it with your therapist so you can work together to find a new approach.

Practice Self-Care

Self-care is anything you do to take care of yourself. You need to practice self-care, especially during challenging times in your treatment. Self-care could be having lunch with friends, reading a book, or taking a walk. It may also be playing with your pet, tidying your house, or getting a massage. The work of healing is challenging. Do everything you can to care for yourself during the process.

Seek Support

You need more than your therapist on your side. Whether you tell them about your trauma or not, spending time with friends and family can help you feel more connected and boost your happiness. 

You also may want to consider a support group to help you through healing. Sharing with people in a community who understand some of what you’re going through can be helpful.

Find the Right Fit

You are in control of your healing journey and process. If you feel you and your therapist are incompatible, seek other options. Never feel shameful or regretful for seeking help. Sometimes, that situation just wasn’t right for you, and that’s OK. You and your well-being are what’s most important. 

Trauma Treatment at ILC

Integrative Life Center understands how trauma affects your brain, and we focus on holistic, trauma-informed treatment to help you heal. Your ability to process traumatic events and experiences is a significant part of trauma-related treatment and healing. 

Treatment at ILC happens in four phases:

1. Safety. We assist you in understanding why your mind and body respond to things the way they do. Understanding the why behind your thoughts and actions helps you feel safe enough to start your healing journey.
2. Investigation. We help you understand your responses so you can explore them with curiosity and compassion toward yourself.
3. Integration. You then begin to understand how your adverse behaviors developed — many times unconsciously — as you attempted to cope with your experiences. 
4. Becoming. Finally, we help you use this understanding to control negative behaviors and develop more positive coping skills, helping you heal from the past and move forward with knowledge and self-agency to fully recover and live a more authentic life.

Contact us to learn more about trauma treatment at Integrative Life Center.

The post Can Therapy Make Trauma Worse? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/can-therapy-make-trauma-worse/

Understanding Medication-Assisted Recovery: How Recovery and Medication Coexist

You may think people dealing with substance use disorders or issues with substances have to be free from any medication or substance to fully recover. In reality, sometimes medication is one of the best things a person can have to support them during their recovery. Medication-assisted recovery can help people with substance use disorders as they heal.

What is Medication-Assisted Recovery?

Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) is another term for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) which is a way to treat substance use disorders that combines medications and counseling to help a person’s body and mind start to recover.

Integrative Life Center centers the use of the word “recovery” to emphasize our commitment to your healing from substance use disorders, and recovery from other mental health issues, like trauma. Sometimes, people start using substances to feel better as a result of trauma and mental health issues. That’s why ILC emphasizes a whole health approach to recovery.

Dr. Julie Eberwein, Executive Director at Integrative Life Center, said medication can help people manage symptoms as they engage in personal recovery efforts.

“When combined with psychotherapeutic sessions, the individual can begin to find healing and peace, eventually leveling off the need for medication, returning to a fulfilling life,” she said.

What are the Benefits of MAR?

MAR has many benefits, including but not limited to the following:

• Eases Symptoms. People starting recovery from substance use disorders often go through phases of withdrawal symptoms. These can range from being dizzy, nauseous, and physically sick to mental symptoms like anxiety and depression.
• Increases Treatment Retention. Treatment retention describes the level to which a person can commit to treatment and recovery. Medication can help people fully participate in recovery, lessening the chances of relapse.
• Reduces Cravings. Physiologically, the body goes through a massive change when a person stops using substances. Medication can assist a person with managing cravings.
• Restores Balance. If a person has been dealing with a substance use issue for an extended time, those substances have most likely caused changes in the person’s brain. Medication during recovery can help ease the adjustment period and restore balance in the brain. 
• Helps Control Symptoms. Symptoms of withdrawal can be intense. Medications can help ease these physical and psychological symptoms while healing occurs.

How Do Recovery and Medication Coexist?

Mental health professionals use the word “clean” to describe a person who is recovering when they aren’t using alcohol or drugs. This term can be confusing. Is the person “clean” from all types of medication and substances? Do prescribed medications count? 

At ILC, we know that each person’s recovery is unique. Some people may prefer not to use medications while recovering from substance use.  But, sometimes prescribed medications are vital to a person’s health and well-being, such as antidepressants, vitamins, antibiotics, or other medications that help control diseases and illnesses.

The types of medications professionals prescribe to a person beginning their recovery from substances are not the same as illegal drugs, alcohol, or even prescription drugs taken without being advised by a medical professional to use them. 

This means that using these specific medications for recovery isn’t just swapping one substance for another. It means these medicines are effective for people in recovery.

The two most important factors that make recovery and medication able to coexist are:

1. Therapy is at the Center. Therapy remains the key to recovery, with medication allowing a person’s commitment to therapy to be easier for them, with fewer negative symptoms of withdrawal.
2. Medication Can Be Temporary. People who use MAR don’t have to continue taking medication for the rest of their lives. Medication can be a temporary way to alleviate greater pain.

What Kind of Therapy Couples with Medication-Assisted Recovery? 

MAR may include many different types of therapy. Each person’s treatment plan will vary depending on their specific needs. 

Common therapies that mental health professionals may use with MAR include:

• Trauma-focused therapy
• Behavioral therapy
• Family, group, or individual therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Motivational Interviewing
• Mindfulness-based therapies
• Animal assisted therapies

To learn more about different types of therapies that can be used during recovery from a substance use disorder, read our post on Types of Therapy Used for Substance Abuse: Options in Recovery.

Can I Achieve Recovery Without Medication?

Each person is unique, and so is their recovery. While it’s not impossible, recovery from substance use without medication or the guidance of a mental health professional can be dangerous. It’s best to seek the opinion and guidance from your doctor, counselor, or other medical professional.

If you’re ready to get the individualized help you deserve on your journey to recovering from substance use, contact ILC today. Our staff is ready to help you or your loved one by answering questions about our programs or connecting you to the right mental health professional.

The post Understanding Medication-Assisted Recovery: How Recovery and Medication Coexist appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/understanding-medication-assisted-recovery-how-recovery-and-medication-coexist/

Why is Mental Health Care So Expensive?

Almost four in 10 U.S. adults say they have trouble affording health care costs. Mental health care is often more expensive than physical health care, and often insurance doesn’t cover it the same way. Why is mental health care so expensive? There are a lot of factors that contribute to the cost of mental health treatment. Once you understand what goes into the costs, you’ll realize exceptional mental health care is worth the investment.

Exceptional Care is Costly

When you’re seeking mental health treatment, you want exceptional care. While you may find cheaper care — for example, mental health care apps — often, it will be ineffective and a waste of your money. If you want mental health treatment that works, you should expect to invest more financially.

Factors that make mental health care expensive:

• • Specialized Training and Education. The mental health counselors you’re working with have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree at minimum, which is at least six years of higher education and hundreds of thousands of dollars investment. And that’s not to mention the hours they spend in practical training outside of the classroom. The hard work they put in and the money they spent earning their degree can make exceptional care costly.
  • In-Person Care. On-site, in-person care is more time-consuming and hands-on, which makes it more expensive than online care. Since your mental health counselors are spending more time with you in a dedicated space rather than seeing a higher number of clients virtually, the cost per session will reflect that. In addition to the time spent, there are costs associated with keeping the facility operational.

• In-Patient Care. In-patient care, which includes overnight stays and hospitalizations, is typically reserved for more acute needs and emergency cases. Intensive, or emergency mental health treatment, can be costly. You’re also paying for any food, accommodations, medications, dedicated staff, and other medical equipment used during your treatment. 

• Outpatient Treatment. Outpatient care, which includes onsite treatments without an overnight stay, can be pricey because it’s still in-person care. Outpatient care requires more time and equipment, which drives up the cost. 

• Integrative and Holistic Treatment. When you find a mental health facility that offers a full continuum of care, tailoring treatments to meet your individual needs, this exceptional care is often more expensive. The care is not just a replica of what every other client receives but rather carefully thought out and planned for you. It often requires specialized services or settings and varying expertise from mental health professionals.

• Lengthy Programs. When you break your arm, you receive treatment until it’s fully healed in about six weeks. In contrast, mental health care isn’t as straightforward. It often requires consistent, long-term treatment programs, making it more expensive overall.

“Running a full-service treatment center that provides quality integrative, holistic care that’s customized to an individual and their needs is no small endeavor,” said Julie Eberwein, Executive Director of Integrative Life Center. “It takes specially-trained staff to really serve clients’ needs.”

Why is Mental Health Care So Expensive?

Mental health care is generally just as, or sometimes even more expensive, than physical health care for various reasons. Operational costs and lack of insurance coverage can make it challenging to afford. And because you can’t see much of the illness associated with your mental health, many people put off the expense.

“Because people can’t see issues with their mental health the same way they can see a wound that needs stitches, they may have a tendency to put off dealing with issues when they need help,” Julie said. “Avoiding getting the help they need can exacerbate mental health concerns to the point of an emergency. Mental health issues also can compound and become other concerns if left untreated.” 

Mental health care is challenging to afford because of:

• Increased Demand. 1-in-5 U.S. adults experienced mental health problems in 2020. The number of people experiencing mental health issues continues to rise every year. Because so many people need mental health care, resources have been depleted and costs have increased.

• Lack of Accessibility. There are a lot of medical and insurance roadblocks that can make it difficult to receive affordable care, including access. For example, if there aren’t many mental health care providers in your area, wait times can be extensive and services offered at a premium.

• Limitations of Insurance Coverage. While your insurance may cover a portion of your mental health treatment, it may not cover everything. You’ll have to pay out of pocket for whatever your insurance provider doesn’t cover.

• Providers Not Accepting Insurance. If your mental health care provider doesn’t accept insurance, you will typically pay $65 to $250 per hour for their services. If you do have insurance, look for a provider who accepts your policy on an in-or-out-of-network basis.

• Treatment Time. Mental health care is long-term and consistent, and it’s more costly to receive ongoing care. Improving your mental health is a marathon, not a sprint.
• Employer Issues. If you need long-term care, your employer may not be understanding. This issue can cause you to lose income, on top of potentially pricey mental health care. 

Although mental health care can be expensive, more times than not, the result is worth the investment. 

Seeking mental health treatment offers many long-term benefits and improves your overall quality of life. 

Benefits of Investing in Mental Health Care

Your mental health impacts every aspect of your daily life. You probably don’t think about its reach until there’s an issue. Due to the reach and impact of mental health, improving yours can make every day feel a little brighter. 

Working with a mental health professional:

• Improves your mental and physical health
• Breaks unhealthy patterns and behaviors
• Enables stress management
• Heals past trauma
• Provides tools for connection
• Promotes future well-being
• Increases self-esteem
• Helps you live your most authentic life

“Getting help with mental health issues can help you live a happier, more authentic, and fulfilling life,” Julie said. “We need to create a solution that allows all people affordable access to the mental health care they need and deserve.”

Overall, mental health care helps you avoid feeling like every day is a battle, and instead, start to cherish and enjoy life. While you’ll experience a boost in your mood, mental health care also gives you the tools and knowledge to manage bad days. Because issues are inevitable in life, you’ll learn to cope with them better. 

We’ll Help You Navigate Costs

At Integrative Life Center, our top priority is to make mental health treatment accessible. Every client deserves incredible mental health care, which is why we’re making it our mission to help. If cost is a barrier for you, we’ll help you navigate the murky waters of insurance, finances, and programs available, so you can find one that works for you. Contact Integrative Life Center today.

The post Why is Mental Health Care So Expensive? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/why-is-mental-health-care-so-expensive/