Articles
- Screening For Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol-Related Problems in College Populations
- Young American Women Drinking Harder
- Broad Drug Testing Adopted in Kansas Town
- Monthly Illicit Drug Use Highest in S.F. Area
- Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus
- Nicotine Withdrawal Starts Within Minutes of Smoking
- Study: IQ Scores Not Lower in Babies Exposed to Cocaine
- Class-Action Status Sought in 'Light' Cigarette Case
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment and Recovery
Integrative Trauma Recovery
The Life Healing Center's treatment program addresses the unique needs of people experiencing post traumatic reactions. Often our clients unwittingly experience diminished lives because they are entangled with unresolved trauma. Our program is designed to help tap into the natural processes of healing inherent in each person. Some hallmarks of unresolved trauma include affective dysregulation, alienation and dissociation.
Affective Dysregulation
Over-Activation
- obsessive thoughts
- intrusive images, flashbacks, nightmares
- chronic feelings of anger
- addictive and compulsive behaviors
- hyper-startle (intense responses to specific triggers)
Under-Activation
- prolonged depressive symptoms including lethargy, despair, insomnia
- emotional numbness, chronic hopelessness
- suicidal ideation
Alienation
- impaired family and social relationships,
- intense fear of abandonment
- isolation
Trauma causes a disruption in one's ability to develop meaningful relationships. The intense individual therapy and group work at The Life Healing Center help residents experience meaningful connections. The community-based program enables residents to develop a quality of support that they have often longed for but could not access or accept. And our intensive Family Weekend offers those who want it an opportunity for healing and change in their primary relationships.
Dissociation
Unresolved trauma is intrinsically related to dissociation. Whenever the perceived threat seems greater than our resources, dissociation occurs. Inner fragmentation is created in an attempt to buffer or avoid anticipated pain. Dissociation is the natural process of providing insulation from overwhelming traumatic reaction. The destructive power of trauma is not primarily that it keeps us locked in the past, but rather that it teaches us to be terrified of the present. The fear of being "present" is central to dissociation.
