Trauma can have a lasting effect on both your mental health and emotional well-being. Whether your trauma is recent or you’ve been living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions, a specialized trauma therapy program may be able to help. Call 888.450.2153 to hear about Northpoint Washington’s mental health program in Edmonds, Washington.
The Effects of Trauma
Experiencing a traumatic event can be a life-changing experience for many people. Trauma can shake you to your very core, leading to downstream mental health effects that can persist for months or years if not treated appropriately.
While many people will recover from the effects of trauma naturally, countless others develop lingering symptoms that can disrupt their everyday lives.
A traumatic experience is incredibly distressing, and it’s natural to experience effects such as:
- Shock
- Sadness
- Emotional blunting
- Anxiety
- Difficulty focusing or concentrating
For most people, these effects will resolve within a few weeks. Yet for many, the effects of trauma continue to interfere with everyday life and become a constant cause of heightened anxiety, negative physical health effects, and reduced emotional well-being.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
When the effects of trauma last for months or years, it’s likely that a person has developed post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a complex and debilitating mental health challenge, and those who live with PTSD may experience the following symptoms to varying degrees:
- Avoidance of certain people or situations
- Intrusive thoughts about the traumatic event
- Difficulty sleeping
- Recurring nightmares
- Hyperarousal, or constantly feeling on alert for danger
- Isolation
- Irritability
- Loss of interest in activities that used to be important
Furthermore, people living with PTSD have much higher rates of substance use disorders than the general population. Many researchers believe that this co-occurrence of substance use disorders and PTSD is a result of self-medication. This occurs when people attempt to manage their PTSD symptoms through the use of addictive substances.
But while self-medication may temporarily relieve some of the symptoms of PTSD, in the long term, it creates even greater challenges for people to overcome, including addiction and physical health consequences.
Thankfully, there are evidence-based strategies for people to overcome PTSD that can be found in the trauma therapy program at Northpoint Washington. PTSD is not a life sentence—people can recover, especially when given the opportunity to receive effective mental health care.
How a Trauma Disorder Treatment Program Can Help
Northpoint Washington’s trauma therapy program in Edmonds, Washington, offers several evidence-based strategies to help people face and overcome their challenges with trauma.
Trauma therapy is a highly specialized form of mental health treatment that may combine psychiatric medications and behavioral therapies to create a dramatic change in emotional states and outlooks.
Treatment takes place across several different stages. First, a detailed and accurate assessment of your specific challenges provides an outline that our providers use to customize your treatment plan.
Next, carefully curated mental health treatments work to relieve the symptoms of trauma while slowly working toward resolving the underlying cause.
Finally, long-lasting support and accountability can help keep people on the path to recovery, minimizing the risk of relapse and propelling them to ever-greater achievements.
Start a Trauma Therapy Program at Northpoint Washington
At Northpoint Washington, our team understands the difficult and complex nature of trauma and has the tools and experience to help you overcome your mental health challenges.
To learn more about our mental health programs, reach out to our team by contacting us at 888.450.2153. Our experts can help guide you toward a treatment program that best suits your needs. We will be there to support you through every step of your personal journey to recovery and better well-being.