If you have a substance use disorder, then there’s a good chance that you have some unresolved trauma. The reason is that unresolved trauma and addiction go hand in hand.
Looking back on my substance use disorder, the trauma that I simply ignored was exactly what led to me coping with drugs and alcohol.
If people can get to the bottom of their trauma, then there is a good chance that they can work to overcome their addictions. This article will look at the connection between unresolved trauma and addiction more in-depth and look at some ways that you can work on overcoming both.
Addiction as a Trauma-Response
When we are faced with trauma, especially in childhood, we often have not yet learned healthy coping skills. So, most people will try to repress their trauma or find unhealthy coping skills. One common unhealthy coping skill is drug or alcohol use.
Addiction can be an escape from this reality. Addiction can also be a way to feel like you are in control at first. It may give people a sense of relief and feelings of happiness.
So, let’s take this example. Imagine going through a traumatic event. But you cope with it well. You find someone to talk through your feelings with. You continue to focus on your physical health, mental health, and sleep habits. Then you get invited to a wedding, drink a couple of glasses, return to the hotel room, and go to bed.
Now, let’s say you go through the same traumatic event, but your response is vastly different. At first, you deny that the event even occurred. But then, if anyone brings it up and asks if you want to talk, it’s no thanks; I’m fine.
Then you get invited to the wedding, and you drink a glass, and it numbs the pain that you are already trying to bury. Wow. So, you drink until the wedding party ends, but you don’t return to your room. Instead, you get yourself a bottle of liquor and drink some more in your hotel that night.
You feel in control of the trauma now. You also feel a sense of relief because you don’t have to work through the trauma. You can just put it on hold. So, every night, you drink the liquor, and the pain of the trauma is much easier to press down.
Which scenario fuels the fire that will lead to the development of alcoholism?
See, you have to get to the root cause of addiction. Drugs and alcohol are always symptoms of a deeper issue. Many times, this deeper issue is an unresolved trauma.
How Do We Get To the Bottom of Unresolved Trauma and Addiction Issues?
Unresolved trauma affects not only addiction but your life in other ways, too. Anytime you have a reaction or a thought to something that may seem to come from nowhere, you may respond in that way due to a traumatic event in the past that you have yet to face.
You may even experience some physical symptoms or extra stress in situations that don’t require that level of stress.
So, for example, if you get panicky and anxious anytime that you are in a car, you may have some unresolved trauma due to something that has happened in the past. It could involve being in a car accident, seeing a car accident, or maybe you were in a domestic violent relationship where you were hit while you were in a car.
Now, your body is afraid that each time you get into a car, you’re going to be punched. That is not the case, but it can feel that way when you haven’t faced the trauma that you experienced while in that toxic relationship.
So, how do you begin to face your unresolved trauma and addiction?
Self-awareness
One of the first things you can do to work on your past hurts is to become more self-aware. So, anytime we go through a traumatic event or multiple traumas over the years, we lose our self-awareness. Trauma can affect the sense of self both cognitively and somatically.
So, for example, people who experience trauma can have a more negative outlook on themselves. They can also experience physical sensations like muscle aches or lower back pain to the point that it changes their views about their sense of self.
Interestingly, studies have found that many individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show reckless behavior.
So, to feel alive again after a loss of their sense of self, people may reach for substances to feel like themselves again. When people experience trauma, they often feel empty inside. Alcohol and drugs can make them feel alive inside, and so you can see how the initial escape can quickly turn into a full-blown dependence.
So, the first step to getting to the bottom of any unresolved trauma and addiction issues is to become more self-aware. Once you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, then you can start to understand where some of your issues may be linked to unresolved trauma, and addiction is simply a symptom.
Some ways that you can become more self-aware include the following:
- Keep a journal
- Practice meditation
- Observe your reactions to others
- Notice what you don’t like in other people
- Get in tune with your emotions
- Learn a new hobby or skill
- Determine your values
- Set some personal goals
- Pay attention to how you interact with others
- Talk with a professional
Mindfulness
The next way you can work on understanding and overcoming the connection between unresolved trauma and addiction is to practice mindfulness. In a study of college-age female students who experienced trauma, they were given mindfulness exercises. Their study found that these mindfulness techniques helped reduce anxiety and internalizing characteristics.
There has been evidence that suggests that mindfulness techniques can also help people with addictions stay in recovery.
A randomized control study compared mindfulness techniques with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) relapse prevention methods over one year and found that the mindfulness-based techniques worked better at relapse prevention.
So, as you can see, mindfulness works for both unresolved trauma and addiction. So, what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is focusing on the present, thinking about your feelings, thoughts, and sensations, and accepting things as they are.
So, mindfulness techniques can be anything we do that grounds us in the present moment—becoming more aware of what we are thinking and feeling and noticing the world around us in greater detail.
In my life personally, I have used mindfulness and meditation to help me stay sober and work on my trauma successfully.
Some mindfulness methods can include:
- Practicing mindful breathing
- Practicing mindful meditation
- Adding flair to the mundane: washing dishes, folding clothes, cooking, etc.
- Practicing mindful eating: noticing the taste, texture, smell, chewing more thoroughly, etc.
- Practicing affirmations
- Practicing mantras
- Walking
- Going outside into nature
- Listening to music you really enjoy
- Trying open-eye meditation
- Practicing movement as medicine: yoga, tai chi, qigong, Pilates, dancing
- Journaling
- Practicing gratitude
- Playing with your fur babies
- Painting or drawing
Basically, anything that you can do thoughtfully and really focus on your awareness can be a mindful practice. So often, we just do things on autopilot. If we want to dig down and get to the roots of our unresolved trauma and addiction, we must learn to do things mindfully and be aware.
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to work on releasing your unresolved trauma and addiction. Yoga is a spiritual practice that involves movements and meditation.
Yoga means “union.” You can think of this as a union with yourself—all aspects of yourself. Union with God or a higher power. Union with the mind, body, and soul. I like to think of it as a union with all these things.
I think if you find union with your mind, body, soul, and “Spirit,” then you can really begin to overcome many of your issues, and that includes underlying trauma and addiction.
So, if you are new to yoga, you can start small and find some 10–20-minute free yoga videos online. YouTube, or maybe Rumble, would be a good place to start.
You can also find paid videos and apps if you want to get deeper into the practice.
You really need to dedicate yourself to practicing yoga every day for a little bit of time, for at least a month, to see any benefit.
See, when you move around on the mat in various poses and get your heart rate up and sweating, then at the end, you get to lay in what is called in Sanskrit, “Shavasana.”
Shavasana is also called “corpse pose.” Ideally, you move around in and out of the poses, and by the time you get to the end and lay quietly in this pose, you can begin to quiet the mind.
In these moments, unresolved trauma or emotions may come up that need to be felt to be released. Eventually, you begin to notice how you are feeling and become more self-aware. It is in itself a mindful practice, and you can work on overcoming both your unresolved trauma and addiction.
A Generational Trauma Coach Can Help You Overcome
Now that you understand the connection between underlying trauma and addiction a little bit better, you might want to reach out to a coach to help you out. When you work with a life coach, they can help hold you accountable for these practices and talk with you while you work on some of your issues.
As a generational trauma coach, I work with many clients who have an addiction or unresolved trauma that they want to overcome. Together, we can work on the mind, body, and soul so that you can begin to put the pieces of your life back together to become whole.
My UNLEASH method is designed for people who want to overcome trauma and stay sober but need a plan of action. Reach out today at Unleash Your Healing Vibes to get started on your success.