Trauma is an integral part of any mental health or addiction treatment plan. Traumas are often dismissed with a simple “Just get over it!” As we professionals have known for a very long time, trauma comes in various forms and affects each of us differently.

And that is what makes trauma-informed treatment so nuanced and interesting. Of course, the validity of certain traumatic experiences like natural disasters, war, or terrorist attacks cannot be questioned. However, personal traumatic experiences are not often as cut and dried. What is traumatic for one person may be “no big deal” for another. How do we acknowledge and recognize that?

Today, as a society, we are more conscious of trauma than ever before and consequently much more accepting of the potentially traumatic effects that those around us may have experienced (or continue to experience). But that has also led to the often flippant use of the word. Some exploit everyday challenges and uncomfortable situations to gain sympathy or an upper hand in the name of this complicated and debilitating mental health condition.

In this episode, we dig into what trauma is, how it differs from one person to the next, and what we do to address it in treating mental health and substance use disorders.