“It is important to realize that trauma is very personal, and how it manifests and affects one person may be different from how it affects another,” said Michelle Reuben, M.Ed, LPC, ACS, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Clinical Director at Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health. “There are big ‘T’ traumas, such as sexual or physical abuse, or witnessing something like a shooting, and there are little ‘t’ traumas, such as being told repeatedly as a child that you will never amount to anything. Either one can negatively impact your life.”
A woman who has experienced trauma may turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism, using substances to dull the pain or cope with emotions surrounding the trauma. Over time, that coping mechanism can evolve into an addiction.
Learning Healthy Coping Skills
The Women’s Program at Princeton House helps women understand the connection between trauma and addiction, and develop healthy coping skills to replace addictive behaviors. For between nine and 30 hours per week, depending on whether they are in the intensive outpatient or partial hospital level of care, women in the program focus on:
- Understanding what addiction is and the link between trauma and addiction
- Achieving abstinence from addictive substances
- Learning healthy ways to manage emotions, and coping and relationship-building skills
- Building self-esteem
DBT is one set of tools women learn at Princeton House to help them manage their emotions. The therapy helps patients regulate their emotions, tolerate uncomfortable feelings that may arise, and interact effectively with others.
“We teach them how to recognize their trauma and triggers, and replace unhealthy coping skills with healthy ones,” says Reuben. “With support from therapists, others in their group sessions, and committed loved ones, the goal is to learn to feel safe within themselves and navigate their world in a healthier way.”