Coping With Trauma Related Dissociation

The Therapies and Benefits of Trauma Recovery at Catalina

Catalina Behavioral Health is a leading mental health treatment center located in Arizona. We have an expert team of staff members versed in trauma and trauma-related disorders. Coping with trauma related dissociation can be challenging, but it is possible. Many people find that, with treatment, they not only cope with trauma-related dissociation more effectively but the symptoms present in their life less frequently.

So, what can you learn about coping with trauma-related dissociation at Catalina Behavioral Health? Let’s talk about dissociation as a symptom first. Then, we’ll discuss how Catalina Behavioral Health can help, our treatment offerings, and the therapies we use to address trauma.

Understanding Dissociation: Symptoms and Causes

Complex trauma survivors often face a host of distressing symptoms, including dissociation. However, dissociation can be a symptom of multiple mental health conditions or concerns. Trauma disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, or trauma-related dissociative disorder can all come with dissociative symptoms.

Trauma and dissociative disorder can result from various events. For example, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, war, domestic violence, and natural disasters. Complex trauma specifically results from prolonged or continuous trauma.

Complex Trauma and the Risk of Dissociative Issues

Chronic traumatization can increase the risk of severe trauma and dissociation symptoms.

While the term is frequently misused, dissociation is not the same as daydreaming or “spacing out.” Instead, when you dissociate, you may feel disconnected from your surroundings, other people, or yourself. It is common to feel numb or detached when dissociating. Some people experience an altered perception of how much time has passed, feel like they can’t move, or are slower to move when dissociating.

If you experience dissociation, you may find that it interferes with your life in multiple ways. Work, school, social activities, and self-care can all be impacted. Dissociation often follows trauma triggers and traumatic memories, and some people experience it more often if they are under stress.

How Treatment Helps With Trauma-Related Dissociation

If dissociation interferes with your life, treatment, and skills training for patients in such programs can help. Navigating complex trauma and dissociation gets easier as time goes on, and you learn more skills to use and go through therapies that help reduce your body and mind’s automatic responses to traumatic memories or triggers.

Just like every client will have unique experiences, you will have your own personal treatment goals. Examples of goals clients receiving treatment for trauma-related dissociation at Catalina Behavioral Health may set include but aren’t limited to the following:

• A reduction in overall dissociative episodes and symptoms (e.g., one may dissociate less frequently, or symptoms may lessen in severity)
• Learning to identify triggers and warning signs of dissociation (and what to do when you notice them)
• Resolving sleep problems related to dissociation and other trauma symptoms not related to dissociation (e.g., feelings of depression, low self-esteem, guilt, or blaming oneself)
• Developing healthy communication skills, working through relational difficulties, and building a support system
• Establishing real-life coping skills both for triggers and dissociative symptoms
• An increase in daily life functioning
• Improvements in emotion regulation

After appropriate treatment and application of skills, many people find that they no longer dissociate regularly, even if episodes occur very frequently and with great severity before treatment. 

Levels of Care

The programs we offer for trauma range in intensity. One may be more or less suitable for you than another based on the level of supervision you need and other factors. Here are the programs or levels of care offered at Catalina Behavioral Health and what they entail.

If you’re unsure which one is best for you, Catalina Behavioral Health’s staff members can help you decide during the admissions process.

Residential

Residential or inpatient trauma treatment provides 24/7 supervision. When you’re in residential treatment for trauma or any other concern, you will eat, sleep, and live at your treatment center for the duration of your program. Many people find that the supportive environment provided by Catalina Behavioral Health’s residential treatment program makes it an ideal level of care since it temporarily removes you from daily life triggers and allows you to focus entirely on healing from trauma.

During the day, you’ll have a regular treatment schedule in residential care that includes groups, individual therapy, recreation, and other activities. You can take advantage of all of the amenities at Catalina Behavioral Health in your free time.

Partial Hospitalization

Partial hospitalization programs (PHP) are a step below residential or inpatient treatment in intensity. Rather than live at your treatment center, our partial hospitalization program for trauma allows you to attend care during the day while living off-site.

At Catalina Behavioral Health, PHP typically entails attending our treatment facility 6-8 hours per day, five days per week. Many of the treatment activities used in PHP mirror those used in residential or inpatient care. PHP can be more affordable than residential treatment and allows for additional flexibility.

Intensive Outpatient

Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) provide more flexibility than PHP and require a lower time commitment. It still includes a combination of individual therapy, structured groups, and other treatments. However, you will go to IOP fewer days per week and will spend less time at your treatment facility overall.

Intensive outpatient treatment can be ideal for those who must work, go to school, or fulfill other obligations while in treatment. It can also be an ideal option for clients ready to step down from a higher level of care or who have more minor symptoms that interfere with their life and function less.

Medical Detox

Trauma and complex trauma increases the risks of addiction and substance abuse. Our facilities are 100% drug and alcohol-free. Medical detoxification or “detox” programs are designed to help clients get off of drugs and alcohol safely with medical supervision.

If you have a co-occurring substance use disorder, medical detox may be necessary.

Therapies and Treatments

In research, a range of therapies have been proven to reduce dissociative problems related to trauma. Clinical and health psychology studies on dissociative disorder patients, complex trauma survivors, and people with post-traumatic stress disorder have all shown that overcoming or reducing dissociative symptoms is possible.

Here are some of the therapies used for treating trauma-related dissociation that you may encounter in our programs. All of our clients get an individualized treatment program, which will determine the specific treatment activities they engage in.

Trauma-Related Dissociation Skills Training

Trauma-related dissociation skills training for clients is an important part of our programs. Mindfulness therapy aids clients in coping with trauma-related dissociation symptoms by empowering them and teaching them a set of tools to use when triggers and traumatic memories arise.

We may use dialectical behavioral therapy (also known as DBT) and other approaches to help clients learn practical skills to use when trauma-related triggers and dissociative problems related to trauma arise in their daily life.

CBT and DBT, in particular, can help clients challenge dissociative adaptations and overcome negative patterns and even pathological dissociation issues.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral approaches are the golden standard for many mental health concerns. Research shows that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be so effective that some people no longer meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder after treatment. It can be used to help people with complex dissociative disorders and complex trauma survivors, as well as anxiety, depression, stress, and other concerns.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy is a highly effective form of treatment for trauma and complex trauma survivors. The goal of EMDR is to desensitize you from triggers and traumatic memories to bring you toward a more integrated self where dissociation and related symptoms no longer interfere with your life and functioning.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is a type of behavior therapy and subtype of cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT designed to address post-traumatic stress disorder. Throughout treatment, a therapist will ask you to recall traumatic memories. The therapist will then help you make sense of your experiences, reduce negative thoughts, and use coping strategies.

As a client engages in prolonged exposure therapy sessions, their dissociative symptoms and other PTSD symptoms decrease, as shown in numerous traumatic stress studies.

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic experiencing is a type of therapy designed to help relieve the “fight, flight, or freeze” response, which is commonly associated with dissociative symptoms. Activities commonly used in somatic experiencing include but aren’t limited to body scanning, grounding techniques, and mindful breathing exercises.

5 Benefits of Pursuing Trauma Recovery at Catalina

There are so many reasons to choose Catalina Behavioral Health for your trauma treatment needs. In addition to our trauma-specific treatment programs and therapies, here are some of the things that set us apart as a leader in trauma, mental health, and addiction treatment.

1) Aftercare and Alumni Programs

We have alumni programs for trauma survivors who have completed a program at Catalina Behavioral Health. Once you finish our programs, you’ll have an opportunity to connect with other former clients through meetups and stay in touch with treatment staff.

We help every client in our programs build an aftercare plan so that they will feel confident moving forward after treatment. Ongoing treatment in the form of outpatient therapy, medication management, or logistic concerns like housing arrangements are all things you may discuss as part of your rehab aftercare plan.

2) Admissions and Insurance Assistance

Catalina Behavioral Health aims to make treatment accessible for our clients. We accept most major health insurance plans to make treatment viable. When you contact us about trauma, addiction, or mental health treatment, we will verify your health insurance coverage or discuss alternative payment options with you for free.

Our treatment center strives to make the admissions process easy and stress-free.

3) Compassionate Staff

Our staff members have extensive experience treating dissociative patients. We have Ph.D. and master-level therapists who provide individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy. There are also licensed staff members onsite 24/7 for those in our residential programs.

4) Evidence-Based Treatments

In addition to our trauma-specific therapies, we use a range of other treatments to assist in healing dissociative pathology clients and teach them the essential emotional tools for healing.

Through the best clinical practices, patients and therapists work together to learn life skills, healthy inner communication, and self-trust, and work toward a whole-person sense of calm and well-being. Family therapy, motivational interviewing, biofeedback, experiential therapy, and holistic treatments are just some examples of what we offer.

5) Location and Amenities

Catalina Behavioral Health is located in a peaceful and serene area accessible to most Arizona residents. Amenities include but aren’t limited to recreation activities like yoga, gym access, and healthy, delicious meals.

Get Help for Trauma at Catalina Behavioral Health Today

Trauma treatment at Catalina Behavioral Health can help you ultimately regain control over your trauma-related dissociation and other symptoms that interfere with your life. If you’re ready to get help in coping with trauma-related dissociation and get to where you want to be, contact us today.

To get in touch, call the phone number on our website. If we miss your initial call or message, a staff member will return it shortly. Rest assured, all calls are strictly confidential, so please reach out in confidence to discuss treatment options today!