Last Updated:

January 30th, 2026

Trauma therapy

Trauma therapy is a form of psychological treatment to help people process and recover from traumatic experiences. In treatment for addiction, trauma therapy is used to address the underlying emotional wounds that often drive substance use. These are things like childhood abuse, neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault, accidents, or the sudden loss of someone close. Addiction trauma therapy works on the principle that lasting recovery requires dealing with those root causes, not just stopping the substance use.

man suffring trauma

What is the link between trauma and addiction?

The connection between trauma and addiction is well established. People who have experienced trauma are significantly more likely to develop problems with alcohol, drugs, or behavioural addiction than those who haven’t. The reasons for this can be both psychological and biological.

Trauma changes the brain and affects how we respond to stress, how we regulate emotions, and how we perceive danger. People carrying unresolved trauma often live in a state of heightened anxiety or emotional numbness, and substances offer temporary relief from both. Alcohol quiets racing thoughts. Opioids create a sense of warmth and safety. Stimulants provide energy when depression makes everything feel impossible.

Over time, however, this self-medication becomes its own problem. The trauma doesn’t go away, and just gets buried under layers of drug or alcohol addiction. When someone tries to stop using substances without addressing what is underneath, the unprocessed pain then comes flooding back, and relapse becomes far more likely.

How does trauma therapy help addiction recovery?

For people whose addiction is connected to trauma, addressing it significantly improves the chances of lasting recovery. Without trauma therapy, people often find themselves caught in a cycle where they start feeling better, then get triggered by something that brings the old pain back. Without a way to manage those triggers, they return to drinking or drugs to cope.

Private therapy for trauma and addiction allows that cycle to be broken. By processing traumatic memories and learning other ways to handle hard feelings, people become less vulnerable to the triggers that previously led to relapse.

However, this doesn’t mean trauma therapy is easy. Revisiting painful experiences can be destabilising, especially in early recovery. But avoiding trauma altogether and just hoping that sobriety alone will be enough rarely works long-term.

It is also worth noting that trauma therapy can continue to help after rehab ends. Many people work with a therapist for months or years after leaving residential treatment, continuing to work through what happened, piece by piece.

How do I know if trauma is connected to my addiction?

Trauma isn’t always a single dramatic event, and some people don’t recognise their experiences as trauma because nothing “big” happened. For example, chronic stress and neglect in childhood can often shape the brain just as powerfully as a single violent incident. This can make it hard to know if it is trauma that is really fuelling your alcohol or drug addiction. Here are some signs that trauma may be playing a role:

  • You use substances to escape painful memories or numb difficult feelings
  • Your addiction started after a specific event or period of your life
  • Certain places, people, or situations trigger intense urges to use
  • You have been through things you’ve never fully talked about with anyone
  • You struggle to explain why you drink or use drugs, even to yourself

young man suffring from trauma

What are the common trauma-informed treatment methods?

Several forms of treatment can be used to address trauma during drug and alcohol rehab. The right one depends on the type of trauma, how long ago it happened, and how the person responds to different techniques. Some of the most common include:

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing

EMDR uses guided eye movements while recalling traumatic memories. This may sound a little unusual, but research shows it can reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories relatively quickly, and many rehab programmes now offer EMDR as part of their treatment plans.

Trauma-focused CBT

This is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy adapted specifically for trauma. It helps people identify and challenge the negative beliefs that formed as a result of their experiences, such as “I deserved what happened” or “I can never be safe.”

Somatic therapies

These work with the body rather than just the mind, as trauma is often held physically in tension, posture, and even how you breathe. Somatic therapy approaches can provide a release without requiring people to talk through every detail of what happened.

Psychodynamic therapy

This therapy explores how past experiences shape present behaviour. It tends to be longer-term and goes deeper into childhood patterns and relationship dynamics.

Most good addiction therapies will incorporate some awareness of trauma, even if trauma isn’t the primary focus. This is sometimes called a “trauma-informed” approach, and it means staff understand how trauma affects behaviour and avoid retraumatising people during treatment.

How is trauma therapy delivered in rehab settings?

In residential alcohol and drug rehab, trauma therapy usually happens alongside other elements of addiction treatment rather than as a separate programme. The structure varies between centres, but typically includes:

  • Private therapy for trauma, where you can go at your own pace during one-to-one sessions.
  • Group sessions where you have the chance to share experiences with others (though nobody should be pressured to disclose before they’re ready).
  • Psychiatric support, as trauma often comes with mental health struggles, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. A psychiatrist can also assess whether medication might help stabilise symptoms while therapy progresses.
  • Body-based work, including yoga, breathwork, mindfulness, and other practices that help calm the body down.

The timing matters because when someone is going through detox or is still physically unstable, intensive trauma work isn’t usually appropriate. This is because the brain needs to settle before it can safely process difficult material. Most centres begin trauma-focused therapy once you are physically stable and have some basic coping skills in place.

How can Recovery.org.uk help?

If you’re looking for a rehab that offers trauma therapy alongside addiction treatment, Recovery.org.uk can help you find the right fit. Whether you’re looking for yourself or for someone you care about, we can help you take the next step. Contact us today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can trauma therapy make things worse before they get better?
Sometimes, yes, stirring up painful memories can bring difficult feelings to the surface, and some people feel worse for a period before they feel better. This is normal, and a good therapist will pace the work carefully to avoid overwhelming you. They’ll teach you ways to calm yourself down and make sure you have support between sessions. If trauma therapy ever feels like too much, tell your therapist, and they can rethink the approach or focus on stabilisation before going any deeper.
Can experiencing trauma increase the risk of developing an addiction?
Yes, research consistently shows that people who have experienced trauma, particularly in childhood, are more likely to develop addiction later in life. This doesn’t mean everyone with trauma will become addicted, or that addiction always involves trauma, but the overlap is significant.
What steps can someone take to heal from both trauma and addiction together?
Because of the way they make each other worse, trauma and addiction are usually best addressed together. In practice, this means choosing a rehab with trauma-trained therapists, engaging fully with the therapy and treatment programme, and often continuing therapy after leaving residential treatment. Recovery takes time, and while healing from trauma is rarely a straight line, it is very much possible.

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