Trauma & Addictive Disorders with Dr. Janina Fisher

Childhood abuse and neglect leave a lasting imprint on the brain and nervous system.  With a traumatized brain, individuals are left with overwhelming emotions, no tolerance for feelings or stress, and very limited ability to access good judgment or communicate verbally. Without a way to manage these symptoms, traumatized clients have heightened vulnerability to eating disorders and substance abuse.

Research tells us that 40-70% of clients in addictions recovery programs report histories of trauma. Inevitably, addictions professionals try to treat the substance abuse and eating disorders, only to find that the trauma poses an obstacle to successful recovery.

Similarly, therapists inevitably encounter clients whose trauma recoveries are complicated by substance abuse, eating disorders, and patterns of self-harm.  Often, we are told that the client has to be sober before undertaking trauma treatment, while other experts believe that addressing the underlying issues of trauma should be the first priority.

But because the two are so intertwined, only treatment strategies that simultaneously treat both trauma-related responses and addictive or eating disordered behaviour can adequately address the challenges faced by these clients.

Learning objectives:

• Articulate the effects of trauma on the brain and autonomic nervous system
• Assess client symptoms indicative of autonomic dysregulation
• Evaluate the role of addictive and eating disordered behaviour as a response to traumatic activation
• Utilize interventions that regulate brain and autonomic function in traumatized clients