It can be a difficult road to navigate for veterans returning to civilian life. Alcohol or drugs can numb the pain caused by traumas experienced in combat. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common form of trauma that veterans have to deal with. Intensive therapy under the care of counselors and medical professionals is needed to help them either adjust to their new surroundings and all the requisite noise and commotion associated with our society to face up to long-buried memories that have caused them anguish and discomfort. A veterans addiction treatment program can be a solution to these problems.
Why Are Veterans Addiction Treatment Programs Necessary?
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 11% of returning veterans have been shown to have a substance use disorder. Because some veterans who struggle with PTSD suffer from depression, chronic pain, and homelessness, many choose to self-medicate. With many believing that seeking out psychological counseling is a sign of weakness, they do not readily admit to having a problem and are embarrassed and ashamed to enter a veterans addiction treatment program. If one hasn’t seen combat it is hard to relate to their situation. But many people who have not been in a war zone have PTSD. It is more common than people realize. However, the good news is that there is help available.
Therapies in Our Veterans Addiction Treatment Center
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) – After discussing your trauma with a therapist you will write in-depth about the things that happened to you. This will help you come to terms with what occurred and accept what you cannot change so you can get back to living your life without constantly dredging up the past.
- Stress Inoculation Trauma (SIT) – SIT is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. You try to relax your mind and body to alleviate stress. Breathing techniques and massage may be introduced to help.
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) – By avoiding those things that recall the traumatic event that caused the PTSD, you cannot deal with your present traumas. By facing the past you can learn how not to repeat it. PET involves using breathing techniques that can help with allaying your anxiety. A list of the things you have been avoiding will be drawn up and you can refer to it as you devise ways of confronting your past traumas.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – This type of therapy involves reflecting on what has happened to you while watching the therapist perform an activity that may include but be limited to flashing a light, moving a hand, or making a sound. You are trying to make an effort to think of something positive while re-engaging with the trauma.
Reach Out to Virtues Behavioral Health Today
PTSD is caused by traumatic events in one’s past. This can be in the form of childhood trauma or by being the victim of abuse or violence, or by being just a witness to these disturbing events. Veterans are most likely dealing with the fallout of having served during wartime, which is the root cause of their PTSD. By coming to terms that getting better on their own is not working, there are veterans treatment programs available to begin the work necessary to acknowledge the lingering pain and begin forging ahead with a new vision of their future that is centered around good mental health that reckons with shame and guilt but works to get past it. At Virtues Behavioral Health in Los Angeles, California we provide comfortable private therapy spaces, lounge areas with games, modern group session rooms, and coffee, tea, and refreshments. We are located in West Los Angeles and provide a warm and welcoming space to attend to your recovery and rejuvenation. Call us at 855.579.8599 for you to take the first step on your journey to wellness and recovery.
