Stage 1 trauma treatment for addiction recovery

Description: Trauma and addiction are inseparably linked, with substance use often being a way to cope with overwhelming emotional pain, intrusive memories, and the lasting imprint of trauma on the nervous system. This workshop offers a Stage 1 trauma treatment approach tailored for individuals struggling with substance use, emphasizing safety and stabilization before trauma processing. Grounded in Lisa Najavits’ 'Seeking Safety' model, this session focuses on building foundational skills that address both trauma symptoms and substance use behaviors in an integrated, present-focused way.

Participants will learn how trauma lives in the body and nervous system, often manifesting as chronic dysregulation, emotional overwhelm, dissociation, and somatic distress. These trauma-driven states can trigger cravings and perpetuate substance use as an attempt to self-regulate. Through the Window of Tolerance model, we will explore how different states of nervous system arousal can trigger cravings or reinforce substance use, and how experiential strategies can help clients regulate these states and regain a sense of internal safety.  We will also examine the emotional landscape of trauma, including shame, anger, and fear and how these emotions fuel the addiction cycle. 

Participants will gain practical tools such as grounding, mindfulness, and psychoeducation to increase emotional regulation and support recovery. Special attention will be given to how developmental trauma, chronic invalidation, and systemic oppression (e.g., racism, stigma) shape patterns of substance use, and how relational mindfulness can repair ruptured connections and promote healing. 

By the end of the training, clinicians will have a concrete framework for engaging clients in trauma treatment that centers safety, not abstinence, as the first stage of recovery. The skills presented are designed to be flexible and can be valuable even in short-term or single-session work with clients.

Learning objectives: 

• Enhance understanding of the relationship between trauma and addiction, focusing on how trauma is embodied, and influences substance use behaviors.
• Explore the principles of the Window of Tolerance model through experiential exercises to strengthen the understanding of safety in substance use treatment.
• Address trauma-driven emotional states that trigger addictive behaviors using grounding and mindfulness techniques to promote emotional awareness and regulation.
• Examine the effects of developmental trauma and invalidation on substance use and discover how relational mindfulness can help mitigate the impact of chronic invalidation in clients.

Audio/visual recording disclaimer: Please note that this training will be recorded. We kindly ask that you please review the audio/visual consent form.