When someone experiences a traumatic event, the effects can linger for years, often leading to more destructive issues if not properly addressed. Trauma can take many forms—any excessively frightening, stressful, or distressing event can cause it. Banyan Mental Health provides treatment for people of all ages dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction. Our team of mental health professionals offers customized treatment plans to help you overcome your past and work toward a better tomorrow.

How Addiction and PTSD Connect

Following a traumatic event, many people develop PTSD. You can develop PTSD after witnessing something traumatic, such as a battle or car accident, or after experiencing trauma, such as being in a car crash or war. 

PTSD often affects veterans, and many of the first people to be diagnosed with the condition served in the armed forces. However, anyone who goes through a distressing event can develop the disorder. 

Symptoms of PTSD are similar whether a person is a veteran or not. Common signs of the condition include:

  • Nightmares
  • Recurring, unwanted memories
  • Flashbacks, or the feeling that you're reliving the event
  • Avoidance of things that remind you of the event
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Memory problems
  • Feeling startled easily or always on edge

The intensity of symptoms can vary from person to person. Your symptoms may also be worse one day and better the next.

Occasionally, a person with PTSD will turn to substances, such as alcohol or other types of drugs, as a way to cope with what they're feeling. Up to one-third of people with PTSD also have a problem with alcohol, and up to 80% of veterans with PTSD report a problem with too much alcohol. 

Also known as substance use disorder, addiction occurs when you're unable to control the amount of a substance you take, whether it's alcohol or another drug. Often, you want to stop using the substance entirely but find that withdrawal symptoms and cravings make it challenging to do so. 

Questions about our Facilities or Programs?

Our admissions coordinators are available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have as you consider whether treatment at Banyan is right for you or your loved one.

Why It’s Important to Treat Co-Occurring Disorders

If you're coping with both PTSD and substance use disorder, treating both at the same time is the best option for effective recovery. Treating only the PTSD and ignoring the addiction or treating only the addiction and ignoring the PTSD won't lead to long-term recovery. 

Co-occurring disorder treatment helps you learn to recognize your triggers and respond to them in a healing, appropriate way. 

Our PTSD and Addiction Treatment Programs

Banyan Mental Health offers three levels of care for patients with PTSD and addiction:

  • Inpatient
  • Partial Hospitlization 
  • Outpatient 

Our inpatient program, or residential care program, offers round-the-clock support. During the treatment, you stay at our facility and can focus solely on healing yourself. The immersive environment allows you to participate in evidence-based therapies, both individually and in groups. You can also benefit from complementary therapies, such as meditation and art therapy. 

Our partial hospitalization program combines the best of both options, which allows you to focus on healing while returning home to sleep each night. During the day, you receive up to eight hours of therapy and complementary treatments. 

During our outpatient program, you live at home, but come to our facility for therapy several times per week. 

Mental Health Therapies Offered

We use a combination of evidence-based treatment and complementary programs to help you heal. Our evidence-based treatments include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT has been shown to be an effective treatment for both PTSD and substance use disorder. It's a type of talk therapy, during which you learn to understand your ways of thinking and to recognize patterns that are keeping you stuck. 

In many cases, CBT is combined with exposure therapy to help you face up to your triggers and conquer the things that are causing you the greatest distress.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Developed in the 1980s, EMDR has become one of the most commonly used treatments for PTSD. It taps into the brain's natural capacity to heal itself by processing traumatic experiences. The treatment is very structured and relies on eight phases over multiple sessions.

Art and Music Therapy

During art or music therapy for PTSD and addiction, you can use either visual art or music to express yourself and work through the healing process. 

The idea behind art and music therapy is that creative expression allows you to process complex emotions that would otherwise stay bottled up. 

Mindfulness and Yoga

While not traditional medical treatment, yoga and mindfulness are complementary therapies that embrace the whole person and allow us to take a holistic approach to treatment. Both can help you achieve peace of mind and cope with challenges that come your way during and after treatment.

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Discover Your Path to Recovery

If PTSD and substance use disorder are interfering with your life, robbing you of its joys, and preventing you from achieving your goals, help is available. Banyan Mental Health is here for you. Our PTSD treatment program takes a holistic approach to healing. We look at you as a whole person and recommend therapies that will help your body and mind. 

To learn more about our treatment programs and process, contact us today to set up your first appointment. We'll be with you every step of the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

1Who gets PTSD?
While originally associated with people who had served in the armed forces, PTSD can affect anyone who experiences a traumatic event. It affects children, teenagers, and adults. In some cases, you can develop PTSD after a loved one goes through a traumatic event or following the death of someone close to you.
2How long does PTSD last?
How long PTSD lasts can vary from person to person. Some may be able to get treatment right away and see their symptoms improve almost immediately. Others may live with the condition, plus substance use disorder, for many years. No matter how long you've had PTSD, rest assured that help is available.
3How common is PTSD with addiction?
PTSD very frequently occurs along with addiction. One large study found that nearly 45% of people with PTSD also had substance use or alcohol use disorder.
4Does PTSD present differently in children?
Children with PTSD may have different symptoms than adults. Often, they may seem to regress, or act younger than they are. Some children with PTSD may wet the bed or seem to forget how to talk. During playtime, they may reenact the scene of their trauma.
5Do I need residential treatment for PTSD and addiction?
While residential treatment can benefit many people with PTSD and addiction, it's not always the right option. You may benefit from an intensive outpatient program or a fully outpatient program. The goal of Banyan Mental Health is to create a treatment program based on your needs, that's most likely to lead to your success.