How Trauma-Informed Therapy Helps Break the Cycle of Addiction

If you’ve struggled with substance use, you may have asked yourself, “Why can’t I just stop?”

This isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s a sign of more beneath the surface. For many, substance use isn’t the root problem; it’s a symptom. When I teach my students about treating addiction, I’m teaching them to treat the pain fueling the substance use. 

Understanding the Link Between Trauma and Addiction

The body remembers what the mind tries to forget. For many, alcohol or drugs provide temporary relief from overwhelming emotions, hypervigilance, shame, or numbness. Over time, what once felt like a coping mechanism can develop into a cycle that feels impossible to escape.

Why Substance Use Is Often a Symptom, Not the Cause

Substance use can be a strategy — not a solution — for managing pain, fear, or disconnection. Focusing solely on the substance without understanding why someone is using can leave people feeling unseen and unsupported. When the trauma is acknowledged, healing becomes possible.

What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy? Core Principles Explained

Trauma-informed care is an approach to therapy that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and actively works to avoid re-traumatization. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” we ask, “What happened to you?”

Core principles include:

• Safety – Emotional and physical safety come first.

• Trust and transparency – Clients are informed and included in decisions about their care.

• Collaboration and mutuality – You are the expert on your experience, your life, and your story.

• Empowerment and choice – Recovery is built on strengths, not shame.

• Cultural humility – We recognize how race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and other identities shape your lived experience.

Why Trauma-Informed Care Supports Long-Term Recovery

If you’ve been caught in the cycle of substance use and wonder if trauma might be part of your story, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to heal alone.

Working with a trauma-informed therapist can help you break free not just from addiction, but from the pain that fuels it. Together, we’ll build a foundation of safety, explore what’s been holding you back, and work toward healing that’s meaningful for you.

Ready to take the next step?

Outpatient therapy can be a powerful first step.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. Let’s begin the process — not of fixing you, but of understanding you.