Addictions and Trauma Recovery

Dusty Miller's treatment model for addiction and self-injury, outlined in the best-selling Women Who Hurt Themselves, has been expanded in this new work to include the physical and spiritual impact of trauma.

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The Addictions and Trauma Recovery Integration Model (ATRIUM) presented here provides a blend of psychoeducation, process, and expressive activities, all of which are structured to address key issues linked to the experience of both trauma and addiction. The mind-body-spirit approach offers interventions to address these three dimensions of recovery in an integrated program of healing and empowerment.

This how-to manual introduces new ways of thinking about self-care, self-soothing, and self-expression. It provides a practical and empathic approach to the dysregulated mind-body experience of people with addictions who struggle with the impact of trauma. The recovery model described here may be used in conjunction with 12-step or other addiction treatment programs, as a supplement to trauma-focused psychotherapy, or as an independent model for healing. Each treatment component includes clearly articulated, illustrated explanations and interventions to be used collaboratively by professionals and consumers in groups or individual treatment. Handouts allow consumers to work on coping skills between sessions.