Trauma Focused
Approach

“I never knew my son experienced trauma until I got to Capstone and learned what trauma really is”

Historically the only cause of PTSD was considered extreme violence in war. Industry leaders like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk began shifting that narrative after working with veterans suffering from PTSD and finding similar traits in other client populations he worked with who had experienced significant trials. His research findings brought to light the need for a broader understanding of the definition of trauma. 

Young man looking distraught, Christian Trauma Treatment Center

Does My Son Have Trauma?

Big T Examples: Serious Illness & Injury, Physical or Sexual Abuse, Near Death Experience, Significant Loss, Divorce, Neglect, and more.

Little T Examples: Bullying, Break ups, Humiliation, Rejection, Failures, Harsh Criticism, Betrayal From A Trusted Source, and more.

Chronic T Examples: Like Living In Constant Smog, Lingering Diagnosis, Bracing For Anticipated Loss, Living In Abusive Environment, Anxiety-Ridden Household, Living In Constant Anticipation Of The Worst Outcome, and more.

What is Toxic Shame?

Young man suffering from trauma, Christian Trauma Treatment Center

Toxic shame is the most damaging aspect of trauma. Where healthy shame says, “I did something wrong,” the toxic shame message is, “something is wrong with me.” Two very different internal messages. What could cause a message like that to exist? An experience of being hurt, rejected, abused, left out, neglected, betrayed, and more, can all carry with them an internal message of toxic shame. How is a toxic shame message reinforced?

Unhealed trauma, including Big T, Little T, and Chronic T, allows toxic shame messages to persist. Feelings of self loathing, insignificance, emptiness, and not belonging. Being excluded or disconnected from healthy peers and mentors. A belief that you are stuck and unable to change. These are all examples of underlying messages that fuel the fire leading to an eruption.

How Our Bodies Respond

In the present day with the advances in technology in neuroscience, we’ve learned a vast amount of information about how the brain works in response to fear and immobility – terror and helplessness. Trauma lies on a continuum but it is always about a fight-flight-freeze response.

Fight Flight Freeze Fawn Faint

When we are faced with a threat, a message is sent to the amygdala in the limbic system of the brain. The amygdala assesses the threat and sends a message to the brain stem to activate the fight-flight-freeze response. Learn more by watching this video on our Autonomic Nervous System.

How we treat trauma at Christian Trauma Treatment Centers

The research shows that most fully matured adults with addictions have experienced trauma. It’s something we treat every day at Capstone — a Christian trauma treatment center that has served thousands of young men with a wide range of struggles, addictions and hurts.