Treating Trauma

What is Trauma Informed Treatment?

We begin life with enormous potential for growth and development. As we move through life, many of us will encounter experiences which impair our sense of safety, our confidence, and our innate capacity to explore, connect to others, and to fully become our best, whole selves. Traumatic experiences may occur through ruptures and uncertainty in our initial relationships with caregivers/parentsand/or throughout our lives in a number of other ways. Experiences that cause us to feel threatened, overwhelmed, helpless, taken off guard, abandoned, terrified, trapped, rejected, humiliated, and powerless may impact us in significant ways we may not even know. As humans we have an amazing capacity to adapt and therefore survive such experiences, however; such experiences may also manifest inimmediate and long-term symptoms that include emotional, mental, behavioral, relational, and physical impairments.

Our adaptive responses to these events may include a general sense of guardedness, difficulty connecting to others, difficulty initiating action, a tendency to appease others at our own expense, and an inability to protect ourselves in threatening situations. We may be unable to relax or sleep, overreact to sounds and situations which remind us of past events, and become avoidant of others and of life, in general. Often, we establish and internalize false beliefs, such as, being at fault for what has happened to us, we are different, I am defective, or I am “bad.” We may feel a hopeless and lose any sense that life can be different or that we can learn to love ourselves, be ourselves, and find safety, belonging, and joy again.

At Onsite, we know that healing and recovery are possible. For the past 40 years, we have been focused on providing trauma informed treatment which begins by providing a safe sanctuary of support that enables clients to fully focus on the experiences, beliefs, losses, and wounds which are creating painful symptoms and unhealthy patterns. We offer up to date education on the physiological nature of trauma and apply evidence-based therapeutic modalities most effective in creating healing. Our team members partner with clients to help them find a deeper understanding of self, experiences, andemotions and regain self-confidence and self-compassion. We will walk individuals through the feelings, the fears, and the grief they are carrying and transform those into a new sense of clarity, confidence, and peace. Ultimately, clients realize that a sense of safety resides within them, and that they possess the strength and courage to reclaim the unique, special, and worthy person you have always been.

Each component of the program is based on consistency and compassion, forming the essential foundation for healing. Onsite’steam of therapists and staff are specifically trained in working with the challenges and complexities of the many types of trauma, whether they occurred in childhood, happened recently, or are on-going. We view every interaction as a chance to affirm, reassure, validate and transform your self identity.

Milestones – Residential Trauma Treatment

Milestones is a residential program uniquely focused on the treatment of trauma and its most common manifestations, including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, codependency, PTSD, and Stage 2 addiction recovery. The program focus is on identifying and healing core trauma(s) and the resulting belief(s) and behavior(s) associated with these experiences. The length of stay ranges from 30 to 90 days, with an average stay of 45 days. Programming is structured and individualized yet flexible, allowing us to accommodate the unique opportunities, goals, and needs of each client.

Overall, the program will help participants…

• Recover from the traumatic events and themes of their lives in a safe and supportive setting
• Overcome patterns of self-sabotage and dysfunctional relationship patterns
• Reduce symptoms of PTSD and other trauma-related somatic and behavioral patterns
• Embrace your story and see yourself through the lens of compassion and deeper understanding
• Increase sense of choice, empowerment, and authenticity
• Develop a continuing care plan designed to support the progress achieved and continue growth and healing

Milestones is led by a highly qualified clinical staff and by therapists experienced in the treatment of grief, loss, and psychological trauma. Participants are assigned a primary therapist who will lead and coordinate their treatment process. They will also work regularly with an assigned adjunct therapist for additional individual sessions. The client’s care team also includes a psychiatrist, nurses, client advocates, a family therapist, equine therapists, adventure therapists, and a continuing care coach.

The Milestones physical environment is comfortable and home like, creating a warm, inviting environment for community living. While staying with us, you will have access to nutritious meals and a variety of options for leisure activities including walking trails, gym equipment, and space for reading, art and other meditative options.

What Makes Milestones Different?

Serving only 20 clients at a time, Milestones is located in a natural setting, allowing for highly individualized treatment for trauma and its impact. We focus on helping people to develop a sacred respect for what they have experienced and help them acknowledge the truth about the resiliency and strengths which have allowed them to survive. Our philosophy includes helping you become increasingly “self-led”, while also supporting the universal and innate need all of us have for community, belonging, and support from others.

We offer a wide range of clinical modalities which are tailored to each person’s unique needs. Our clinicians are well versed and skilled in a variety of cutting-edge treatment approaches which are based in research developments which have shed new light and understanding into how trauma impacts us and what treatment approaches are most effective.

Treatment modalities available at Milestones include:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Somatic Therapy
• Internal Family Systems Therapy
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Equine Therapy
• Adventure Therapy
• Experiential Therapy (Psychodrama and Gestalt)
• Brainspotting
• Expressive Therapies
• Art Therapy
• Didactic/Educational Lectures
• Yoga and Meditation
• Breathwork
• Emotional Freedom Technique
• Polyvagal Theory and Vagal Toning

These therapies are powerful, focused processes which serve different purposes; however, all are processes which have consistently proven to reduce the somatic manifestations of trauma and improve clarity, confidence, self-understanding, and profound healing.

Do I Need Treatment for Trauma?

Unresolved traumatic experiences may surface in a wide array of symptoms and patterns of behavior. There is ample evidence that traumatic experiences are often correlated with life-long patterns of engaging in high-risk behaviors, self-sabotage, having difficulty with intimate relationships, avoidance and isolation, and difficulty following through with intentions and plans. Unhealed trauma is also at the root of most addictive and compulsive behaviors, including eating disorders, sex and love addiction, codependency, gambling addiction, and excessive busyness. If traumatic experiences are left unhealed, they may intrude into our daily lives in the form of flashbacks, nightmares and other sleep disturbances, emotional numbing, and difficulty regulating our emotions. We may find ourselves believing the narrative often caused by being violated or abused, including the belief(s) that we are unworthy, unlovable, weak, worthless, or a burden. The stress of experiencing and then attempting to “outrun” or repress our memories and emotions eventually creates imbalances in our body and brain, which in turn may create inflammatory diseases, compromise our immune system, and impact our memory and ability to concentrate and/or enjoy activities we once enjoyed. A majority of medical and “psychiatric” disorders can be traced back to or are related to unhealed experiences. (The ACE Study, (1997)

If you experience difficulty when you think about life experiences which caused you pain, fear, hurt, anger, and sadness, it may be indicative of unresolved trauma(s). Painful memories including loss, conflict, unplanned catastrophic events, illness, personal failures, assaults, car accidents, rejection, and other difficult experiences often dissipate over time as we allow ourselves to feel and share the experience with others who listen and care for us. It is not unusual however, for such experiences to continue to haunt us, creating shame, regret, fear, and other unpleasant feelings in the present. There are a number of reasons why this may occur, and we may need help coming to terms with and finding peace with experiences we are unable to “get over.” At Milestones, we will help you identify the experiences which are still affecting you and help you gain insight, understanding, and skills to feel at peace with your past. During your time with us, you can expect to learn how all of your symptoms make “perfect sense” and will also see yourself in a more loving, positive light. You can also expect to feel more connected and safer with yourself as well as with others, more confident that you can navigate the challenges and stresses of daily life, and will learn the meaning of what it means to truly “love yourself.”

For more information about Milestones, connect with our incredible Admissions Team. Our compassionate team members are standing by and look forward to your call.