Trauma Informed Care – An Intro

Trauma informed care, trauma, and other derivatives are common words in the lexicon of healing and therapy.  I am resistant to call them buzz words as in some way, a term that implies that it is like an insect that buzzes by one’s perception and then out.  Trauma and trauma informed care is more than that, it is an integrative process for both the practitioner and the client.  The nature of this relationship, in my experience, creates an organic authentic relationship for healing and support to emerge.

People are people and we all present with various symptoms, conditions, experiences, and nervous system wiring.  These can be expressed in a variety of circumstances including work, school, relationships, and a therapeutic relationship.  We are all expressing in one way or another.  I am sure there is a thought somewhere in my previous history of thoughts that said something to the effect of ‘well healers and professionals have worked out all their stuff and are healed’.  I am also assuming that I am not the only one of the billions of people out there who had that thought at some point. The importance of bringing this up is that even as healers and professionals we are subject to symptoms and expressions that we may not be conscious of. 

The intent in exploration of the pillars of trauma informed care is for all beings, all humans, and in the context specifically of therapy.  Trauma informed care is not something that we give, its also something that one lives.  We give what lives inside of us.  I intend on focusing on the application of the pillars in the therapy relationship.  I do not intend to dive into any of the trauma informed/ focused modalities that are available.  While I have a respect for the various forms, it feels important to me to dive into the integration of the pillars into the humans involved in the therapeutic relationship.

Addiction and addiction treatment has been the doorway to integration of trauma informed care.  These have been value teachers as they point to the internal state, the nervous system, the effect of experiences.  The intersection of trauma and addiction has been a valuable treasure chest to open and work with.  Addiction has come to emerge as a trauma response in various contexts and circumstances.  The exploration of the pillars may include the nature of addiction and recovery along with other identified conditions.

The 6 Pillars of Trauma Informed Care are:

1.        Safety

2.        Trustworthiness/ transparency

3.        Peer Support

4.        Collaboration/ Mutuality

5.        Empowerment/ Voice/ Choice

6.        Cultural/ Historical/ Gender Experiences

The trauma informed pillars reference is from SAMHSA and available for public view and review.  The interpretations and reflections are general in nature and is intended for education and discussion.