Trauma and Addiction: Together but separate

It is not surprising that there   is a direct connection between trauma exposure (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders. While this may not come as a surprise to many that have struggled with addiction or substance use disorders, understanding  how trauma and addiction and are connected can be a powerful tool in your journey to addiction recovery. Today we will take a deeper dive into the brain to understand this connection between trauma and addiction and how this may be able to help your recovery and healing journey.

To understand the connection between trauma and addiction, we have to understand the basic brain components associated with trauma. While, there are certainly elements of complexity to this, for simplicity's sake, today we will focus strictly on the role of the hippocampus in trauma processing and in substance use.

The hippocampus is responsible for sorting through sensory information and creating memories out of that sensory data to recode the experiences that we have. When we are in a calm, settled, or relaxed state, the hippocampus takes in all of the things that we see, hear, taste, touch, smell, experience in any way, and actively works to filter through the information that is important, let go of the information that is not important, and create some form of memory out of the experience.

At low-stress states or during what we would hope to be our “healthy normal” for stress, this process happens automatically and fairly simultaneously to the experience that we are taking in. 
During traumatic, overwhelming, or high-stress moments, however, that is not the case.  When stress levels reach a certain point, the brain is no longer able to actively make sense out of, sort out, and processing experiences/store memories for the events that we are encountering. This information that the body is experiencing, all of that sensory data, what we are seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, and experiencing in any way, becomes stuck or backlogged in the hippocampus. We will sometimes be referred to this as a paper jam of sensory content.

This is important because this sensory content is connected with many of the trauma symptoms that we associate with post-traumatic stress orders. Flashbacks, night terrors, anxiety triggers, hyperarousal, feeling on edge, all these common post-traumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms that are correlated or associated with the hippocampus activity. As with all things related to the human brain and neuroscience, there is a large amount of complexities that exists with this , that significant research indicates a large connection between the hippocampus and trauma-related symptoms and trauma exposure. (Click here for a summary of additional research on these findings.) 

So what does all of this have to do with addiction? Well interestingly, the pleasure center or the dopamine responses of the brain, which are most commonly discussed when considering the neurology of addiction, are not the only brain activity impacted by substance use and addictive behaviors. The National Institute of Drug Order Publications has published significant findings related to the connection between cocaine usage and decreased hippocampus activity. (Click here for the complete article summary.)  Duke University's sites that the hippocampus is largely impacted by ongoing alcohol usage, further validating the connection between trauma exposure and alcohol use on a neurological level. (Click here for the complete article summary.) Furthermore, the National Center for Biotechnology Information conducted research on multiple classes of addictive substances including methamphetamines, cannabis, alcohol, and opioids noting the significant correlation between hippocampus activity and the use of and addiction to these substances. (Click here for the complete article summary.)
There are several hypotheses related to the specific cause and effect for the connection between trauma and addiction and hippocampus activity. One commonly suggested hypothesis that many addicts report as a part of their own story towards healing and recovery is the use of alcohol, illicit drugs, or other substances as a way of self-medication for trauma-related symptoms, and potentially influence hippocampus activity.  Others might suggest about the damage done to the hippocampus through post-traumatic stress or PTSD-related symptoms simply cooccur along side the damage that is suffered by the hippocampus due to substance use. The exact causation may never be known or may vary between individuals, as is the nature with many social sciences, but the connection is significant and should be considered in addiction treatment as well as PTSD treatment. Because of the significant connection between trauma and addiction both and reported rates and in the mechanisms of the brain most impacted, it can be vitally important that both trauma and addiction be treated for the long-term management of symptoms, prevention of relapse, and overall mental health success.

If you are ready to take the next steps on your mental health, addiction recovery, or trauma treatment journey, and are located in the Dallas Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, or Mansfield area, our Arlington-based counseling group is equipped to help. 

Or, if you are a resident of Texas and interested in participating in online therapy services, our team has the tools to partner with your recovery journey. Our group employs highly trained a trauma therapist and experienced addiction therapist already to assist with managing and healing your addiction and trauma concerns. We offer EMDR therapy and have options for both English and Spanish counseling services. Contact us today to take the next steps in your trauma recovery and or addiction recovery journey.