For these reasons and many more, it’s important to utilize mind-body practices for stress reduction and emotional regulation.

What Are Mind-Body Practices for Stress Reduction?

Mind-body practices refer to holistic activities that help you make a connection between how your body feels and what you think. This can help you identify the physical impact your emotions have on your body and the way your physical health impacts your mood or stress levels.

Top Practices for Stress Reduction

Mind-body practices can help you improve emotional regulation so that you can respond appropriately to stress or triggers. These types of practices can also improve your physical health, encourage physical activity, help you focus on the present moment, and keep your attention centered on goals and long-term progress, which are essential during recovery.

Below are some top practices for stress reduction.

Physical Activity

Physical activity is essential for your overall mental and physical health, but it’s especially important in recovery. Staying active on a regular basis can encourage you to:

• Get outside
• Get out of your head
• Socialize with others
• Participate in the community
• Commune with nature 

The type of physical activity you do should be based on your mood and energy levels. If you are experiencing high stress, yoga can be a good way to focus on the present moment and center yourself on what really matters most in your recovery. If you are anxious and full of energy, a more strenuous workout might be a better way to burn off excess energy. 

Meditation

Meditation is essential for managing mental health and coping with triggers. Too often, when stressed or anxious, individuals get stuck ruminating over the past or worrying about the future, but meditation and mindfulness, as well as activities like Tai Chi or yoga, can encourage the mind to pivot back toward the present moment.

Meditation can take several forms, including:

• Eating meditation
• Walking meditation
• Guided meditation
• Moving meditation

You can try listening to bedtime-related meditation videos about an hour before you go to sleep to help you wind down from your day and incorporate quick, 5-minute meditation segments throughout the day to combat specific emotions as they arise, such as anger, procrastination, or grief. 

Learning Practices for Stress Reduction with Casa Serena

When you are struggling with recovery, learning to manage stress and regulate emotions is essential to long-term success, and Casa Serena can help. We are a premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara where you can participate in services like:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Trauma treatment
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy
• Body-mind balance programs
• Garden therapy
• Equine-assisted therapy
• Tai Chi

Located just a few minutes from the beach, our Los Angeles women’s addiction treatment program provides detox services as well as residential and outpatient treatment programs designed for women, by women.

As a luxury treatment center, we offer communal programs where everyone works together to find local resources and learn from one another to promote improved emotional regulation and overall mental health. Reach out to our team today to learn more about stress reduction practices at our women-only luxury facility. 

The post Mind-Body Practices for Stress Reduction and Emotional Regulation appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

In all of these situations, it’s important to utilize the practice of mindful eating in recovery to reap the many mindful eating benefits at your disposal.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating refers to an element of mindfulness in which you take the time to be fully present in all of the sensory experiences involved in your meals. This type of mindful meditation keeps you grounded in all of the elements of your food so that you can avoid emotional overeating or anxiety eating, which is when you eat too quickly and make yourself ill.

In some situations, mindful eating can be considered a form of eating meditation. Eating meditation relies on a concerted effort on your part to focus on several elements of your meal while you are enjoying it, such as:

• What the foods look like
• Where they came from
• Gratitude for the people who grew/harvested/prepared your food
• What the food feels like in your hand or in your mouth
• What the food smells like
• The feel of your mouth as you chew the food or swallow it

This process is a great way to alter your perception of food and change unhealthy relationships you might have with food, like purging, binging, or starvation.

The mindfulness aspect of eating forces you to slow down, remain focused on the present, and appreciate the value of your food.

Who Can Use Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating benefits can be enjoyed by anyone in recovery, whether you are struggling with an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or substance abuse. 

Benefits of Mindful Eating

As part of our women’s eating disorder programs in Santa Barbara, we focus on mindful eating habits. Explore the benefits of mindful eating and discover tips on how to incorporate this practice in your daily life.

Focusing on the Present

One of the biggest benefits of mindful eating is the ability to focus on the present moment. Too often, when people eat, they are focused on other things, such as upcoming meetings or other personal matters. This makes it easy to overeat or binge or eat things that are unhealthy for you. To start practicing mindful eating, have your meals in a space that is free from electronics and other distractions. Too often, when people struggle with eating disorders in recovery, they sit in front of the television, scroll on their phones, or work at the computer while they are eating. Sitting in a space that is free from these distractions will help you focus exclusively on your meal.

Managing Portions

Another of the benefits of mindful eating is the ability to manage your portions. When you are not focused on mindful consumption, you are more likely to eat an excessive amount of food or more calories than you need. This is because you don’t focus on the sensations you are feeling, such as hunger or fullness. You’re focused instead on something like a television program, the anxiety you might have, or your to-do list. Start with smaller portions on a smaller bowl or plate. Use small salad plates instead of large dinner plates and fill them. When you sit in your distraction-free zone for your meal, try to eat thoughtfully so that your meal takes more than two minutes. 

Getting the Right Nutrients

Mindful eating means you are more aware of what you eat, the amount of effort it takes to cook that food, and how healthy something might be. You also have a chance to be more aware of how you feel after eating certain foods, such as recognizing what foods leave you feeling energized and what foods leave you feeling groggy. Being mindful of how you feel can help you not only choose healthier foods but also consume an amount of food that makes you feel better.

Mindful Eating with Casa Serena

Mindful eating is a way for you to remain focused in the present and be aware and appreciative of all of the sensations involved in each meal you enjoy. Doing so during recovery can provide several benefits, including a greater appreciation for your food and a changed relationship with nutrition. At Casa Serena, the premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara, we offer eating disorder treatment programs that aim to promote whole-person healing. Our programs include specialized treatment for anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.Contact our team today to learn more about how our women’s mental health treatment center in California can help you find healing and happiness.

The post Benefits of Mindful Eating in Recovery appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Today, individuals with co-occurring disorders can receive targeted and integrated dual diagnosis care that reduces the high risks of relapse, emergency room visits, unemployment, or arrest, among other things, and increases the likeliness of independent living and sobriety. An integrated approach can be applied at any level of treatment, inpatient or outpatient, and it can be modified to fit individual circumstances and needs.

What is an Integrated Approach to Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

An integrated dual diagnosis model works to help clients improve their quality of life by combining services received at a treatment center to address two things at once: mental health disorders and substance abuse.

Clients receive services at the same center, from the same team, within the same organization. 

An integrated approach to dual diagnosis focuses on:

• Getting sober with detox
• Managing symptoms 
• Increasing independence

Benefits of an Integrated Approach to Dual Diagnosis

An integrated dual-diagnosis treatment program combines several interventions to meet you where you are, including:

• Medication
• Psychology sessions
• Educational sessions
• Social interventions

Integrated approaches promote direct client involvement in each of their recovery programs, offer a chance for family integration, and provide resources like stable housing. These programs:

• Reduce relapse rates
• Reduce high costs for services and treatment
• Reduce risks of hospitalization, arrest, or incarceration
• Boost the continuity of care
• Offer stable housing
• Improve quality of life
• Increase independent living

Integrated Dual Diagnosis Stages

Dual diagnosis programs can be equally effective when applied to residential or outpatient programs.

Those who are struggling with severe mental health disorders and co-occurring substance abuse disorders benefit the most from 24-hour supervision and the ability to extricate themselves from their daily lives and focus solely on recovery. In these instances, residential programs offering programs like garden therapy, Tai chi, and family therapy can help clients focus on their recovery.

For those who have already completed a residential program or are struggling with moderate to mild symptoms of mental health disorders and substance abuse, outpatient programs offer more scheduling flexibility; clients can return home every day and come back to the treatment center for their integrated dual diagnosis program specific days of the week. Outpatient programs are better suited to people who have stable living environments, can easily arrange transportation to and from their treatment center, or need the freedom to continue with ongoing support in a reduced capacity.

An integrated dual diagnosis program can take place at all levels of care. It is highly individualized to the client, with programs and treatment options intended to help specific circumstances. 

For example:

• Individuals who are struggling with trauma behind their substance abuse might benefit the most from trauma treatment and counseling in addition to detox, inpatient, and outpatient services. 
• Clients who struggle with their career progression can capitalize on career change programs with DBT immersion programs. 

Finding Integrated Dual Diagnosis Programs

Casa Serena is a premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara just minutes from the beach. Our luxury treatment center is owned and operated by women and offers a continuum of care so clients can receive integrated dual diagnosis treatment for women at all levels of care. 

Our goal is to offer community-driven programs that connect our clients to local resources as part of their long-term recovery. Moreover, with Casa Serena, we provide lifetime aftercare programs to clients so they are never alone in their journey. 

We partner with programs to offer continuing education for those who need to get their GED. We collaborate with community partners to offer services such as:

• Skill building
• Resume writing
• Professional etiquette
• Vocational support

Research indicates that of the Americans who have been diagnosed with a severe mental health disorder, 50% will also struggle with co-occurring substance abuse disorders throughout their lifetime. With an integrated dual diagnosis approach to recovery, clients can benefit from receiving services for both conditions at the same time in order to reduce the likelihood of relapse, psychiatric episodes, hospitalization, and even relationship difficulties and career problems.

Reach out to our team today to see if an integrated dual-diagnosis approach is right for you.

The post An Integrated Approach to Dual Diagnosis appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Casa Serena is a premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Monica that can offer depression treatment for those in need. Contact us to learn more about our women’s mental health treatment center.

The Impact of Depression On Couples

Without learning coping strategies for couples with depression or getting professional depression couples therapy, relationships can face serious strain because of depression symptoms.

Communication Issues

Firstly, they start to develop communication issues within the relationship.

Emotional Distance

When one partner becomes depressed, they might be wholly engrossed in that depression and not realize that they are emotionally distancing themselves from their loved one.

The other partner can start to feel unsupported, as their issues or stresses or needs are completely ignored.

Intimacy Distance

It’s not uncommon for there to be reduced physical intimacy of all forms, from a simple hug or kiss good morning to sex.

When someone with depression pulls away, they can cause changes in hormonal balances, resulting in higher stress levels that exacerbate depression symptoms and frustration in both partners.

Useful Coping Strategies for Couples with Depression

Finding coping strategies can help couples learn to manage the symptoms of depression and not let them be a detriment to the relationship.

Open Communication

Open communication is the first coping strategy for couples with depression. As communication breaks down in a relationship, it can cause compounding issues for mental health and intimacy, but finding ways to open up about depression is essential.

This is also a highly personalized coping strategy. What works for one couple might not work for another:

• You might want your partner to listen to you explain how you are feeling when you are depressed and then offer support by leaving you alone to watch your favorite show but checking in every hour or so

Offering Emotional Support

Emotional support is an integral form of coping with depression. Much like communication, this will be personalized to your relationship, and you’ll need to do a little trial and error to figure out what you like most:

• You might have problems expressing the impact your depression is having one day, so you’ll need your partner to go through a list of suggested activities to help take your mind off things until you find the one that fits best that day

Supporting Mental and Physical Health

Supporting mental health can involve participating in couples depression therapy. Supporting physical health can include taking measures as a couple to control how you eat, sleep, and exercise. It might also involve offsetting social isolation that can exacerbate depression symptoms.

• You and your partner might do something physically everyday, whether that is light stretching before bed, going for a walk up and down your street, or participating in a community yoga class

All of this is going to look different depending on your circumstances, personality, and the type of relationship you have. As a person struggling with depression, you might express to your partner that what you need most from them is to always push you into physical activity when your depression symptoms are high, even if, at that moment, you say you don’t want to or you push back.

The fastest way to determine what personal adaptations work best for coping strategies for couples with depression is to participate in some form of couples therapy where a qualified professional can help you make those determinations.

Finding Professional Treatment for Couples with Depression

In some cases, the coping strategies for couples with depression fall short, and you might need professional help. With professional treatment for couples with depression, you can work with qualified therapists who can review your individual circumstances and offer practical strategies that are a better fit for your relationship.

What works well for one couple might not work well for another, and generic coping strategies for couples with depression could be a great place to start, but you might need an extra boost from a therapist.

Mental Health Treatment Programs

At Casa Serena, you can benefit from depression couples therapy that takes place in a beautiful, idyllic location conducive to relaxation and open communication. Our facility specializes in several forms of evidence-based holistic practice and talk therapy. When you reach out, we can help you find the level of care and program that works best for your mental health treatment. That may involve starting with a personal mental health treatment plan using an outpatient program that incorporates couples therapy as one of several services.

Overall, coping strategies for couples with depression can provide a great place to start when it comes to managing the impact that depression has on a relationship. When one partner struggles with mental health disorders, it can affect communication, responsibilities, emotional connection, and intimacy. But with the right level of depression couples therapy, you can learn how to manage the symptoms without letting them harm the relationship.

The post Coping Strategies for Couples With Depression appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Holistic relapse prevention offers a chance to explore things like energy healing, nature therapy, yoga, and meditation as ways to manage triggers and cravings and cope with your new life. 

Casa Serena is a premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara.

Holistic Relapse Prevention: What Options to Consider

When you are looking for ways to prevent relapse, you need to consider both how to manage cravings associated with substance abuse, as well as environmental triggers.

Depending on the substances that were abused, things like cravings can persist for several months after treatment. Cocaine withdrawal, for example, usually results in up to six months of cravings after treatment. 

Holistic relapse prevention is effective in providing coping strategies that enable you to avoid stress, triggers, or cravings in the first place rather than trying to substitute addictive behavior with a secondary addiction. 

Yoga and Meditation

Yoga and meditation are two of the most effective forms of holistic relapse prevention. These two practices complement one another as elements of mindfulness.

Yoga utilizes several forms of exercise, stretching, and assuming poses while focusing on your breathing. This keeps you grounded in the present moment rather than worrying about past mistakes or future anxiety.

Moreover, different holistic practices can encourage you to breathe through temporary discomfort associated with assuming different poses. This teaches you to recognize that discomforts like cravings or the emotions tied to triggers are temporary and that staying mindful and present at the moment can help you move beyond those temporary feelings. 

Meditation offers dozens of mental and physical health benefits. 

For example, individuals struggling with cravings or triggers might experience high levels of anxiety and fear, which can lead to things like panic attacks or hyperventilating.

Hyperventilation is often exacerbated by individuals who start taking shallow, clavicular breaths from the top of the chest rather than deep in the belly. Knowing how to meditate offers an opportunity to recognize when you are struggling with clavicular breathing and to change it into that deep breathing that tethers your body to reality and the present moment.

Not only does this help circumvent things like anxiety attacks or triggers, but it’s good for:

• Blood pressure
• Circulation
• Cortisol levels 
• Caving management

Nature Therapy

Nature therapy is much like yoga and meditation in that it helps you focus on the present moment while also boosting positive neurotransmitters that can overcome symptoms of secondary mental health issues like anxiety or depression that are often contributors to relapse.

Another benefit is that nature therapy, alongside yoga or meditation, can be designed to fit any skill level. With nature therapy, for example, individuals can go on regular walks in a nearby park, along a river, or other natural environment.

Those who are looking for something more advanced to boost endorphins while also providing physical exercise that overcomes stress, cravings, and triggers by focusing the mind on the present and on achievement can turn to things like:

• Walking
• Hiking
• Camping
• Bicycling
• Rock Climbing 

All of these require the development of new sets of skills, goal setting, and the benefit of self-reliance and meeting those goals. Each incremental improvement contributes toward overall success after therapy, decreasing the risk of relapse.

Energy Healing

Energy healing is a form of holistic relapse prevention that focuses on more traditional Avenues of the mind-body approach. With this form of therapy, you can work to restore balance in your body, recognizing that energy flows through your body at all times and bad energy from things like trauma, depression, or addiction can remain stagnant and disrupt that flow much the same as a blood clot can disrupt the flow of blood.

Get Holistic Relapse Prevention with Casa Serena

With Casa Serena, you can immerse yourself in all of these forms of holistic prevention treatment in group settings. Not only do you reap all of the benefits of each activity, but you add to it the benefit of overcoming feelings of isolation and loneliness, which are two of the most significant contributors to relapse after treatment.

Figuring out which of these prevention measures you like best or works well for you can enable you to find things like community groups, online resources, and classes that can provide continuing support after treatment.

Reach out to Casa Serena today for more information on relapse prevention and our lifetime aftercare program.

The post Holistic Approaches to Relapse Prevention: Mind, Body, and Spirit appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Casa Serena Treatment is a premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara that offers comprehensive dual diagnosis therapy. Contact us today to learn more about how our compassionate staff can help women overcome mental health and substance abuse issues.

What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that involves:

• Impulsivity
• Hyperactivity
• Inattention

Many people associate ADHD with abnormal brain dopamine levels or abnormal dopamine transmission. These abnormalities can interfere with behavioral changes or motivation. 

Someone struggling with ADHD could have low resting levels of dopamine. This means their brains struggle to maintain motivation or find rewards from everyday activities. As a result, they’re more likely to search for any form of stimulation that can quickly and intensely increase dopamine.

Can ADHD Lead to Addiction?

Several studies indicate that people with ADHD are at an increased risk for developing substance abuse disorders like drug or alcohol addiction. Several associations between ADHD and addiction could explain this, one of which is dopamine-seeking ADHD.

In some cases, individuals struggling with ADHD are impulsive and demonstrate behavioral issues. That impulsivity can encourage dopamine-seeking behaviors. Dopamine-seeking behaviors might be categorized as risky or reckless, but they come from a neurological desire to stimulate dopamine production.

Can ADHD lead to addiction for someone in the situation? Absolutely, because someone who has dopamine-seeking ADHD is more likely to use any substance or behavior to trigger higher releases of dopamine.

There are many drugs that do exactly that. 

How Drugs Impact Dopamine

When people use drugs, especially the first few times, it creates a high feeling of pleasure. This feeling comes from the electrical stimulation of different parts of the brain in the reward center. By stimulating the reward center, neurotransmitters are released in higher doses than someone would get under normal circumstances. One of the most common neurotransmitters associated with pleasure is dopamine.

However, drugs and alcohol can recreate and even heighten these feelings much faster. Chronic use of drugs and alcohol can diminish the brain’s ability to release neurotransmitters like dopamine under everyday, life-sustaining situations.

This means that someone struggling with ADHD and engaging in drug use or alcoholism might find that, at some point, they are no longer able to feel that rush of dopamine from things like exercise or eating healthy, so instead, they habitually turn to drugs and alcohol to recreate the feeling.

Getting Help with Casa Serena

If you are struggling with dopamine-seeking ADHD, you can reach out to our team of mental health professionals and learn more about our dual diagnosis treatment for women. Our facility specializes in providing treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders and substance abuse. Treating both at the same time offers the highest chance of successful recovery and long-term sobriety.

Getting help for ADHD in the form of therapy and essential life skills can make it easier to manage symptoms. Medication might also be a profound step toward monitoring and controlling dopamine levels in the brain without having to use drugs or alcohol.

At our secluded recovery location, you’ll have the opportunity to work with a team of specialists who care about your success. You’ll participate in personalized treatment programs that focus on every aspect of your struggle, including:

• Your physical health
• Psychological struggles
• Mental health symptoms
• Substance abuse

As part of your treatment, you’ll work to address any underlying conditions like ADHD, the causes, and other psychological or emotional factors that could have contributed to drug and alcohol abuse. 

We believe your recovery space should be where you feel completely safe and comfortable. As a women-only facility, we let you address your treatment needs with gender-specific therapy that addresses the biological components unique to women as it relates to mental health, ADHD, and addiction. Don’t wait to get help. Call our team today to learn more.

The post Can ADHD Lead to Addiction? Exploring the Links and Solutions appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Casa Serena is a premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara. Contact us today to learn more about how our women’s treatment programs can help.

How to Help a Loved One with Addiction

There are several ways that you can learn how to help a loved one with addiction.

Talking to Them About Addiction

In some cases, the person you love may not realize that they have an addiction, in which case you can help them by talking to them about it. When you talk to someone you love about their addiction, you can use professional intervention services or have an open, honest discussion on your own.

If you opt to talk to them on your own, follow these tips:

• Talk to them in a neutral, quiet place
• Don’t talk to them if they are high or drunk
• Talk about how you care deeply for them and you are worried about the effects that addiction is having
• Be prepared for different reactions, including anger directed at you
• Have recovery resources like Casa Serena available if they want to pursue more information

You might have to repeatedly talk to your loved one about addiction. 

• You’ll have to talk about your concerns when they demonstrate bad behavior. 
• You’ll have to express your fears when they try to cross boundaries.
• You’ll have to talk to them about your feelings and how addiction has impacted your life whenever there is trouble at home.
• You’ll have to continually let them know that help is available and you are there to support them when they are ready.

Give Space

If you are helping a loved one with addiction by talking to them about the issue, they might not respond the way you want or respond right away. And that’s fine. Never pressure your loved one to respond immediately.

Instead, let them know that you are there to help them and you’ll be there to support them when they are ready to make their next decision. Understand that no one appreciates being told that their behavior is wrong, so your loved one might experience some feelings of betrayal or hurt at first but with some time, they might respond more in line with a willingness to get help and gratitude.

Set Boundaries

If someone in your life is struggling with addiction, it’s imperative that you set and enforce healthy boundaries. This can feel like an uphill battle the entire time, but if you really want to help your loved one with their addiction, you need to prevent them from becoming dependent on you; you need to prevent yourself from becoming self-sacrificing and risking your own health.

It’s perfectly fine to enforce boundaries and tell your loved one no, but explain why.

But what about helping a loved one with addiction who already knows they are addicted and isn’t willing to get help?

Take Action with Them

If you are living with someone who knows they have an addiction and they don’t want help, sometimes you have to initiate recovery by taking action yourself. What does this mean?

It means:

• Going to therapy yourself
• Attending family support groups
• Going to AA or NA meetings
• Researching treatment programs and keeping them concealed until your loved one is ready

Sometimes your loved one will see the excellent example you set, and you will learn better ways to help your loved one with addiction, communicate daily, and reinforce granular boundaries that don’t seem consequential at first.

Now what about helping a loved one with addiction who has already tried rehab and relapsed?

Get Continued Help at Casa Serena Treatment

It’s important to remember that up to sixty percent of people will relapse. Even if your loved one has tried some form of treatment and struggled with a relapse, that doesn’t mean they failed. 

• There are several types of treatment programs, and in some cases, the treatment plan wasn’t the right level of care.
• In others, the treatment wasn’t the right type of therapy.
• Treatment was received years ago, and significant gains have been made since that time to better understand addiction and provide more comprehensive treatment.

Treatment really works, and if loved ones and families stay involved in treatment and recovery goals, individuals have a higher chance of successfully completing their program and avoiding relapse long-term.

With Casa Serena, your loved one can try gender-specific programs, several levels of care that might be more appropriate for their situations, and involvement in family therapy that increases the likelihood of recovery. Contact Casa Serena today at (866) 590-8601 for help.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Give Up On Your Loved One: How to Help a Loved One With Addiction appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

However, generational trauma can impact anyone, especially those who experienced extreme hardships, war, or were marginalized and in a lower socioeconomic class.

When a specific form of trauma has been inflicted on several generations or even held by an older generation and discussed and passed on emotionally to the subsequent generations, it can lead to PTSD and other symptoms of mental health disorders and addiction.

The impact of generational trauma can cause several generations to:

• Develop anxiety
• Feel profound guilt or shame
• An inability to express emotions
• Poor coping mechanisms
• Hypervigilance
• Intrusive thoughts
• Heightened helplessness
• Anxiety
• depression
• Turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate
• Struggle with low self-esteem

But what is it?

Generational Trauma

Generational trauma refers to the generational challenges that a single family faces. It’s something that can be passed down to younger generations. 

For example:

• A great-grandmother may have been forced into an internment camp in the United States during the second world war and learned to cope by remaining emotionless. As a result, that same grandmother could have emotionally distant interactions and even abusive interactions with her children. This could lead to her children and grandchildren struggling with denial, defensive behaviors, and failure to express emotions.
• A mother might learn that her daughter was sexually abused. This could cause the mother problems because she might have also been sexually abused. The perpetrator might have been a male family member who was sexually abused.

The Importance of Recognizing the Impact of Generational Trauma

The impact of generational trauma can be extremely severe, especially if multiple generations have suffered from severe forms of trauma. Many families turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with this trauma instead of getting professional help. The two most common forms of unhealthy coping are:

1. Denial: where families refuse to acknowledge the source of their trauma
2. Minimization: where families minimize the impact of their trauma, which makes it seem less severe or detrimental than it might have been

Unfortunately, you will find you in all cases no matter how hard you try to run. Worse still is that choosing denial or minimalism can result in being unexpectedly triggered, which can cause a ripple effect of mental health disorders or substance abuse.

If you consider the example above of the great-grandmother, her example of refusing to acknowledge the time in the internment camp, talk about it, or ever acknowledge her emotions could, perhaps unintentionally, teach her children and grandchildren to also ignore it and to not talk about things that upset them.

This is harmful because:

• It can teach multiple generations to hide their emotions and pretend things aren’t happening
• It can lead to detachment, impaired self-esteem, and estrangement
•  it can result in individuals choosing to minimize their personal experiences because of how they compare to the trauma of parents or grandparents
• It can cause individuals to bond with abusers over the trauma
• It can teach multiple generations to internalize their emotions and not deal with them until they get triggered and are forced to cope
• It can teach family members to rely on drugs or alcohol to cope with struggles, handle pain, or avoid expressing themselves

Why Get Help for Generational Trauma

If you are a woman struggling with generational trauma, your older generations might have set you up for how to cope with traumatic events. Unfortunately, this generally means teaching bad coping mechanisms that can cause additional harm. 

Trauma can continue throughout generations because the people who need help most never get it, perpetuating a harmful cycle of individuals failing to get help when they need it too.

Moreover, traumatized family members can transfer negative emotions, especially to those closest to them, including their partners and children. 

If you are struggling with generational trauma, you can find safety and comfort by receiving professional therapy and counseling from a women’s-only treatment center. Casa Serena can help you even if you didn’t live through war or weren’t abused growing up, but you still have to contend with generational trauma’s mental and physical impact.

Our facility specializes in a range of holistic treatments, including family therapy, group therapy, and individual psychotherapy. During your stay with us, we will help you replace unhealthy coping mechanisms with healthy coping mechanisms to facilitate improved emotional expression, communication, and acknowledgment that your experiences matter. Turn to Casa Serena for safety, sobriety, and new skills you can apply to your intergenerational trauma. Call Casa Serena today to learn more about our premier women’s drug and alcohol rehab center.

The post The Impact of Generational Trauma appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Access to gender-specific care and multiple levels of cocaine women’s addiction treatment means you or your loved one are more likely to find the level of care that suits your needs today.

Casa Serena Treatment is a premiere women’s drug and alcohol rehab in Santa Barbara. 

Are Women More Likely to Develop Cocaine Addiction?

Research indicates that women are more likely to experience the effects of certain drugs differently because of their hormonal and genetic makeup. Cocaine is one such drug that affects women differently. Hormones in women can increase the risk of developing a cocaine addiction.

Compared to men, women have much faster highs and more intense feelings when they use cocaine. For women, there is more activity in the brain’s reward center than in their male counterparts, and this increased activity leads to severe cravings. As such, even when women try small amounts of cocaine, they are more likely to develop an addiction, and it becomes even harder to overcome that addiction.

Thankfully, if you are struggling with addiction to cocaine as a woman, you can find women-specific treatment at facilities that understand these genetic differences and can curate your recovery plan accordingly.

Facts:

• Women are more likely to become addicted to substances after smaller amounts compared to men
• Over twenty-six million women over the age of eighteen have used illegal drugs in the last year
• Women are more likely to relapse after treatment
• Hormones can make women more sensitive to certain drug effects
• Women experience different changes in their brains compared to men
• Women are more likely to experience an overdose or be admitted to a hospital for an overdose compared to men

Finding Cocaine Women’s Addiction Treatment

If you are ready for cocaine treatment, the hardest part of admitting you need help is behind you, but now you have to find the right facility. 

Resources

Verify the types of resources the facility has. Check on things like the credentials of any mental health counselors, what kind of medical professionals regularly work at the facility, and any unique resources or programs they provide.

When you talk to the admission staff, don’t be afraid to ask about this information and make a list so that you can compare different programs at a given facility or different facilities.

Payment

Covering the cost of treatment is one of the biggest inhibitors to getting help. That is why asking admissions teams about payment options, including what insurance plans they accept, is so important. Most people are unaware that their healthcare will provide rudimentary mental health services, including addiction treatment. While some of the cost might come out of pocket, saving a significant percentage can make a recovery possible.

In addition to their insurance options, ask about alternative payment options. You might want to set up a payment plan or get directed toward any financial aid options a facility might provide.

Tour the Facility

Don’t be afraid to tour the facility. Many facilities offer in-person tours or virtual tours. This can give you an opportunity to see how you feel in the setting before you commit to treatment. Some facilities specialize in outdoor environments near the ocean, in the woods, or outside of a busy town, which might be preferred. 

Why Choose Casa Serena Cocaine Womens Drug Rehab Center

Casa Serena has a beautiful facility along the Southern California coast. As a women’s treatment center, we provide specialized cocaine addiction recovery plans for women led by women. 

Casa Serena specializes in women’s cocaine addiction treatment, with multiple levels of care available. Many clients benefit from transitional levels of care. This means moving from residential, full-time care to something more flexible like PHP or IOP. 

We might start you with a detox program and an inpatient plan. If you have already participated in an inpatient or residential program, a partial hospitalization program gives you continued access to the daytime structure and a full-time commitment to your recovery but an opportunity to practice the skills you have learned when you return home in the evenings.

Call us today at (805) 892-6332 to learn more about our cocaine women’s drug rehab center.

The post Are Women More Likely to Develop Cocaine Addiction? appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.

Co-occurring disorders refer to any co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders an individual has. Understanding co-occurring disorders makes it possible to recognize the symptoms and understand the importance of participating in co-occurring disorder treatment sooner rather than later.

It is common for people with substance abuse disorders to also struggle with the following:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• ADHD
• Bipolar disorder
• Personality disorders
• PTSD
• Schizophrenia

Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders: Why Are Co-Occurring Disorders Common?

There are a handful of reasons why the rates of co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders are so high.

Self-Medication

One of the most common reasons people need dual diagnosis therapy is because they have an undiagnosed mental health disorder, they were misdiagnosed, or they were given a diagnosis with medication that is insufficient. In any of these three scenarios, individuals are more likely to use drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. Clients may not realize that’s what they’re doing. They might not recognize that drugs or alcohol are helping them to mask their symptoms temporarily. Unfortunately, without proper treatment, individuals are more likely to develop an addiction if they start self-medicating with drugs and alcohol for symptoms of mental health disorders. This leads to the need for co-occurring treatment.

Brain Changes

In other cases, the need for co-occurring disorder treatment arises because an individual struggling with a substance abuse disorder ends up developing a mental health disorder. This is quite common in those who struggle with addiction for an extended length of time. Drugs and alcohol change the way the brain functions. Long-term exposure to drug use and alcoholism can cause severe changes to brain structure and function, leading to the development of mental health disorders like depression or anxiety.

Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders: Why You Need Treatment

It’s important that you get help as soon as you recognize the need for dual diagnosis services. If you believe that you or someone close to you is struggling with co-occurring addiction and mental health issues, the longer you wait to get help, the worse it can get.

Additional Complications

Without proper dual diagnosis therapy, you risk developing additional physical or mental health disorders. This is particularly true for individuals struggling with co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders. For example, clients with bipolar disorder who don’t find treatment are more likely to develop depressive disorders. Similarly, individuals struggling with depression are likely to develop anxiety disorders. Those with untreated PTSD are more likely to develop depression or substance abuse disorders.

Dissatisfaction with Life

Mental health disorders cause disruptions to the way the brain functions. This can make it difficult to experience any pleasure in everyday activities. Without therapy, you position yourself to experience long-term disruptions to your brain functioning, which can worsen your symptoms. Eventually, you might reach a point where you don’t have any satisfaction with life at all.

What is Dual Diagnosis Therapy?

Individuals struggling with co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders need dual diagnosis therapy. Dual diagnosis therapy is a treatment that provides services for both addiction and mental health disorders. Many therapies and services received can have overlapping benefits, like cognitive behavioral therapy for addiction and mental health disorders, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. Other services might be specific to one of your conditions, like a detox for addiction or DBT for personality disorders. At professional treatment centers like Casa Serena, clients can receive customized mental health disorder and addiction treatment. This type of dual diagnosis therapy is more effective because it gives clients things like coping skills that can be applied to symptom management and addiction cravings. By treating both concurrently, clients are better able to avoid additional complications, relapse because of mental health symptoms, or self-medication.

Reach out to Casa Serena today to learn more about how our facility can help you with dual diagnosis therapy. 

The post Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders appeared first on Casa Serena | Women's Treatment Center.