Trauma Treatment Center in Texas

What is trauma?

Trauma is what happens when an experience, or a series of experiences, overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. It is defined less by the event itself than by its effect: two people can live through the same thing and carry it very differently. Trauma can come from a single event, such as an accident or an assault, or from experiences that repeat over years, such as growing up in a chaotic or addicted home.

When trauma isn’t processed, the nervous system can stay on alert long after the danger has passed. That can show up as anxiety, depression, nightmares, numbness, irritability, trouble trusting people, or a constant need to stay in control. Read more about the signs and effects of unresolved trauma.

What types of trauma do we treat?

We treat trauma of every kind, including:

• Childhood trauma, abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) and neglect
• Growing up with addiction or dysfunction in the home
• Relationship trauma, domestic violence and infidelity
• Grief and loss, including the death of a loved one or a suicide
• Medical trauma, chronic illness and pregnancy or birth trauma
• Combat and military trauma
• First-responder trauma
• Accidents, assaults and other single-event trauma
• Complex PTSD and dissociative disorders

How are trauma and addiction connected?

At Healing Springs Ranch, we see addiction as a pattern of thoughts or behaviors that brings relief from emotional pain, a kind of self-soothing by numbing. Unresolved trauma is one of the most common sources of that pain. Alcohol, drugs and compulsive behaviors quiet hypervigilance, dull intrusive memories and make sleep possible, for a while. Over time they create problems of their own while the trauma underneath stays untouched.

That is why we treat trauma as the root of most mental health and addiction diagnoses, not as a side issue. When the trauma is resolved, recovery from addiction and mental health conditions goes deeper and lasts longer, and the risk of moving from one addiction to another (addiction substitution) goes down.

Trauma resolution vs. trauma-informed care

Many programs describe themselves as trauma-informed, which means staff understand how trauma affects people and avoid re-traumatizing them. That matters, and every part of our program works that way. But trauma-informed care on its own doesn’t resolve trauma. Our clinical team goes further: we work to identify the unresolved experiences driving depression, anxiety, PTSI, substance use and process addictions, and help clients process them so they lose their hold.

How do we treat trauma?

Each client has an individualized plan, built around two to three individual therapy sessions a week with master’s-level clinicians. Approaches include:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which helps the brain reprocess painful memories so they carry less emotional charge
• Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT), a body-oriented therapy in which all of our master’s-level clinicians are trained
• CBT and DBT for the thoughts, emotions and patterns that trauma leaves behind
• The Trauma Model developed by Colin A. Ross, M.D.
• Somatic processing, psychodrama, art therapy and mind/body groups, which help clients release emotion stored in the body; see our guide to somatic experiencing
• Trauma education from our Integrated Wellness Model™, which helps clients understand what drives their symptoms
• Family involvement through family counseling sessions, a virtual Family Intensive and weekly family educational calls

See the full list on Types of Therapy.

Trauma alongside addiction and other conditions

Most of our clients come to us with more than one diagnosis. We treat trauma alongside substance use, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and dissociative disorders, including complex presentations that other programs are not set up to handle. Everything is treated in one plan by one clinical team. See Conditions We Treat.

Veterans and first responders

We treat veterans and first responders within our individualized residential program. Each treatment plan addresses the specific nature of service-related trauma, along with any co-occurring substance use or mental health conditions, using the same trauma-focused therapies described above.

Residential trauma treatment near Dallas

Our ranch in Tioga is about an hour north of Dallas, far enough to step away from daily life and close enough for families to take part in family counseling sessions. Most residential stays last 30 to 45 days, and we also offer partial hospitalization. Clients come from across Texas and the country; those flying in can land at DFW or Dallas Love Field, where we provide complimentary pickup. For Dallas-specific information, see PTSD Treatment in Dallas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is trauma resolution treatment?

Trauma resolution goes beyond trauma-informed care. Instead of only being aware of how trauma affects people, our clinicians actively help clients identify and process the unresolved experiences driving their symptoms, using approaches such as EMDR, Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT) and somatic processing.

How does trauma lead to addiction?

Unresolved trauma is one of the main drivers of addiction. People often use alcohol, drugs or compulsive behaviors to quiet anxiety, intrusive memories and hyperarousal. The relief is temporary, and the trauma underneath stays unresolved until it is treated directly.

What types of trauma does Healing Springs Ranch treat?

We treat childhood trauma, abuse and neglect, relationship trauma, grief and loss, medical trauma, combat and first-responder trauma, single-event trauma, complex PTSD and dissociative disorders.

What is PTSI?

Post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) is another name for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It describes persistent anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance and other symptoms that continue after a traumatic experience. We use “injury” because it reflects something that can heal.

Do you accept private pay and insurance?

Yes, both. We welcome private-pay clients and offer payment plans. We are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Choice, Magellan and Employers Health Network, and work with out-of-network benefits. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid. See Financial Options.