The Refuge-A Healing Place Case Study

The Refuge – A Healing Place is a rehab facility that provides a long term, 12 step based program for those dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The organization believes that trauma is center in the nervous system and that telling the story of how the trauma happened in a nature setting helps the nervous system process the trauma. They feel that processing the trauma reduces the need for maladaptive coping mechanisms such as substance abuse. Their vision is to provide an environment of healing in a safe and friendly atmosphere, encourage clients to be involved in all aspect of their treatment, and to facilitate patients and their families in the decision making process. One of their main treatment options is for Post-Traumatic Stress
The help those suffering challenge and replace negative, intrusive, painful, and uncontrollable thoughts related to experiences such as shame, guilt, and self-blame. They challenge feelings such as survivor’s guilt and replace it with accurate beliefs that help those in treatment come to terms with the guilt that they are feeling
(The Refuge – A Healing Place). Those who have suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as treatment has fewer intrusive, avoidance, and depressive symptoms afterwards. Detailed exposure to the memory of traumatic events, including one’s thoughts and feelings, help with the avenue to recovery. Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy patients were seen to be able to maintain most of their gains and after treatment were continuously doing better than those who had received supportive counseling (McNally,