Unhealed trauma causes distress at the level of the body. Trauma survivors often find it natural to either numb themselves to this distress or seek a more pleasurable experience to escape it. This tendency we have as human beings to dissociate, or sever, from the present moment when the moment becomes unpleasant or painful is amplified for survivors when chemicals or other reinforcing behaviors enter the picture. The field of addiction studies has slowly yet surely attuned to this connection between unhealed trauma and addiction, explains Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, REAT, RYT-500 in the Spring 2021 issue of Go With That magazine.