The Importance of Rest in Trauma Services: Perhaps We Should Consider Naps!

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the increase in social service agencies providing trauma-informed care (TIC) as part of their holistic approach to client care, evidence of effective practices has emerged. This research study explores clients’ requests for real-time rest in residential treatment facilities as a part of their trauma treatment. The article will discuss the intricacies of co-occurring issues and trauma, prevalence, and further complicating issues of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), the neurology of trauma that is indicative of the need for increased physical and emotional rest, and the tenets of TIC principles that emphasize the need for client safety, individuality in interventions, and client choice for positive treatment outcomes. The results from a mixed methods design involving participants from substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities (n = 47) and themes concerning desired real-time rest will be reviewed, as well as implications for residential treatment facilities providing TIC.