Encino · San Fernando Valley · Los Angeles
Co-occurring PTSD is posttraumatic stress disorder alongside a substance use disorder, where substances are used to suppress trauma symptoms. New Spirit Recovery treats PTSD as part of dual-diagnosis addiction care in Los Angeles, for adults whose PTSD accompanies a substance use disorder.
New Spirit Recovery helped me when I was detoxing hard for about a week. The staff were kind to me the whole time. When I thought about leaving early, they helped me slow down and choose recovery instead. By discharge I was grateful I stayed, and Iâm doing better now.
New Spirit Recovery has changed my whole life. They gave me a second chance to rewire my life and live a new one. The staff is caring and genuine, and the director and operations director guided me through the program. They set me up for success and I canât thank them enough for saving my life.
New Spirit Recovery was beneficial to my recovery. Here I learned tools to help me manage my emotions safely, journaling and breathing have been amazing tools I picked up while here. All the staff were incredible and patient. I am grateful to have come here and actually use the tools suggested.
This program teaches you how to set realistic goals and become a better version of yourself, with all the tools to start building a new foundation. The therapist and case manager give each client an individualized, tailor-made treatment plan. Serene surroundings, a private chef, daily groups, and weekend outings.
The staff is amazing. I was completely unable to detox on my own and find the right path. The food and facilities were amazing, and I found my way again. My mom and I go to church together again now. Thank you all so much.
CA DHCS licensed treatment · most admissions within 24–48 hours
Not sure where you stand?
Signs of co-occurring PTSD and addiction include intrusive memories or nightmares of a traumatic event, staying alert for danger that is not there, avoiding reminders, and drinking or using to shut those symptoms down. Sleep is broken and startle responses are heightened. Our dual diagnosis program treats the PTSD and the substance use in one plan.
PTSD follows exposure to a traumatic event, and the DSM-5-TR criteria group its symptoms into intrusion, avoidance, negative changes in mood and thinking, and heightened arousal. Substances suppress several of those clusters quickly, which is why substance use disorders occur so often alongside PTSD.
This self-check reflects what our clinicians ask at intake: whether a specific event keeps returning, whether you organize your life around avoiding reminders of it, and whether substances have become the way you get through the night. Answer the six questions, then talk the result through with our team.
This 6-question self-check is a private screening tool, not a diagnosis. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is saved or sent. A clinician confirms what it means. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Ten minutes, a few questions, and a real answer about your coverage. Someone picks up at any hour, including this one. You do not have to describe the trauma to call.
How the two connect
PTSD drives substance use because substances suppress its symptoms fast. Alcohol and opioids blunt intrusive memories and hyperarousal, and sedatives force sleep that trauma keeps interrupting. The relief is temporary and the symptoms return stronger, so use increases while the PTSD itself goes untreated.
PTSD begins with exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, whether experienced directly, witnessed, or learned about happening to someone close. Clinicians call this the index trauma. Combat, assault, collisions, and childhood abuse are common sources, and the diagnosis rests on the symptom pattern that follows rather than on the event alone.
Hyperarousal keeps the threat system switched on after the danger has passed. Sleep breaks up, startle responses exaggerate, concentration fragments, and irritability rises. The body behaves as though the event is ongoing, which is exhausting in a way that is hard to convey to people who have not experienced it.
Alcohol, opioids, and sedatives suppress intrusion and arousal symptoms within minutes. That is the mechanism behind the high rate of substance use disorders in people with PTSD. The suppression is temporary, tolerance builds, and the dose needed to get through the night keeps climbing.
Avoidance is both a PTSD symptom and the reason it persists. Steering around reminders prevents the memory from ever being processed, and substances make avoidance easier to sustain. Trauma-focused therapy works by reversing that, and the evidence supports delivering it alongside substance use treatment rather than holding it back until afterward.
Veterans can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 then pressing 1, texting 838255, or chatting online. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time. Support is available in Spanish and via ASL. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Why people choose this one
Older models required abstinence before any trauma work could begin. Research now supports treating both at once, and patients tend to prefer it. We stabilize withdrawal medically first for safety, then run trauma-focused therapy alongside substance use treatment rather than after it.
Our veterans program includes therapists with military backgrounds, among them Green Beret specialists who run additional weekly sessions on military trauma and veteran-specific triggers. We hold a VACCN and TriWest contract.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is arranged with an outside specialist where it is indicated. Somatic therapy and distress tolerance training run on site, addressing the physical side of trauma that talking alone does not reach.
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The path through
Co-occurring PTSD and addiction are treated with integrated dual-diagnosis care: medically supervised withdrawal first for safety, then trauma-focused psychotherapy delivered alongside cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and somatic work. EMDR is arranged with a specialist where indicated. Both conditions are treated concurrently rather than one after the other.
| Level of care | Medical oversight | Typical length | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical DetoxStart here | 24-hour nursing, physician oversight | 7–10 days, extending to 21 where medically necessary | Withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines needs medical management |
| Residential Treatment | On-site clinical staff, physician oversight | Often part of a ~35-day course | Medically stable, with the anxiety disorder treated alongside the use |
| Step-down (PHP / IOP / OP) | Scheduled clinical contact | Varies by plan | Returning to daily life while anxiety treatment continues |
We deliver medical detox and residential treatment at our own facilities. Step-down care is arranged through a vetted network we coordinate on your behalf. As a addiction treatment center in Los Angeles, we keep the same clinical team with you from intake through discharge planning, so the trauma history is told once and not repeated.
Small enough to know your name
Co-Founder
Author and recovery specialist. Created the Rewired curriculum, ten modules that run here and nowhere else.
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Clinical Director
Licensed since 2018, dual mental-health and substance-use background. Oversees clinical programming across all properties. Twenty-four years in recovery himself.
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Director of Nursing
A Licensed Vocational Nurse since 2020 with extensive behavioral health and substance use experience across detox and residential settings
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Clinical Psychologist
Clinical supervisor and a professor at California Lutheran University. Works across sites on crisis management and treatment planning.
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Program Director
Directs day-to-day operations and client care. Seven-plus years in the industry, five in management.
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Operations Director
Handles the logistics that make admission possible, including travel and transport from LAX or Burbank.
Read full bioThe question everyone asks first
What you pay depends on your plan: your benefits, deductible, copay, and coinsurance. Most PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for PTSD and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Anyone quoting a price before reading your policy is guessing.
Coverage varies more than people expect, and is routinely better than assumed. We check your benefits for free and tell you exactly what we find, whether or not you come here.
We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare. Cash pay is available; ask an admissions counselor what that looks like.
Veterans: we hold a VACCN/TriWest contract. Mention it when you call. Verify insurance.
Real people, real recovery stories
Reviews published by clients and families on Google, where our average is 4.8 out of 5.
These are unpaid reviews posted publicly on Google by individual clients and families. They describe those people’s own experiences, which vary; they are not a promise of any particular outcome, and no one was compensated for them.
Looking for anxiety rehab near you?
Our PTSD and addiction treatment program runs from Encino, with additional residences in Tarzana and Northridge. We admit from across the Valley, greater Los Angeles, and nationwide.
Common questions
DSM-5-TR groups PTSD symptoms into four clusters: intrusion such as flashbacks and nightmares, avoidance of reminders, negative changes in mood and thinking, and heightened arousal including broken sleep and exaggerated startle. Symptoms persist more than a month after the event.
Trauma-focused psychotherapies are the most effective treatments, and that holds for people with and without a substance use disorder. These include cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and EMDR. We arrange EMDR with an outside specialist where it is clinically indicated.
Trauma is treated alongside the substance use rather than after it. Older models required abstinence first, but research supports integrated treatment as safe and effective, and patients prefer it. Withdrawal is stabilized medically for safety, then trauma-focused therapy runs concurrently.
No. Trauma is a substantial risk factor for substance use disorders and the two co-occur often, but addiction also develops through genetic vulnerability, mental health conditions, prescribed medication, and environment. Assuming trauma in every case leads to inaccurate treatment planning.
Most major PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for PTSD and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. We also hold a VACCN and TriWest contract for veterans. We verify your coverage free. We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare.
