When the Life of Addiction Becomes Its Own Trauma
For many people arriving at Holina, the relationship between trauma and addiction runs in both directions. Past trauma — childhood experiences, loss, abuse, violence — can be a root cause of addiction. But the life lived in addiction also generates its own trauma: the things that happened, the things that were done, the things that were lost. Both need to be addressed.
Holina Village is a psychological facility — not a psychiatric one. We treat trauma through evidence-based talking therapies and body-based approaches delivered within a structured residential community. This is not clinical detachment. Our team — many of whom have personal experience of recovery — understand trauma from the inside, and bring both professional expertise and genuine human understanding to the work.
Start a Confidential ConversationWhat We Work With
Trauma takes many forms. At Holina, we work with the full range of traumatic experience — not just acute incidents:
- ✓Childhood trauma — neglect, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
- ✓Complex PTSD from prolonged or repeated traumatic exposure
- ✓Attachment trauma and early relational wounds
- ✓Acute trauma — accidents, violence, medical events
- ✓Grief and traumatic loss
- ✓Trauma from within the addiction itself
- ✓Shame and humiliation stored as traumatic memory
- ✓Collective or cultural trauma
- ✓Secondary trauma from caring for others
Trauma-Informed at Every Level
Trauma work at Holina is not limited to therapy sessions. The entire programme is built on trauma-informed principles:
- ✓EMDR — processing traumatic memories without re-traumatisation
- ✓Trauma-focused CBT — changing trauma-driven thought patterns
- ✓Somatic therapy — addressing trauma stored in the body
- ✓DBT — building the emotional regulation skills trauma depletes
- ✓Individual therapy with trauma-trained clinicians
- ✓Group therapy with shared peer experience
- ✓Mindfulness and body awareness practices
- ✓Stabilisation and resource-building before processing begins
- ✓Paced, carefully titrated trauma work — never rushed
Why Trauma Work Needs Containment
Trauma processing surfaces difficult material. Residential care provides the safety and support that outpatient settings cannot.
🌟 Safety First
No trauma processing begins until stabilisation is established. We build internal resources and a sense of safety before any deep processing work starts.
👪 24-Hour Support
After a trauma session, residents are not alone. Support is available at any hour — in the evening, overnight, and in the days following intensive work.
🧠 Trained Clinicians
Our trauma clinicians are trained in EMDR, somatic approaches, and trauma-informed CBT. Pacing and titration are managed carefully throughout.
🍀 Peer Community
The Holina community holds trauma work collectively. Residents are not processing in isolation — the shared environment provides containing support between sessions.
🏃 Holistic Recovery
Trauma lives in the body as much as the mind. Adventure activities, yoga, equine therapy, and breathwork address the physical dimension of trauma alongside the psychological.
📋 Aftercare Planning
Trauma work begun at Holina is mapped into the aftercare plan — with recommendations for ongoing trauma therapy to continue the process after discharge.
Distance, Calm, and the Space to Heal
Trauma healing requires genuine safety — physical, emotional, and environmental. Holina Village, set on a working farm in Achnas, Cyprus, provides that distance from the environments and triggers where trauma was experienced or maintained. The Mediterranean setting, open space, and structured daily routine create conditions of sustained calm.
For many residents, it is the first time in a very long time that they have felt safe enough to begin looking at what they carry. That sense of safety is not incidental to the treatment — it is the foundation on which all trauma work is built.
About EMDR at HolinaHow to Get Started
We make the first steps as easy as possible. No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation.
Confidential Enquiry
Call or send a message. Our team responds quickly and discreetly. No commitment at this stage.
Clinical Assessment
We assess carefully — trauma history is taken seriously from the first conversation and shapes your care plan from day one.
Arrival in Cyprus
We meet you at Larnaca Airport. From the first moment you arrive, the team is with you.
Treatment & Aftercare
A structured residential programme with weekly family updates and a personalised aftercare plan including trauma therapy continuity.
Speak With Our Admissions Team
If trauma is part of the picture — whether clearly identified or only suspected — our team can help you understand how Holina addresses it. No obligation. Completely confidential.