Whole-person behavioral health: integrating philosophy, meaning-centered recovery, and trauma-informed care in addiction treatment

Abstract

Background: Addiction is often understood as a chronic brain disease, but this model may not fully address existential suffering, trauma, and the search for meaning experienced by many individuals. This review examines a whole-person approach integrating existential and meaning-centered perspectives, trauma-informed care, spirituality, recovery capital, and acceptance-based behavioral interventions.

Methodology: A narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published between 1998 and 2026 was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect, and other relevant databases. Literature addressing existential and meaning-centered addiction theories, trauma-informed care, spirituality, recovery capital, and acceptance-based behavioral interventions was examined.

Results: Evidence suggests that existential and positive psychology perspectives provide a meaning-based understanding of addiction that complements biomedical approaches. Trauma-informed care emphasizing safety, trust, empowerment, and reduced retraumatization was associated with improved engagement and treatment outcomes across substance use treatment settings, including among individuals with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder. Spirituality, recovery capital, and acceptance-based behavioral approaches further supported sustained recovery beyond symptom reduction.

Conclusion: Integrating meaning, trauma, and recovery perspectives with biomedical addiction treatment offers a theoretically coherent and empirically supported whole-person framework. This approach may better address the psychological, social, existential, and behavioral dimensions of addiction. However, further comparative and implementation research is required to establish its effectiveness and applicability across diverse treatment settings.