Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety

02/14/2026

At Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety, healing doesn’t only happen in a therapy room — it happens in the community .

This week, our Behavioral Activation Group participated in experiential therapy out on the water thanks to our incredible community partners at 321 Boat Rentals & Club. We saw dolphins and marine life, every patient had the opportunity to drive the boat, and we shared lunch together at Grills Riverside.

Why does this matter clinically?

Because every part of this experience was intentional and evidence-based.

🌊 Being in Nature
Research shows that time in natural environments significantly reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and improves mood. Studies have found that even short periods in blue spaces (like the ocean or rivers) are associated with reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. Nature exposure has also been linked to improved emotional regulation and decreased rumination — a key driver of depression and PTSD.

⚓ Driving the Boat (Mastery + Agency)
Behavioral Activation is a gold-standard treatment for depression. It works by increasing engagement in meaningful, mastery-building activities.
Learning to drive and dock a boat:
• Builds self-efficacy (belief in “I can do hard things”)
• Activates the brain’s reward system
• Strengthens problem-solving and executive functioning
• Counters trauma-related helplessness

Trauma often steals a person’s sense of control. Safely navigating a boat restores it.

🐬 Novel + Positive Experiences
Positive novel experiences increase dopamine and broaden cognitive flexibility. This helps reduce trauma-related rigidity and avoidance patterns.

🍽️ Sharing a Meal in a Public Setting
Eating together promotes social bonding and oxytocin release, which helps regulate the nervous system.
For many individuals struggling with trauma or anxiety, being in a busy public environment can trigger hypervigilance or avoidance. Practicing this in a supported, therapeutic group:
• Builds distress tolerance
• Reduces social anxiety through exposure
• Strengthens interpersonal effectiveness skills
• Reinforces connection and belonging

Healing happens when we reconnect — with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us.

We are so proud for our patients for showing up, being vulnerable, trying something new, and literally taking the wheel of their healing.

And a huge thank you again to 321 Boats and Grills Riverside for helping us create meaningful, therapeutic experiences in our community.

Rewrite your story. 🌊💛

📸 Taken and posted with individual written consent.

02/10/2026

Dialectical Thinking

Two things can be true at the same time—and that’s where real healing begins. 🌊⚓️

Dialectical thinking is a core skill in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and it helps us move out of rigid, all-or-nothing thinking and into growth.

⚓️ You can be hurting and healing.
⚓️ You can validate someone else without erasing yourself.
⚓️ Life can hold joy and grief, comfort and discomfort—at the same time.

When we practice dialectical thinking, we:
✔️ Let go of “I’m right, you’re wrong” energy
✔️ Step out of black-and-white thinking
✔️ Stay curious instead of defensive
✔️ Find flexibility when we feel stuck
✔️ Create space for real change

Growth isn’t clean. Healing isn’t linear.
But when we allow both/and instead of either/or, transformation becomes possible.

🖤 Two things can be true—and that’s where change happens.



Cited Resources

1. Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder.
→ Foundational text introducing dialectical thinking as a core DBT principle.
2. Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT® Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.).
→ Details dialectics, validation, and cognitive flexibility as mechanisms of change in DBT.
3. American Psychological Association (APA).
Dialectical Behavior Therapy overview
https://www.apa.org/monitor/nov01/dialectical
4. Behavioral Tech (Marsha Linehan’s organization).
What is DBT?
https://behavioraltech.org/resources/what-is-dbt/

02/07/2026

🥊 Behavioral Activation Group: Boxing with Classen Boxing at The Cycle Studio

At Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety, healing isn’t just something you talk about — it’s something you experience.

Behavioral Activation is an evidence-based approach shown to reduce symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression by increasing engagement in meaningful, goal-directed activity. When paired with boxing, the impact goes even deeper:

🧠 Research shows that rhythmic, bilateral, and high-intensity movement like boxing can:
• Improve mental clarity and focus
• Reduce hyperarousal and anxiety symptoms
• Support emotional regulation through structured physical exertion
• Increase dopamine and endorphins, supporting mood stabilization

🥊 Boxing also mirrors trauma-informed principles:
• Builds a sense of control and mastery
• Helps safely discharge stored stress and tension
• Encourages present-moment awareness and grounding

🤝 And connection matters. Healing happens faster in community. Training alongside others fosters accountability, trust, and belonging — critical elements for trauma recovery and nervous system regulation.

This group isn’t about fighting — it’s about reclaiming strength, rebuilding confidence, and rewriting your story through movement, science, and connection.

📸 Taken and posted with individual written consent

02/03/2026

Some days aren’t about fixing everything.
They’re about GETTING THROUGH THE MOMENT.

DBT reminds us that we don’t have to like what we’re feeling — we just have to tolerate it, observe it, and respond with intention.

✨ You are allowed to pause.
✨ You are allowed to choose your response.
✨ You are allowed to be human and still be healing.

These DBT coping statements are tools — not platitudes — for when emotions feel loud and life feels heavy.

You’ve survived hard things before.
You’re still here.
And your story is still being written.

🖤 Your story is important.
— Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety

02/02/2026

🌊 Healing through Creativity & Community 🎨

This week, our Adult Behavioral Activation Group spent time at Mimi's Crafts, creating and painting their own pottery. Experiences like this go beyond creativity—they support nervous system regulation and emotional expression, which are central to trauma recovery. Research continues to show that engaging in visual art-making can reduce stress, improve mood, and support emotional processing for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms (Haeyen et al., 2018; Kaimal et al., 2020).

🎨 Creativity as an Evidence-Based Support

Recent studies demonstrate that structured creative activities are associated with reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms, increased self-efficacy, and improved emotional regulation. A large population-based study found that arts engagement is linked with lower levels of mental distress and greater life satisfaction, even when controlling for socioeconomic and health factors (Fancourt & Finn, 2019). Additionally, art-based interventions have been shown to positively impact stress physiology, including reductions in cortisol levels (Kaimal et al., 2020).

🤝 Why Community Matters in Healing

Healing from trauma does not happen in isolation. Contemporary trauma research emphasizes that safety, connection, and belonging are core elements of recovery. Group-based experiences help counter social withdrawal and isolation—key maintaining factors in anxiety and depression (Herman, 2015). More recent meta-analyses show that social connection and group belonging significantly reduce depressive symptoms and improve overall psychological well-being (Haslam et al., 2018; Cruwys et al., 2021).

🌱 Behavioral Activation in Action

Behavioral Activation, a gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for depression and anxiety, focuses on increasing meaningful, values-driven activities to improve mood and functioning. Current research continues to support Behavioral Activation as effective as more complex treatments for depression, while also improving engagement and quality of life (Ekers et al., 2019). Activities like community art-making naturally align with this approach by combining purpose, mastery, and connection.

At Beachside Recovery, we integrate evidence-based clinical models with real-world experiences—because healing happens not only in therapy rooms, but in moments of creativity, shared meaning, and human connection 🌊💙

02/02/2026

🏁 Building Confidence, Connection, and Healing—One Lap at a Time 🏁

Our Adolescent Behavioral Activation Group recently took their therapeutic journey on the road with an outing to Route 7 Karting — and it was so much more than just racing.

For teens navigating trauma and anxiety, behavioral activation plays a powerful role in healing. Engaging in structured, positive activities helps reduce avoidance, build confidence, and reconnect the brain with feelings of safety, accomplishment, and joy.

At Route 7, our patients practiced:
✨ Facing fears in a safe, supportive environment
✨ Staying present and regulated during excitement and stress
✨ Building peer connection and trust through shared experience
✨ Relearning that their bodies and minds can have fun again

Trauma can isolate. Community heals. Experiences like this remind our teens that they are not alone — and that their therapeutic work can include laughter, teamwork, and new memories alongside meaningful clinical growth.

We’re proud of these adolescents for showing up, supporting one another, and taking important steps forward in their mental health journey. 💙

🎥 Taken and posted with individual written consent.

01/28/2026

✨ Tattoos & PTSD: Education, Meaning, Healing, and Considerations ✨

At Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety, we honor the many ways people find meaning, agency, and healing after trauma. For many trauma survivors, tattoos can be more than body art — they may serve as symbolic, narrative, and psychological tools within recovery when paired with intentional reflection and support.

Tattoos are NOT a treatment for PTSD — but research, clinical observation, and lived experience suggest they can play a meaningful role in coping and post-traumatic growth for some individuals.

🧠 How Tattoos May Connect With Trauma

Grounding & Physical Sensation
For some individuals, the tattooing process itself can be regulating. The controlled, predictable physical sensation may help bring someone into the present moment, interrupt dissociation, and provide sensory grounding. The ritual and structure of tattooing can contrast with the chaos often experienced during trauma.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Pain is highly individual — for some, it can be grounding; for others, it may be triggering.

Memorials & Markers
Many people with PTSD choose tattoos to:
• honor someone they’ve lost
• mark a “before and after” in their life
• acknowledge trauma without verbally reliving it
This can function similarly to grief rituals or symbolic closure practices.

Identity Repair
PTSD often disrupts identity — “Who am I now?”
Tattoos can help some survivors rebuild a coherent self-image and symbolize strength, protection, rebirth, or survival. Some describe tattoos as “armor” or a form of “ink therapy.” From a psychological lens, this reflects identity consolidation, not escapism.

Meaning-Making & Narrative Integration
PTSD can fragment memory and meaning. Tattoos may act as visual anchors for survival, transformation, memorialization, and identity reconstruction — helping externalize internal experiences that are difficult to verbalize and supporting narrative integration.

🧪 What Research Suggests

• Tattoos may support post-traumatic growth and meaning-making after adversity
• They may improve body image and self-esteem in some trauma survivors
• They tend to be most helpful when paired with reflection, intentional meaning, or therapy

⚠️ Risks & Considerations

While often beneficial, tattoos are not universally helpful:
• Impulsive or dissociative tattooing can signal distress
• Trauma-related regret may occur if meaning wasn’t fully processed
• Certain imagery can become triggering over time

Trauma-informed tattoo artists who prioritize consent, pacing, and boundaries can make a significant difference in emotional safety.

🤍 In Short

Tattoos and PTSD may intersect through:
• Control
• Meaning
• Grounding
• Identity reconstruction

For many, tattoos aren’t decoration — they represent survival, memory, and agency.

If you or someone you support is exploring meaning-based healing tools, we encourage thoughtful reflection and trauma-informed guidance every step of the way.

💙 Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety



📚 Selected References
1. Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry.
2. Koch, R., Roberts, A. E., Armstrong, M. L., & Owen, D. C. (2015). Body art, deviance, and American college students. Social Science Journal.
3. Wohlrab, S., Stahl, J., & Kappeler, P. M. (2007). Modifying the body: Motivations for tattoos and piercings and their psychological correlates. Personality and Individual Differences.
4. Dickson, L., Dukes, R., Smith, H., & Strapko, N. (2015). Tattoo acquisition as a form of self-expression and meaning-making. Deviant Behavior.
5. Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Viking.
6. Brewer, J. D., & Williams, A. M. (2019). Tattooing as a form of narrative identity reconstruction after trauma. Qualitative Psychology.

01/28/2026

🎨 Art Therapy Group is a core mindfulness component of our primary mental health DBT program at Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety.

In our sessions, patients use color, shape, texture, and creative expression to access feelings and experiences that can be hard to put into words. Art therapy doesn’t require you to be “an artist” — the healing is in the process of creation, not the finished piece.

🧠 A recent editorial highlights how art therapy allows thoughts and emotions buried beneath the surface to become visible and tangible, supporting insight and self-reflection in ways that sometimes words alone cannot. It emphasizes that art therapy helps individuals work through trauma by externalizing what’s inside, calming the nervous system through rhythmic action (like brush strokes or collage work), and providing a meaningful focus for self-exploration.

✨ Why art therapy works:

• Art therapy offers a non-verbal pathway for emotional expression, helping people articulate complex feelings when language falls short.

• Clinical evidence shows art therapy can reduce anxiety and depression symptoms when integrated into mental health care.

• Research reviews and meta-analyses suggest creative arts therapies, including art therapy, are associated with significant decreases in trauma-related symptoms, including PTSD.

• Studies also show art therapy interventions can significantly lower anxiety, particularly in structured treatment settings.

🎯 At Beachside Recovery, our Art Therapy group:

• is led by a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, specializing in Art Therapy

• provides a trauma-informed, clinically grounded space for healing

• allows patients to explore emotions that are hard to verbalize

• supports mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance

• strengthens resilience and connection in a supportive group setting

Whether patients feel comfortable with paint, collage, drawing, or mixed media, the art-making process itself is therapeutic — helping them see what’s inside, make meaning of their experiences, and build new ways of coping with trauma and anxiety.

📌 Art therapy is one of many evidence-supported modalities we use to support healing and long-term recovery.

References:
• American Art Therapy Association. (2017). What is art therapy?
• Malchiodi, C. A. (2015). Creative interventions with traumatized children. Guilford Press.
• Haeyen, S., van Hooren, S., van der Veld, W. M., & Hutschemaekers, G. (2018). Efficacy of art therapy in individuals with personality disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 229, 403–413.
• Campbell, M., Decker, K. P., Kruk, K., & Deaver, S. P. (2016). Art therapy and cognitive processing therapy for combat-related PTSD. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 33(4), 169–177.
• Slayton, S. C., D’Archer, J., & Kaplan, F. (2010). Outcome studies on the efficacy of art therapy: A review. Art Therapy, 27(3), 108–118

Art is about making emotion visible — and while works of art are fulfilling to look at and to make, they can serve a practical purpose with just about anyone’s mental health. The last year and a half has been a lot to handle. Science backs this up — in the first year of COVID-19,...

01/27/2026

🌊 Regulation isn’t about staying calm all the time.

It’s about learning how to ride the waves when emotions run high—and finding your way back to balance.

In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we don’t aim to eliminate emotional highs and lows. Life doesn’t work that way. Instead, we build skills for:
• 🧠 noticing what’s happening inside us
• 🫶 responding with intention instead of impulse
• ⚖️ returning to baseline with more ease and self-compassion

A regulated nervous system can feel stress, intensity, and even chaos… without getting pulled under by it.

At Beachside Recovery Center for Trauma + Anxiety, we help patients learn how to surf their emotional waves—steadier, safer, and with more confidence each time.

You don’t have to be calm to be regulated.
You just have to keep coming back to center. 🌊

01/24/2026

🐨 Healing in Motion: Behavioral Activation + Animal-Assisted Therapy 🐆

This Friday, our adult Behavioral Activation Group stepped outside the therapy room and into nature through our community partnership with the Brevard Zoo. 🌿

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) isn’t just a feel-good experience—it’s an evidence-based intervention shown to support individuals navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, and complex mental health conditions.

🧠 Why it works (the science, in simple terms):

• Nervous system regulation: Interacting with animals has been shown to lower cortisol (the stress hormone) while increasing oxytocin, helping calm hyperarousal commonly seen in trauma and anxiety.

• Behavioral activation in action: Gentle movement, novelty, and engagement with living beings supports motivation, pleasure, and re-engagement—core targets in depression treatment.

• Present-moment grounding: Animals naturally anchor attention to the here-and-now, reducing rumination, dissociation, and intrusive trauma symptoms.

• Safe connection & trust: For many individuals with relational trauma, animals offer non-judgmental connection, supporting attachment repair and emotional safety.

• Mood and affect regulation: Research consistently shows improvements in mood, emotional regulation, and perceived stress following animal-assisted interventions.

At Beachside Recovery Center, we believe healing happens through experience, connection, and community—not just conversation. Partnerships like this allow us to integrate neuroscience, evidence-based practice, and meaningful human experiences into treatment.

We’re deeply grateful to the Brevard Zoo for creating a space where healing, curiosity, and compassion intersect. 💙

📸 Taken and posted with individual written consent

01/24/2026

💙 Behavioral Activation in Action 💙

This Friday, our adolescent Behavioral Activation group put values into action by volunteering with Kiwanis International. Our patients labeled and organized shoes and socks that will be brought into local schools to help ensure students from low-income families have properly fitting footwear.

Beyond supporting the community, experiences like this play a powerful role in healing.

🧠 Why volunteering supports mental health (and the science backs it up):

• Reduces depression: Behavioral Activation is an evidence-based treatment for depression. Volunteering increases engagement in meaningful activities, which research shows can improve mood and decrease depressive symptoms.

• Decreases anxiety: Helping others shifts attention outward, interrupting cycles of rumination and worry while increasing feelings of competence and control.

• Supports trauma recovery: Trauma often disrupts a sense of safety, connection, and purpose. Prosocial activities like volunteering rebuild these protective factors by fostering social connection and positive identity.

• Boosts overall well-being: Studies consistently link volunteering to increased self-esteem, greater life satisfaction, and lower stress levels—especially for adolescents developing a sense of self and belonging.

We are incredibly proud of our patients for showing up with compassion, teamwork, and purpose. Healing doesn’t only happen in the therapy room—it happens in the community, too. 🌱

01/17/2026

Behavioral Activation in Action

This week, our adult Behavioral Activation Group stepped outside the therapy room and into the community with an outing to Route 7 Karting & Entertainment for axe throwing.

For individuals navigating trauma and anxiety, overwhelming symptoms can often lead to avoidance, isolation, and feeling stuck. Behavioral activation helps break that cycle by pairing intentional movement, novelty, and connection—all in a safe, supportive environment.

Engaging in group physical activities allows patients to:
• Reconnect with their bodies through movement
• Build confidence by trying something new
• Experience healthy stress release
• Strengthen peer connection and community support

Healing doesn’t only happen in stillness—it also happens in motion, laughter, and shared experiences. Community-based activities remind our patients that joy, presence, and empowerment are still accessible, even alongside anxiety and trauma.

Proud of our clients for showing up, trying something new, and supporting one another on their healing journey. 💙

📸 Taken and posted with individual written consent