Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Understanding the impact of prolonged stress and trauma.
What is Complex PTSD?
Both PTSD and C-PTSD stem from deeply traumatic experiences and can lead to chronic and debilitating symptoms. Both conditions may also create a lasting sense of fear and danger, even after the trauma is over.
The key difference lies in the nature of the trauma: PTSD is generally linked to a single traumatic event, whereas C-PTSD arises from prolonged or repeated trauma, often called "complex trauma." Additionally, C-PTSD of often develops as a result of trauma occurring early in life, referred to as Developmental Trauma.
The impact of C-PTSD is far-reaching, affecting nearly every aspect of a person’s life. Symptoms vary widely in type and intensity from person to person, but some common symptoms include:
Emotional Flashbacks
1.
Emotional Flashbacks are sudden and often prolonged overwhelming feeling-states of being an abused/abandoned child. These feeling states can include intense fear, shame, alienation, rage, grief and depression. They also include unnecessary triggering of our fight/flight instincts. (Pete Walker, Complex PTSD)
Toxic Shame
2.
Toxic shame is a deep, enduring sense of inner worthlessness and low self-esteem, often leaving individuals feeling permanently flawed, defective, and unlovable. It typically involves both an intense, pervasive feeling of shame and a harsh inner critic that habitually criticizes and undermines the self.
Social Anxiety
3.
Prolonged exposure to stress or trauma alters areas of the brain involved in threat perception, often leading those with C-PTSD to live in a chronic state of hypervigilance. As a result, even in safe, social settings, they may still receive internal signals of danger. This constant alertness can make socializing and relationships difficult, as it becomes challenging to be fully present with others or to experience a genuine sense of connection and belonging.
Physical Symptoms
4.
Scientific theories like Polyvagal Theory reveal that stress and trauma alter our nervous system’s response, particularly along the vagus nerve, impacting all internal organs and influencing pain perception. Additionally, individuals who have experienced trauma often learn to disconnect or dissociate from bodily sensations, as these feelings may become overwhelming.
Commonly this results in the developmental of stress related symptoms such as:
Chronic Pain, Digestion Issues, Headaches, Fatigue, Sleep Disorders and Problems with Memory and Focus.
Hopelessness and a Loss of Meaning
5.
For many individuals with C-PTSD, there is a persistent sense of being permanently broken. They may have tried repeatedly to heal, only to feel that nothing will ever improve. These intense, chronic states of suffering can erode any sense of purpose or meaning in life, leaving a person feeling profoundly lost and disconnected from the world. This profound alienation can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts or reckless behavior as coping mechanisms.
Treatment of C-PTSD
C-PTSD recovery requires a holistic, trauma-informed approach that addresses not only the psychological impacts of trauma but also its physical, spiritual, and social effects.
Having personally navigated C-PTSD and with extensive clinical experience supporting others, I understand how to guide people in their healing journey to find more balance, health, and meaning in their lives.
Many people with C-PTSD also face overlapping conditions or addictions, such as eating disorders, sexual issues, substance dependencies like drugs, alcohol, or compulsive behaviours. I offer a compassionate, non-judgmental therapeutic space where we can safely explore these issues together, helping you build emotional regulation skills that lessen the need for external coping mechanisms.
My approach integrates leading trauma-informed therapies, engaging both body and mind. I provide reliable, supportive guidance, utilising trauma-focused interventions and practical exercises to aid you in your journey toward lasting healing and health.
“One day he told me that he’d spent his adulthood trying to let go of his past, and he remarked how ironic it was that he had to get closer to it in order to let it go.”
Bessel A. van der Kolk