What is cPTSD and Complex Trauma?
Trauma is everywhere. And people experience it in so many different ways.
For me, it felt like I could NOT handle my emotions and that “normal,” even relationships were just completely out of reach. I felt like I was constantly careening out of control. It was during my junior year of college that I finally had access to counseling and other resources to address my sense of overwhelm.
It’s been more than ten years since that time, and I’ve been on the wildest journey to try to find solid ground.
It has only been in this past year that I have finally received a diagnosis that captures my lived experiences, and through everything, I wish I knew more about the nuances of trauma and why a diagnosis matters in a journey towards healing.
C-PTSD, or complex trauma, is a result of “prolonged, repeated experience of interpersonal trauma in a context in which the individual has little or no chance of escape.” For many folks, this happened in childhood, but adult relationships like work, spouse or business partnerships can also facilitate tough circumstances that someone feels like they can’t escape.
While PTSD is listed in the DSM V (psychiatric bible of diagnoses), this cPTSD is not included.
This means that you can not be specifically diagnosed with cPTSD, since trauma-related experiences are grouped together.
If you are fortunate enough to have a doctor who can diagnose you with PTSD, you are on the right track to getting the care that you need! Many people spend years misdiagnosed (here!) and chase healing down rabbit holes of irrelevant treatment until BY CHANCE, they stumble across complex trauma material and can advocate for themselves.
This is part of the mission of this blog: to normalize the conversation around complex trauma.
My complex trauma has affected every single waking moment of my life, but I still have dreams, goals - I still appreciate beauty and fashion. I love art, skincare, and finding a good deal. :) My healing has come not just from books, therapy, a diagnosis, but from building a beautiful life outside all of that, as well. Travel has been the biggest healer for me outside of traditional therapy, which is why this blog is named after it.
Here are some symptoms of cPTSD:
Intense feelings of distrust towards the world
Constantly feeling hopeless and helpless
Difficulty controlling all emotions, not just anger
Feeling like you are different than everyone else
Avoiding forming relationships and friendships
Experiencing dissociation symptoms
Having frequent suicidal thoughts
Losing memories of trauma or reliving them
Sudden mood swings
Feeling detached from oneself
Feeling ashamed & guilty
Seeking out or becoming a rescuer
Having a feeling of always being on the alert
Feeling a loss of spiritual attachment and either ignoring or depending upon religion for self-worth
Common misdiagnoses are depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. (I have received all three)
However, since being diagnosed with PTSD earlier this year and pursuing treatment for complex PTSD, I’ve made leaps and bounds in my healing.
I finally found a caring psychiatrist who told me: depression and personality disorders tend to start in early 20s when caused by biological factors. When depressive or anxious experiences start before that (mine started at 11 or 12), there is high potential these are caused by traumatic experiences.
And this is why a PTSD diagnosis and a cPTSD treatment plan are so critical:
with depression and bipolar disorder, your treatment is to simply manage your symptoms with the expectation of doing so for the rest of your life
with anxiety, you may do talk therapy to identify ways to eliminate any causes. Otherwise, you will focus on managing/medicating your symptoms for the rest of your life
with cPTSD, you will leverage various techniques to address intense emotions around unprocessed trauma events (EMDR, brain spotting), while also gaining skills to address depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. The assumption is that as your trauma is processed and skills are practiced, your symptoms may be eliminated!
Healing is possible!
I experienced so much heartache, and made so many terrible mistakes along the way. One day I’ll write about them so you don’t have to experience them, too.
Hope this helps.
x,
sloth
Further Resources:
Beauty After Bruises Non-Profit
Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families
You may also be interested in my other related posts:
How I Know My Mental Health Is Suffering + What I Do About It
Revolution + Healing: the Intersection of Culture and Trauma
