CPTSD
CPTSD
Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is a newer term that has been developed to address the additional symptoms that occur in addition to PTSD symptoms in people when their trauma:
- Occurred at an early age,
- Was connected to a primary caregiver or other “safe” individual,
- Involved childhood neglect or abandonment,
- Is ongoing domestic violence or abuse,
- Is repeatedly witnessing violence or abuse,
- Involved being forced into the sex trade,
- Lasted a long time or was ongoing (i.e. being kidnapped, enslaved, tortured),
- Is not a single instance, but the person has endured multiple traumas.
Some of the symptoms people with CPTSD report are:
- Difficulty controlling emotions,
- Never feeling safe in the world or around other people,
- Constant feelings of emptiness or hopelessness,
- Feeling permanently damaged or worthless,
- Isolating from others and finding relationships difficult,
- Often feeling dissociated, depersonalized (not connected with your body), or as if reality is not real (derealization),
- Regular or consistent suicidal thoughts and feelings.
Those suffering from CPTSD and the intense symptoms often struggle with depression, addictions, and dissociation. Any of these can be short-term, but they can also become long-lasting – moments, days, months, or years. Dissociation, for example, is normal – everyone daydreams or gets lost in thought. But if your dissociation goes on for hours or days, it could be something more significant and require specialized treatment.
Similarly, depression is a normal part of life for many people in short bursts based on situations. Long-lasting depression that continues for days, weeks, or longer and feels overwhelming is more significant and can be treated and remediated.
CPTSD and its symptoms can seem huge and insurmountable. With effective trauma treatments such as EMDR and IFS being applied to current symptoms and the underlying trauma, you can heal from the effects and move beyond CPTSD.