While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased within our collective awareness, there is always so much more to learn. In particular, we need greater attention paid to the concept of complex trauma. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) may sound like PTSD but it requires a different perspective to understand. Some keywords to consider are duration and volume.
When a person — especially a child, especially at the hands of someone they know — endures chronic, persistent traumatic events, it has a particular kind of effect. Sustained abuse and fear leave people believing there is no escape and thus, no hope.
What Can Cause Complex Trauma?
At the end of the day, it’s crucial to remember that each person can answer this question differently. That said, certain situations feel like inescapable captivity. This might include:
- Human trafficking
- Slavery
- Being a prisoner of war
- Stuck living in a home with domestic violence, substance use, and abuse of all kinds (physical, sexual, and emotional)
- Living or serving in a war-torn area
- Neglect and abandonment (especially for children)
Scenarios like this typically have an immense impact on the thoughts and actions of any complex trauma survivor.
What Does C-PTSD Look Like When It Comes to Behavior?
Again, this list has no limits. However, the examples given below provide a glimpse of the damage that will need to be repaired with the help of a trauma-informed practitioner.
Losing Faith
This can, of course, include spiritual faith, but it can also mean the faith we feel in other people. Complex trauma is particularly insidious in how it can prevent us from believing in ourselves. When you’ve suffered at the hands of abusers, you feel betrayed and lose self-worth. As a result, detachment and dissociation feel more self-loving than, well, self-love.
Loneliness
After dealing with ongoing pain, it’s not unusual to feel alone. You’re different from others. No one gets you or understands your experiences. Making friends or starting a relationship feels impossible, so you choose avoidance and withdrawal. As comforting as this might appear, choices like this only worsen symptoms and exacerbate such behaviors.
Obsession
In the name of survival, you may choose unhealthy coping mechanisms. For example, you can become obsessed with those who hurt you. This can take the form of relentless revenge fantasies. More commonly, survivors try to rationalize what happened. They make excuses and even blame themselves.
Can C-PTSD Behaviors Be Addressed, Managed, and Changed?
Complex trauma and C-PTSD are treatable. That’s the good news. But it’s not meant to say this won’t require work — and help from a professional. You can learn about how you respond to intense stress and, therefore, how to manage your behaviors. In addition, under the guidance of a therapist, you will address areas like:
- Recognizing when your thought patterns are distorted
- Reframing and changing such patterns
- Social behaviors that contribute to isolation
- Developing new approaches for interacting with and trusting others
- Identifying and addressing any type of obsession with those who caused you pain
- Reconnecting to, appreciating, and nurturing your best self
How Is This Accomplished?
Needless to say, each case requires a personalized approach. But often, that approach will approach modalities like:
- Exposure therapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)
Each of these proven methods brings something unique to the healing process. A therapist with experience in the realm of resolving trauma will be ideally positioned to help you choose which way to go. This treatment will also include crucial self-care to bring you to a place of self-belief.
Such recovery begins with a clear understanding of how C-PTSD is shaping your behaviors. I’d love to help you learn more about trauma counseling and this exploration.