Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is often misunderstood, as the condition itself and its symptoms are rooted deeper than standard PTSD. The complexities stem from ongoing, inescapable, and disheartening trauma, causing feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and shame.
Does this sound familiar? The problem is, where are you supposed to turn when you know your trauma is so deep? Many Floridians felt the same, as over 1.6 million residents have a mental health condition but do not receive treatment.
At Clean Recovery Centers, our goal is to help connect those living with CPTSD and other mental health conditions to quality care. Complex PTSD takes time, compassion, and willingness to heal. Our dedicated team will be with you every step of the way. Let’s talk about what complex PTSD entails and what options are available for treatment.
What Is Complex PTSD? Understanding the Impact of Ongoing Trauma
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a mental health condition that results from prolonged, repeated exposure to traumatic experiences. These typically involve emotional abuse, neglect, captivity, or trafficking. While standard PTSD develops after a traumatic incident, such as a car accident or natural disaster, CPTSD stems from chronic trauma, usually beginning in childhood.
Survivors of CPTSD live in a constant state of fear or emotional unease, adapting to survive in unpredictable surroundings. This response becomes ingrained, as your mind and body are in a constant state of fight or flight. Unlike traditional trauma responses, which often center around fear and hypervigilance, CPTSD impacts your sense of self, ability to regulate emotions, and ability to feel safe.
What Causes Complex PTSD? The Roots of Long-Term Emotional Wounds
CPTSD does not appear from a singular event, even if the situation is emotional or hurtful. Instead, it’s the accumulation of many traumatic experiences, especially when those experiences occur in early development or within relationships that were thought to be built on trust and loyalty. Common causes of CPTSD include:
- Chronic childhood abuse, abandonment, or neglect
- Prolonged domestic violence, especially when the survivor feels trapped in the relationship
- Human trafficking
- Growing up in unstable environments, such as homelessness or war zones
- Prolonged exposure to community violence or bullying
- Abuse within a school system, foster care, or an environment that was meant to be nurturing
During the time of experiencing the trauma, you may not feel the effects of CPTSD. Once removed, the flood of memories and fears of the unknown future causes a plethora of emotions and symptoms, a hallmark of the condition.
CPTSD vs. PTSD: What Makes Complex Trauma So Different?
Though both CPTSD and PTSD involve trauma, they differ in how they begin and how they affect the person individually.
PTSD often stems from a singular event. This could be a car accident, a natural disaster, a medical procedure, a violent crime, or an assault. Through therapies and medications, PTSD is often managed and resolved by honing in on the experience and resolving stressful thoughts.
CPTSD, however, involves repeated and prolonged trauma, often during critical developmental years. Those with CPTSD experience classic PTSD symptoms, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and avoidance, but they also experience:
- Negative self-image, including feelings of self-hate or worthlessness
- Emotional dysregulation
- Difficulties forming relationships or having trust
- Dissociation, whether feeling disconnected from reality or oneself
Essentially, PTSD is characterized by surviving a traumatic event, while CPTSD is about surviving a traumatic life. It affects all aspects of the person’s life – emotional regulation, sense of identity, and connection to others, which can be lifelong without treatment.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Complex PTSD
The symptoms of CPTSD are wide-ranging and often overlap with other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder (BPD), or dissociative disorders. Many survivors go years misdiagnosed or undertreated because their symptoms are so complex. Common symptoms of CPTSD include:
- Emotional flashbacks, which bring on guilt, shame, or worthlessness
- Difficulty trusting others
- Hypervigilance of the environment and people around
- Avoiding certain situations or places
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- Spacing out or losing time
- Believing there is no hope of feeling any different
- Intrusive thoughts or nightmares
How Is Complex PTSD Diagnosed? What to Expect During Evaluation
Diagnosing complex PTSD involves a variety of testing, including physical and mental. A physical evaluation must be conducted to rule out any underlying conditions that may be contributing to your symptoms. Once complete, mental health professionals will conduct their own examinations. These include clinical interviews where they examine your history, current symptoms, relationships, and emotional responses. From there, a trauma history assessment will be administered to understand if there were any ACEs in childhood or if the trauma occurred in adulthood. Lastly, a mental health screening will be conducted to ensure there are no other mental health conditions present.
CPTSD is deeply rooted, and it can be difficult to open up about the past and the trauma that occurred. These tests and continued therapy will take time to begin the healing process, which the care team will monitor and pace along the way.
Living With CPTSD: How to Cope and Regain Stability
Coping with CPTSD is not about “getting over” trauma. It’s the process of learning how to live with the past while creating safety and meaning in the present. Healing is entirely possible, but it often unfolds in layers, over time, with patience and support.
The first step is to engage in trauma-informed therapy. Therapies like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), rapid resolution therapy (RRT), or trauma-focused CBT are beneficial for those with CPTSD as they navigate the experience and learn to limit its impact on themselves. The end goal is to improve emotional regulation and self-trust.
Depending on the nature of the trauma, building safe relationships may feel challenging. Support groups and forming peer connections are healthy ways to begin healing, as well as cultivating new, positive relationships that provide a safe space.
With CPTSD, triggers are a significant part of life and the healing process. Keeping a journal or using an app to understand what causes feelings of fear or heightens the fight-or-flight response can provide insight into what truly triggers you. This is crucial, as it helps identify specific areas to address in therapy.
In some cases, medication may be part of the treatment process. Anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotics, and antidepressants have all been shown to alleviate symptoms of CPTSD. These medications do take time to begin working, so patience is essential when first prescribed.
Get Started with CPTSD Treatment in Hillsborough County, FL
CPTSD can feel like one of the most consuming conditions – you want peace and stability, yet your mind is caught in a constant loop of fear, mistrust, and emotional overwhelm. The good news is that healing is possible, not just for your mental health but for your sense of safety in the world. PTSD treatment is designed to address the lingering impact of long-term trauma and help you reclaim your strength, clarity, and confidence. You deserve more than survival — you deserve to thrive.
If you or someone you love is living with complex PTSD, we understand how heavy the weight feels. At Clean Recovery Centers, our compassionate mental health team has helped many heal from traumatic pasts. Each of our facilities has a certified rapid resolution therapist onsite to help process the emotional turmoil of the past and guide you toward lasting relief. Call us today at (888) 330-2532 to learn more about our program offerings.
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