Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a psychological injury that results from protracted exposure to prolonged social and/or interpersonal trauma with lack or loss of control, disempowerment, and in the context of either captivity or entrapment, i.e. the lack of a viable escape route for the victim. C-PTSD is distinct from, but similar to, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Symptoms are:
- Difficulties regulating emotions, including symptoms such as persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, explosive anger, or covert anger.
- Variations in consciousness, such as forgetting traumatic events (i.e., psychogenic amnesia), reliving traumatic events, or having episodes of dissociation (during which one feels detached from one’s mental processes or body).
- Changes in self-perception, such as a chronic and pervasive sense of helplessness, shame, guilt, stigma, and a sense of being completely different from other human beings.
- Varied changes in the perception of the perpetrator, such as attributing total power to the perpetrator or becoming preoccupied with the relationship to the perpetrator, including a preoccupation with revenge.
- Alterations in relations with others, including isolation, distrust, or a repeated search for a rescuer.
- Loss of, or changes in, one’s system of meanings, which may include a loss of sustaining faith or a sense of hopelessness and despair.
The most informative book on Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror by Judith Herman.
Posted by stumblweedy on November 8, 2011 at 10:54 am
thanks for this
Posted by soul_sista_nyc on January 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Wow. Can’t wait to read this.
Posted by juniper7 on February 15, 2012 at 3:46 am
wow- after ALL these years of silent torture (I can present myself well to the world when I have to, but no one knows the severe depression, anxiety, shame, etc that consumes so much of my energy), and thousands and thousand of dollars spent on so many healing modalities, and now I know what my problem is.why no matter what I try (and i could probably teach healing, I have learned so much) the problems still remain. I read rewire your brain for Love this weekend which was such an “aha”. No amount of intention or insight or even advanced energy healing can access the amygdala that wakes me every night at 4am in panic, and II stay in fight or flight all day, despite my world being safe. can’t relax no matter how much exercise or previous meditation. NOW I understand why mindfullness is so important- to change the brain and its responses and heal the traumas. I don’t usually post online but I was so relieved to find you and this site. so many blessings and gratitude to you!
Posted by kaitlots on February 15, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Juniper7, you are 100% correct. I too have struggled for years and this mindfulness/ breathing model has changed my life.
Posted by juniper7 on February 15, 2012 at 4:53 pm
thank you for responding kaitlots.to feel understood for the first time is astonishing, yet most of what I’ve read about this c-ptsd is that it’s a long long recovery, i’ve already been in a long recovery and that depressed me even more. i should be working now but another sleepless night so i just did 30 minutes of the breathtrack, usually i get relaxed but i kept finding my shoulders hugging my ears and thoughts galore; it’s been a uncomfortable week to say the least with the adrenaline, so i’m wondering how long before seeing results. yes, i exercise also
however, since it has gotten much worse, it is possible that this is trauma surfacing to be released due to what I’v been doing (lots of mindfulness med and guided meditations for trauma, grief and anxiety, lots of crying, too, (what else is new?) I have a session with a powerful energy healer this afternoon and am HOPIng that this is all up for release and relief.
is there a central forum for this group or just post under the different categories?
Posted by kaitlots on February 15, 2012 at 4:56 pm
I totally understand you. I started seeing results from the breathing track in less than 30 days – start small, you will too.
And WOW – I too notice my shoulders get all hunched up too sometimes! Don’t try to fight it, just gently relac and be aware, feel the tension.
There is no forum that I know of but this blog is WONDERFUL, look around read all you can. I will let Marty reply with more details
Posted by kaitlots on February 15, 2012 at 4:57 pm
juniper7 – check out this post/comments:
http://ptsdawayout.com/2012/02/03/affirmations-aerobic-exercise-developing-the-breathing-track-and-applying-our-focus-to-every-thought-that-appears-can-improve-your-condition-in-a-month/
Posted by Marty on February 15, 2012 at 6:29 pm
hello Juniper,
I sense the anxiety and urgency you have. if you are a meditator then it is not long if you apply your emptiness in a laser like direction.
It sounds like you are in a very aroused state with high levels of cortisol. First you have to diminish the quantity by stimulatiing the para sympathetic nervous system with aerobic exercise and meditation, mindfulness, my breathing track.
My friend Alex sounds similar to your plight. He has two decades of work into zen centers, course of miracles and a few other things like this. He never knew what emptiness or no thought was about or how to apply it.
If you have done this meditative work then you have not wasted your time. We can adapt what you have and make it help you heal.
Please share your experience meditating. Do you reach emptiness, no thought for a while during a sit. How do you handle thoughts?
let me first say we need to adjust a couple of things that you are doing that is feeding your trauma and increasing your symptoms. The way you handle thoughts will decide if you improve.
When a trigger thought arrives leave it alone. We heal by staying present and not getting lured into the story of trauma. It fuels when we dissociate or venture into the past or future. Trauma does not live in this minute.
Now let us stop digging and fueling this trauma. Self talk is all positive. We do not handle thoughts, what ifs, or any way thinking about these things. We use our focus on the breath to stay present. We do not entertain negative visuals or any negative on our self worth. The ego or left brain is a computer and we are knowingly reprograming our ego to be like our true self.
next is affirmations spoken out loud to engage the frontal lobes for more effect.
Aerobic exercise I will get to later.
So please describe your sits and how you handle thoughts.
Do you see the thoughts around the late night early morning fight or flight avoidance fire alarm that you are alerting to action.
We observe the body sensations of the triggers, our own cortisol, we are learning where it settles.
Fear does not hurt us. Has any of this fear done damage at 4am. Has that trauma crying wolf at 4am ever been correct. How do we still serve a mechanism that has no reinforcement.
The 4am thing is a dud for results, would you say. has anything happened at 4am?
Marty and welcome. You can heal but it takes daily work and effort.
Posted by Marty on February 15, 2012 at 7:04 pm
I have been exactly where you are. I have tried holistic, energy healers, cranial,sacral, acupuncture, hypnosis and every therapy invented up to that time.
hard to reach the amygdala and if it is childhood trauma forget it.
I did have one healer, she could take the cortisol in my body at that time out of me. I thought that might help, but dumping of cortisol was an hourly event for me at one time.
Posted by Chuck on September 17, 2012 at 7:21 am
I’m taking a break from reading the book and found your blog while looking up C-PTSD. Is anyone of you still out there and/or getting results? Like many I have been making the rounds of different counselling/recovery options for years and am back at hopelessness.
Posted by Marty on November 10, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Hopelessness fades when you develop focus and let go of the storyline and stay present. You can heal and will if you do the daily work.
Marty
Posted by C-PTSD | Hidden Scars on April 17, 2013 at 8:26 pm
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