Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious condition which is similar to, but different than PTSD. C-PTSD develops after ongoing trauma usually in childhood, where the person had no escape or no perceived escape.

You see C-PTSD mostly in survivors of childhood abuse. It develops in response to repeated traumas such as emotional, physical and sexual abuse, childhood neglect, being a prisoner of war, being held in captivity or human trafficking. Severe ongoing traumas such as these completely mar the normal development of a childs vulnerable brain.

In the formative years experiencing trauma like this creates a complex psychological barrier in an attempt to survive the trauma.

Some symptoms of C-PTSD are:

  • Emotional flashbacks

  • Dissociation

  • Overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt

  • Difficulties with identity and self perception

  • Chronic feelings of worthlessness

  • Suicidal ideation

  • Risky behaviors and self harm

  • Self medicating

  • Feeling completely different to others

  • Difficulty with emotion regulation

  • Avoidance of friendships and relationships

  • Distorted view of the perpertrators

  • Difficulty focusing

  • Nightmares and sleep problems

  • Hyperarousal

  • Physical symptoms such as body aches, chronic fatigue etc..

A misguided view of the self and low self worth is extremely common. Often survivors have a lot of difficulty with self perception, as the development of identity was completely interrupted. During the years most people are learning about themselves and the world and who they are in that world, a child enduring severe trauma is just learning coping skills and defenses to try to survive it.

People who suffered abuse or mistreatment in childhood frequently go on to be revictimised in adulthood. The effects of living through severe danger while the brain is developing can alter the way people interpret danger later on. Some survivors have little fear of danger, not truly comprehending it. Red flags are harder for them to spot as, for example, they are already conditioned to abusive/threatening or controlling behaviors. Coupling a difficulty with interpreting who is safe with who isn’t and low self worth - they are likely to become targets for predatory people.

The other way that this can be expressed is through heightened fear of people and danger, which can lead some survivors to completely shut everybody out, finding it difficult to create meaningful connections as the fear of becoming close to someone who could hurt them is too much. Avoidance, isolation and loneliness ensue. Both avoidant behaviors and risky behaviors can coexist in a survivor.

Because for survivors, love has frequently been experienced alongside pain. Often it is the very people who were meant to protect and care for them who hurt them.

How we can best support survivors is to understand these behaviors are a result of trauma, it is not the fault of the person how their brain had to adapt to survive. The brain in survival mode is often all the person has ever known, it takes a long time and a lot of healing to get out of those patterns.

C-PTSD is extremely hard to live with, for some its a lifelong condition, but there is hope of recovery.

If you know and care for somebody with C-PTSD, unconditional love is the best thing you could possibly provide for them. If you are somebody with C-PTSD, thank you for still being here, its a tough journey but I promise you can do it.

 

If you are in the UK and suffering suicidal thoughts you can ring the Samaritans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 116 123

If you are worried about a child you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000