The Truth About Complex PTSD and Essential Recovery Tools

Treatment
 Education Many people with CPTSD think that their symptoms represent an innate constitution and have not recognized the association with trauma.
 Create safety
 Develop somatic and emotional awareness (Yoga, meditation)
 Empower with IFS to heal the parts of themselves that were developed in the context of trauma
 Memory integration (EMDR)
 Addressing underlying issues instead of simply struggling with symptoms in the present
• Physical
• Dizziness or nausea when remembering the trauma
• Always tense
• Startling easy
• Difficulty sleeping
• Impulsive behaviors including self-harm
• Affective
• Emotional dysregulation /Lability
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Shame
• Guilt
• Feeling afraid for no obvious reason
• Cognitive
• Reliving the trauma through flashbacks and nightmares
• Difficulty concentrating
• A negative self-view
• Environmental
• Avoiding situations that remind them of the trauma
• Hypervigilance
• The belief that the world is a dangerous place

• Relational
• A loss of trust in the self or others
• Problems with maintaining relationships (switching, trust, rages)
• Feeling detached from oneself
• Feeling different from others
• Low levels of social support
• Rescuing
• Attracted to people who are emotionally unavailable

Summary
 Ongoing or repetitive traumas alter the person’s schema, increase the number or trauma related stimuli, cause structural changes to the brain and promote the development of survival strategies such as dissociation which can lead to a pervasive sense of disempowerment and unsafeness.
 These changes ultimately lead to alterations in the HPA-Axis and corresponding problems with emotional regulation, hypervigilance, concentration, relationships and more
Summary
 Addressing the superficial symptoms without also healing the underlying causes of those symptoms is like injecting anesthetic to numb a broken leg, but never setting it.
 CPTSD, PTSD and BPD are all strongly correlated to trauma. Addressing the symptoms the person is experiencing and the causes of those symptoms is far more important than arguing about a diagnostic label.
 Until people feel safe in their skin as well as their environment, they will continue to experience symptoms.

NOTE: VIDEOS are NOT a replacement for medical advice or counseling from a licensed professional, but for educational purposes.

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Complex PTSD vs PTSD
00:03:28 - Altered Threat Response System and Emotional Dysregulation
00:06:51 - Overlapping symptoms of PTSD, CPTSD, and BPD
00:10:01 - The Implications for Trauma Survivors
00:13:20 - Symptoms of Trauma
00:16:43 - Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Sleep
00:20:07 - Symptoms of CPTSD
00:23:19 - Understanding the Effects of Trauma
00:26:28 - The Impact of Trauma on Relationships

[DocSnipes]

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[Catbooks]

As someone who has both PTSD and CPTSD, while it describes both fairly accurately, it's too ... removed is the best word I can find. People suffering from it need practical steps, not just to cope with it, but to actually heal from it, and yes, it can be done. I've been to 15 therapists in my life and none recognised it; it was only because I knew something was wrong and kept researching I finally knew what was wrong. The biggest cause of problems we face is dysregulation. The other things are just symptoms of it. Recognising dysregulation, and learning how to catch it before it goes off the charts, and how to soothe it, is KEY. I wish more mental health professions knew this so they can provide meaningful help to their clients struggling with this.

[Kathyyyyy]

Cptsd is often time misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder. I have various clients that were misdiagnosed by clinicians who have zero experience with trauma

[aban]

Discovering CPTSD explained EVERYTHING that was wrong with me/my life, and realising my negative 'character traits' weren't character flaws at all but rather the effects of trauma stress and the Fearful Avoidant attachment style it created.

I am currently three parts into 'The Body Keeps The Score' and despite having enough childhood abuse to score 8-9/10 on the ACES test I have not found it triggering at all, even though the graphic descriptions of abuse and neglect made me cry at the injustice and suffering. On the contrary, I am finding this book freeing and empowering, as it is putting all the pieces of the puzzle together for me, and lifting the shame. I've been attending the TRF book club while reading the book and many other CPTSD sufferers report the same thing - that reading this book has been life-changing for them. So I will have to disagree that people with trauma stress should not read this book, unless they are extremely fragile.

This video was useful too, with a few details I wasn't aware of. Thank you.

[lyntte]

I cannot I believe I been in therapy for over 10 years I just got diagnosed with PTSD but CPTSD explains my entire life.

[antoniac]

6 months ago, I was diagnosed with CPTSD. I endure an abusive father, bullied most of my school life, sexually assulted in high school, had a horrible relationship and found a loved one dead. It is so hard to deal with it. And for a long time, I couldn't find help.

Though therapy is helping, but I'm still struggling. I'm still having a hard time regulate my emotions, from being defensive, crying spells and low self esteem
I just want all of this to stop and be able to feel normal. Because I do not feel normal and struggle to be positive

[susanjaneterry]

The Body Keeps the Score was a wake-up call for me. I devoured it and it formed the basis of my therapy after long term abuse.

[jendrizzyy]

Some days I just wish it was all over (this dysregulated feeling) and I could go back to feeling like a human again but then I remember that I've got 20+ years of trauma to recover from. I'd say that I'm in my second year of healing. I cut off everything and everyone. I'm doing this for me.

[valeriewylie]

All of the above and then some. I do agree, with each time you go through the same trauma it becomes harder to "recover" to heal. Each time it takes away more of you, of the person you are. Though it's always there it gets harder to push it behind and leave it behind. You become less able to bounce back from the damage. Each time you become less and less of yourself. It agressivly invades your thoughts until it's all consuming. Because now your waiting, dreading and preparing for the next blow. All while your still living the pain from the prior. The worst thing though is when you look in the mirror and what you see is terrifying. That once beautiful, strong, witty, intuitive person with a mischievous spark in there eye is no longer looking back. Instead this unrecognizable sad being, that suddenly looks years past its age, that looks afraid and drained of its strength, holding on and hoping, this pittiful lifeless thing is looking back.

[Ezkaton]

I agree, CPTSD needs to be in the next DSM.

[thexpax]

we 'hang on' to a diagnosis because it explains our suffering, pathology, panic or anxiety attacks, fears, flashbacks, pains and suicidality when we have no security otherwise

[andrewchamos]

I finally have herd the truth about my mental health, all this resonates true with me, it even sounds like a true discrimination of me.
CPTSD is the first diagnosis that actually makes sense.

[im.natmel]

"Core of trauma is disempowerment and unsafeness"
wow! Been only 10:45 of video and Ive learned a lot already. Thanks so much for the great content 🙏🏽

[yveqeshy]

You mentioned the word relax and I just realized the reason I hate it so much it because it feels like an invalidation for my current feelings (granted now I understand that though my feelings are valid, they may be arising from a false premise based on my thoughts or beliefs) but I have always hated it as well as its variations, take it easy, stop overreacting, chill etc etc. Thank you for this and I hope you can do some more videos on cptsd

[TAPE_WRM]

I don't normally talk about this stuff out in the open online, but in this case I feel its warranted.

I have tremendous lifelong trauma that ranges from a wide variety of things from as early as a toddler. Being emotionally and psychologically abused growing up as well as sheltered, tormented by your peers from kindergarten to HS senior year, ignored by the adults who were supposed to protect you but instead neglected you, countless accounts of partners cheating, friends taking advantage, and people crafting premeditated attacks towards you specifically just to see you crumble from the inside. One of the top comments mentioned how you're just preparing for the next blow while still recovering from every single one prior - hit me like a ton of bricks, pun intended.

You never feel safe anymore, you're constantly on edge and you catch yourself lashing out on the people you care about strictly because people from the past had the same innocent demeanor, but in actuality had malicious intent.

Even happy memories give me flashbacks in a way now, because they're sullied and tainted by the fact those people hurt me.

C-PTSD better be added as a legitimate disorder if some neurologist doesn't want their Nobel prize shoved up their ass.

[EricG]

I’m a firefighter/paramedic with 24 years experience and I’m 100% convinced I have CPTSD. 😞

[johnseltzer]

I have CPTSD for 46 years.. The willingness to have a relationship if any kind I almost completely impossible..I let any person or person's only get so close, I don't feel that I'm capable of loving anyone.., I don't what to hurt anyone the way I've been hurt.. I know how the ending of the start of things will turn out .. It's okay to realize your reality of the failure of all relationships.When you feel most people to say it happened 46 years, you have to move on a let go .. Yeah No!!! I miss kissing and cuddling and togetherness or intamicy, sex isn't that important to me.. Nightmares every day and night, terror's every day and night, talking and fighting in my sleep...I don't want to harm anyone knowing what that feelings can become. ... I'm 58 now and Haven't had any relationship in 8 years, it's not okay knowing the ending to hurt other people..My depression for many years has been deep down depression, lately in the past 6 months I'm just a emotional mess, crying over what some may say why or what are you crying about? I have no answers but its me, like it or not, it's me ...

[stacey]

Seems like cptsd is the cause of all the dysfunctional attachments in relationships that can be generational as well. Is that true? If so, that’s a significant portion of society that would benefit from EMDR and trauma therapy. Sad that it is not already recognized in DSM and that insurance generally does not cover therapy however will pay for anti-depressants. Thank you for your outstanding videos! You enlighten so many.

[lovelypolishperson]

It's as if I was hearing my life story. I suffer from CTPSD because of being bullied by my school "friends" for around 6 years.

[nwyar]

I grew up in a very dangerous neighborhood where I was shot at multiple times. Got in many many fights and even watched people almost beaten to death and drugged with pcp when I was 13 . I’ve had such a hard time understanding what is wrong with me as a adult until as of late