Understanding Trauma - Part 19 - Captivity Trauma

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Captivity Trauma is a part of Complex Trauma and it takes place in many different ways. Tim looks at the types of Captivity Trauma, the psychological control that is often used in maintaining captivity, the long-term effects of Captivity Trauma; and how to heal from it.

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[BooThing]

This is me...almost 2 weeks since I and my 2 children fled from my covert narcissistic husband. 20 years enduring narcissist abuse but I did not know it. It was just a prison I had resigned myself to endure and survive. By the grace of God, we're out and I'm here with family that cares about me.

[AnnK.-vuyp]

I’m 37 and only just realized I have captivity trauma. I was an only child living in a house with a physically and emotionally abusive father and a psychologically abusive stepmother. My dad would corner me in my room, physically intimidate and hit me in the face while my stepmom blocked my bedroom door so I couldn’t get out. I wasn’t allowed access to the internet or phone. They kept a cordless phone locked in their room and if I needed to make a phone call it had to be from the corded phone in the open kitchen where I could be monitored. Sometimes they would try to give the illusion of not being monitored but I would be able to hear them listening in on the line. I tried to buy a prepay phone at 17 but they found the charger and cut it up. I know this sounds batshit insane… but I also think there were cameras or some kind of recording devices in the house. Describing it now makes me realize how terrifying it actually was on a human level. A violent 6 foot man against a 130 pound teenage girl, with no ability to even call 911. And this was my childhood. This man had sole custody for me from age 6. He started beating me as a very young child. I’m lucky I survived. It’s no wonder I have PTSD.

[jeankipper]

Freedom. I resonate to much of what you say. Our folks were from multi generation CPTSD, and according to the stories started passing it along within a few weeks after birth. One thing that is still so acute is simply not knowing what "normal" actually is. I survived, my brother did not. We know, knew, pain. But did not, do not, know what being in safety and peace is. Now in my 70's. Still don't know.

This is accurate information. Information helps. It is not healing. I'll keep listening. I appreciate the work of uncovering, showing, that you are saying. Unspoken, unacknowledged, denied and suppressed, it can never get better.

[DeeDeeOrr]

You're the best in teaching about CPTSD.

[barblc]

Just wanted to show appreciation for all your free Youtube videos. I am well along in my healing but find them very useful for checking my progress and identifying remaining issues. Big Thank You!!

[PiyaliGhosh-yl]

If you could do one series on Malignant Narcissistic/Sociopath parents and their abuse that would be very insightful for people like us who are child of them and have no idea what is real, normal and healthy. For us Captivity and compliance is normal. However, in adult life we are facing lots of underhanded situations which for us is perfectly normal. So though we are no more captivate in real life but we are still captivate in real sense.

[sanctuaryplace]

Sounds eerily like the last few years on a national level

[williampool]

My mother was in captivity trama. I was a child seeing this all happened. So I'm a victim of that trauma saw.. so the work I have to do is just as great..

[Marie-tsrp]

Great point & highly evolved & intelligent animals are tragically suffering in zoos & circuses from inadequate space, nature & ability to form their own family & groups. Elephants, primates, giraffes & big cats😢

[debbiereichelt]

Firstt my parents kept me under house arrest for my first 22 years of my life and when i moved in with my common law it(i met him in an amatear theatre gruop and had no place to live when my parents just buggered out if town) was another 15 years. I got out of that living hell 22 years ago. I am still haunted by the awful memories, especially being laughed at and discredited for having any normal intellectual capabilities. I may have had developmental issuses, but i sure am not a "mental re$%$d.

[nairadevi]

I cannot thank you and your team enough for this incredible content. As a person who was affected by this, I’ve always sensed the truth including all the tactics that were used to eventually bring me to shut down. Listening to you was like listening to my own witness confirming that I was right about this all along. Even as a 9-10 year old my intuition kept stressing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

[dl]

Thank you for saying what you did about saying no to sharing the story. I was pressured to share my story and it put me in a tailspin for years. Ive worked through that and now have new tools on how to respond 🙏

[StarBitt]

I am 64 and just realized that captivity trauma and religious abuse are why I had such a hard time getting out of a cultish church situation. I left over 30 years ago but still have some things that come up from time to time that make me fear I should never have left. I have done enough counseling to know that what they say is not true but there is still that fear in the back of my mind. And this is a somewhat mainstream church at least in Texas. I was just susceptible to the ‘cult’ mentality because of my C-PTSD as a child. I feel like now I am getting this figured out but only just in time to die. I am very sad I didn’t find your way of teaching when I was in my twenties and my world was falling apart. I realize it was not really understood then and I did get help. But all your teaching about trauma just makes everything make sense.

[simplypositiveme]

THANK YOU TIM. I struggle so much to be with other people.

[AmosClifford]

Worthy of consideration for your list: debt captivity.

[retta]

You are the best really explaining things love you 💞

[ivanasimic]

Story of my life - spiritual abuse, 25 years of mental prison, been sued by my "pastor", hosipalized coz of that, with CTPSD and some more diagnoses. TRAUMA IS REAL, as dr Diane Langberg say . This is very good!! Thanks and blessings from Croatia europe. I would love to hear you here in Croatia some day :)

[infiniLor]

A fabulous free resource is Adult Children of Alcohololics and Dysfunctional Families

[glenncowan]

Captivity trauma; Your in the "no option" zone.

[justme]

I'd like to add to the list of captivities... There's a captivity the denial culture in our communities and societies create when they don't acknowledge or make space for the extent of the extreme harm caused by trauma - especially trauma caused by violence. When they refuse to acknowledge the reality of how much suffering so many human beings go through, what it takes to survive, the cost of survival or the cost of recovery. It's a captivity of exclusion from society because you're still suffering and need help but no one is willing to admit it, least of all give it. So the traumatised are blamed for being weak, or useless, or not trying hard enough. -Because most people want to pretend we and our suffering doesn't exist - and it's easier for society to sacrifice us and leave us behind, than to face reality and help us. It's another form of abuse/violence. It kills people