What's C-PTSD? I haven't had a traumatic experience, but have symptoms...

C-PTSD, or complex post-traumatic stress syndrome, is different because the trauma is prolonged or repeated, such as in child abuse or domestic violence. In addition to the symptoms listed above for PTSD, people who experience CPTSD also experience mood dysregulation, negative beliefs about themselves, and attachment disorders or other issues with interpersonal relationships. People can be triggered by a variety of circumstances that can cause them to regress, disassociate, or experience mood disruption.

When people experience prolonged abuse, especially in childhood, they may question whether what they experienced was actually abuse or just in their head. Emotional abuse, in particular, may be challenging to recover from. PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, usually occurs after an event or series of events in which a person may feel that their life is in danger. It is actually in danger many times, such as a violent attack or a car accident. It is most commonly associated with being in a war zone and witnessing horrific events. The syndrome that follows can include flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of things that remind a person of the trauma, heightened arousal, or startle response, and often mood change, irritability, depression, or anxiety. Shame or guilt is frequently associated with the abuse, so the victim is likely to question their own judgment and then feel guilty for having such thoughts.

Sometimes physical abuse or neglect is more obvious and less complicated to determine. How do you know if you may have suffered emotional abuse from a parent, partner, or other figure in your life? You could have loving parents who also made you feel ashamed. Some symptoms of emotional abuse are stating things about a person that make them feel inferior, less than, embarrassed, or guilty. Even in adulthood, victims of emotional abuse may feel guilty asking for anything for themselves or putting themselves first in any way.

You may compare yourselves to others and feel guilty for even questioning emotional abuse when you had it so much better than others you witnessed in abusive or neglectful households growing up. Your parents might have attended your events when others' parents didn't. However, you may have often felt that you weren't good enough or deserving. You may still feel embarrassed about being complimented for your achievements.

Ok, if it's complex post-traumatic stress disorder, how do you treat it? There are numerous issues to address. Sometimes referred to as small "t" traumas, the trauma of prolonged abuse wears you away like dozens of tiny cuts to your self-esteem. Each person experiences events as traumatic or not based on many things outside of the event, such as their coping skills or resilience, the ability to protect or speak up for themselves (which many survivors of emotional abuse lack due to not being allowed to self-advocate), and the power dynamic (if the abuser is an authority or more physically intimidating). Even timing, because if it occurs when you are already feeling low or weak, it can feel more traumatic. So, for each person, the events that stick out as traumatic may be different. To treat C-PTSD, we must address the traumas and develop resilience. We have to identify triggers and grieve what was lost, and in trauma, there is always loss. We need to acknowledge our fears and relearn how to advocate for ourselves and prioritize our own needs.

Recovery is possible. It may be incremental, as when you start to identify what causes emotional distress (your triggers), you can learn to stop and walk yourself through them so that they are no longer so powerful in your life.

If you think you may have symptoms of C-PTSD, you should contact a mental health professional. A counselor can help you identify symptoms and start the healing process.