I have CPTSD. Ask me anything.

@hartfire What makes some PTSD complex is how long the trauma has gone on, when it started, and how msnu seperate traumas a person has experienced.

The most common symptoms: Trauma nightmares, flashbacks, triggers, anger, fear, anxiety, eating disorder, social anxiety, isolation, shame feelings, self harm /self destructive behaviours, fear of sudden noise, inability to handle change.

Incidents that causes it are often childhood abuse or neglect. Sexual abuse especially if it happens on childhood. It can also be several seperate traumas like a car accident, sexual abuse, bullying, loosing a loved one to a desease and a fire accident to mention some.

Yes there's some correlation between childhood traumas and adult traumas if you ask me. Because if a child learns the wrong things about love for example, they're abused, they'll be more likely to subconsciously seek relationships where that is repeated as adults. Because it's familiar and it's what feels normal.

Yes trauma can be to witness someone being abused or having their identity or life threatened. That's why war veterans get the PTSD disorder. They've witnessed death.

I think it can be the result of several different abuse situations but it's more common to be a prolonged abuse by a caretaker. At least that's how I've understood it. But there's probably exceptions.

I have tried EMDR yes. To me it was incredibly helpful as I have a great visual ability according to the tests I done before being approved for EMDR. While I've heard from some that they tried EMDR and they saw nothing nothing happened it's just blocked. So it seems very indvidual who it works for and not.

Thanks for engaging ♥️

@Queendragonfly Thank you very much for all of that.
I hope many others here also benefit from reading it -
either through insight into themselves
or better empathy and understanding
for others who suffer from it.

@hartfire Really accurate information.

If I may add or re-iterate… PTSD/CPTSD can result for one large event such as a accident, but it can also be the result of continual trauma, which too many are left to face.

The US military has provided vast funding to study PTSD, which makes everyone think it’s a combat disorder. It is, but women are more likely than men to be affected by PTSD resulting from other trauma and this is often overlooked.

PTSD hold a special kinship to addiction, as the two are often seem co-morbidly.

EMDR is one line of therapy, and a very effective one for those who want to work through the initial traumas. That proves too hard for some, and so the approach of symptom management is used. Relaxation, decastastrophizing, stress exercises, CBT, etc.

PTSD is a big one; it encompasses symptoms and signs from a host of other disorders, but it is manageable. I dare say QueenButterfly is living proof.

Bear in mind, though: In the US, there is no formal disorder called CPTSD. Anyone treating it is doing so without instruction from their governing agencies. It is the current belief that the DSM-V already covers the additional symptoms listed as CPTSD, specifically, difficulty controlling your emotions, feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world, constant feelings of emptiness or hopelessness, feeling as if you are permanently damaged or worthless or feeling as if you are completely different to other people. These are all things we already treat for.

@Graylight Sounds like you might be a psychologist.
Those DSM5 symptoms you list - do they describe BPD?

@hartfire Not a psychologist. Therapist. I'd have a nicer house.

PTSD and BDS do overlap, and this is why we highly suggest people not diagnose themselves. You wouldn't forego the doctor if you had pain in your chest, assuming you could identify and fix the problem.

Very insightful, though. What we call a "rule out" condition for PTSD is specifically BPD, which can mimic or echo many of the same symptoms. And they're very different conditions. This is true along a whole line of similar but different disorders.

Half the training we go through is investigatory in nature - putting together a thousand pieces to get to one set of information and a launching point for treatment. If you have these questions because of someone specific in your life, I invite you to talk to someone who can offer ongoing and very educational talk therapy. No one has to live with uncertainty and deficiency.

@Graylight I've also read that it's more common for women with cptsd because of how SA infects our identity. Men tend to have PTSD (both veterans or family related trauma)

I'm not sure if I'm living proof though. I mean I'm alive but I'm not exactly managing it and living a normal life, far from it. I was diagnosed with PTSD when I was 16. Back then my therapist said I would never recover, I would be mentally disabled for the rest of my life.
And I have tried to prove her wrong my whole life only to realize that she knew what she was talking about.

@Queendragonfly I've found, to contradict your early counselor, that PTSD doesn't really ever resolve completely but it can be managed to the point where it's more something to be on the lookout for rather than something to struggle with every day.

It’s true that the major cause of PTSD in women is sexual trauma. That can lead to issues with worthiness, shame, self-confidence, mood…so much. A woman is more likely to internalize her victimization, resulting in feeling responsible for the wrong done to her. The human brain is so much fun.

Keep fighting the good fight. No one I saw who really put the time and effort in didn’t enjoy amazing results over the long-term.

[*and to be perfectly clear here, I engage in nothing more than chat, banter and occasional advice on this site. In no way should what I say be taken as gospel or professional direction. Just ask my wife.]

@Graylight I know people who has recovered as in they are not hindered by their PTSD. In milder cases that's a possibility but with CPTSD I haven't heard of such an outcome. My PTSD developed to CPTSD with the added traumas.

@Queendragonfly @Queendragonfly C-PTSD is differentiated by the nature of the originating traumas. it comes with no special or extra symptoms. That's why in the states it's not a recognized disorder (I notice you're in Sweden); the criteria and treatment as outlined by the DSM-V, which is, in short, the guide and bible for professional medical and psychological professionals in the US (you may use the ICD-10) covers all aspects of both conditions.

As such, a person with C-PTSD (again, not recognized here) stands as good a chance at recovery as anyone else. The road may be longer and the work more extensive, but known treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in even severe cases. Don't ever let anyone tell you your trauma is worse or bigger or more complex; it's not supportive and it's not helpful. Trauma is trauma and what might shut down one person is barely even detected by another. There is no definition of trauma other than an event or action that causes distress. Repeated trauma introduces shifts in world perspectives, ability to trust, etc; all deeper concerns not necessarily incurred in, say, a vehicle accident. But we got it - we know what to do to work through even complicated trauma. You seem to know; a person can hear healing and wellness in the voice of another and yours is clear.