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Complex PTSD and PTSD: What's the Difference?

Complex PTSD vs. PTSD One of the most common misunderstandings about Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is that it is the same as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).   While they share some symptoms, C-PTSD is different from PTSD. It often happens after you experience repeated trauma, examples would be:   Childhood abuse or neglect Human trafficking Domestic violence   People with PTSD:  Re-experience their trauma through memories, nightmares, or flashbacks Avoid reminders of their trauma either in what they think about or by avoiding certain people or places Are hyper-reactive to upsetting experiences Because of the length of time  and repeat nature of the traumatic events, people with Complex PTSD have the symptoms of PTSD plus other symptoms:   The most common symptom is feeling separate or disconnected from yourself! In addition to that you may:  Have a hard time managing your feelings Have negative thoughts about yourself Use coping strategies that are harmful Fear
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How Do I Stop Insomnia?

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Approximately, 1 in 3 individuals has insomnia.  If you struggle with insomnia, you either...  Have difficulty going to sleep   Cannot stay asleep Wake up too early Sleep restlessly What Caused the Insomnia?  To address and resolve insomnia, it is helpful to understand the underlying reason for it in the first place.  The most common reasons an individual has insomnia are…   Anxiety and Depression (50-70%) Insomnia is often caused by psychological factors.  PTSD (50-90%)  c hanges occurring as the result of PTSD like hyper-vigilance, nightmares, flashbacks, fear of sleep are contributing factors to the high prevalence of insomnia for individuals who have experienced trauma.  Medical Conditions (20-30%) including, but not at all limited to, sleep apnea. In fact, many women in menopause find themselves waking up throughout the night.  Unfortunately, when individuals are struggling they often use various things to distract them from stressful circumstances that also interfere with slee
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What is PTSD?

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What is the Criteria for PTSD?  According to the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to have a diagnosis of PTSD, a person must be older than 6 years old and have  been exposed to an actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence  directly, as a witness, or by hearing about it. Some individuals have experienced repetitive traumatic events, such as is present in abuse, human trafficking, and the like.    T here are a few categories of symptoms present, after the event and lasting for at least 30 days, for individuals who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and they include: Re-experiencing of the traumatic through memories, dreams, flashbacks, or significant psychological distress reactions to reminders of the traumatic event Avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event including internal reminders (e.g., memories, thoughts, etc.) or external reminders (e.g., particular places or people) Negative changes to your thinking or mood (e.g
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Does Complex PTSD Ever Go Away?

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The Symptoms of Complex PTSD are Persistent The hallmark symptom of Complex PTSD is dissociation. According to Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps the Score,  you have an 80% likelihood of dissociation if your abuse started before you turned 14 years old.  When you were experiencing a traumatic or abusive environment, dissociation was adaptive. It helped you check out from a situation that was overwhelming and more than you could deal with psychologically. When the traumatic experience is no longer occurring, it can become problematic in your relationships, your school, or your work.  Another common experience is a sense that no one else understands and you are alone.  When you combine those two symptoms, and we know there are many more, with the criteria of complex PTSD of triggers or re-experiencing of the traumatic memories, avoidance of reminders, hypervigilance, emotional disregulation, relationship challenges, and a negative self concept it's easy to see how lon
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Complex PTSD: Effective Strategies to Lessen the Symptoms

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Just the name " Complex PTSD" is so informative. PTSD is made complex by the repetitive nature of the abuse or trauma. It puts your system into a reactive and inflammatory state that last long past the traumatic experience itself. Underlying the change to a reactive state are physical changes in your brain. Those changes don't repair themselves without an intervention. Instead your system will react as if you are being traumatized again each time you are triggered, setting in motion a reaction of fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or flop.  How Does Trauma Affect the Brain? Again and again research says trauma specifically changes three parts of the brain. Here are the three areas and the impact:   The hippocampus shrinks responsible for memory and emotional regulation.   Causing: Memory problems - forming new memories or recalling or retaining existing memories. When your hippocampus shrinks you have: Challenges learning new information Difficulty regulating emotions Difficu
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Spotting the Red Flags: Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship

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There are various reasons people end up in unhealthy relationships and various signs of an unhealthy relationship.  The most common of those reasons is you grew up in an unhealthy environment. Growing up in an abusive or neglectful environment can lead to various challenges that leave you vulnerable to unhealthy relationships as you get older.  Some examples of resulting challenges include: low self-esteem, poor boundaries, fear of abandonment, and people pleasing tendencies. Unfortunately mistreatment in childhood consistently produces difficulty trusting others and can lead to re-victimization because of an inherent devaluing of your own needs. More simply said, you may not notice the danger signs and your own discomfort and therefore stay in the relationship assuming you are the problem.  10 potential signs you are in an unhealthy relationship if your intimate partner is:  Gaslighting . Your partner minimizes your reactions to things usually by discounting or implying you are overre
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