Does Complex PTSD Ever Go Away?


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 long healing might take if it happened at all. And, yet, it is possible.


Bessel van der Kolk also said,  "If the problem with PTSD is dissociation, then the treatment should consist of association." 


This is why the kind of intervention you receive is critically important. Because, talk therapy alone is not likely to make Complex PTSD go away.  Instead, it is important when receiving counseling for trauma that the therapist uses an approach that emphasizes the integration of mind and body in the healing process. The counseling you receive would then recognize the interconnectedness of psychological experiences with bodily sensations, emotions, and physical manifestations of trauma.

I like to call these approaches "embodied approaches" as they welcome you back into the awareness of and connection to your body; they help you "associate" with you.

The idea is that therapy will help you: 

  • Connect to yourself
  • Stay present with an emotion and with the body 
  • Associate the intense fear that arises with the past
  • Lessen the intensity of your reactions to triggers or reminders
  • Take on normal challenges that in the past were avoided because they felt too triggering 

Therapy that Helps


There are many evidence based approaches that are embodied and showing strong results in helping individuals heal from the impacts of Complex PTSD. They include (but are not limited to): 

EMDR (or Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)

EMDR helps you build bridges between the hemispheres while remembering the incident in small doses. It helps you develop feelings of safety, peace and relaxation. The therapist creates what is called a dual awareness state using bilateral eye movements, a pulser, or tones that alternate sides. The dual awareness makes it possible for the person to remember the incident with an increasing sense of safety and calm.  

Brainspotting 

Brainspotting is similar to EMDR, but you do not have to remember the incident. You instead focus on a particular spot (engaging your brain), enhance your mind-body awareness, and increase mindfulness. When the incidents are too painful or scary to remember, brainspotting is a great option, and helps lessen emotional reactivity while increasing your awareness and connection to yourself. 

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Imagine your mind as a family with different members, each with their own personalities and roles. These "parts" can sometimes conflict or have different needs and desires. For instance, you may have a part of you that feels ashamed of a reaction you had and another part of you that feels like it was completely understandable and justified. IFS therapy helps you understand and communicate with these inner parts, understand the various aspects of your reactions, foster harmony and heal within yourself.

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a therapy that addresses trauma by focusing on bodily sensations and experiences. It helps individuals track and regulate their physical responses, gradually processing traumatic memories in a safe and manageable way. Through techniques like body awareness, resourcing, and titration, SE promotes healing and integration between mind and body.

Neurofeedback/Biofeedback

Neurofeedback and biofeedback provide you with real-time information about your physiological responses to stress and trauma; specifically how your body and brain respond. Biofeedback brings your attention to your heart rate, muscle tension, and breathing patterns, increases your awareness of all three, and helps you develop techniques to increase your control and Neurofeedback does the same for your brainwaves. By learning to recognize and control these responses, you can reduce symptoms of anxiety, hyperarousal, and dissociation commonly associated with complex PTSD.

Network Chiropractics

Network Chiropractics focuses on how you store traumatic responses in your body; specifically how our nervous system and spine interconnect. Practitioners use gentle touch and subtle adjustments to help imp


rove the function of the nervous system and enhance the body's ability to self-regulate and heal. Not only does the spine align itself, but the person develops more integrity in their spine and resourcefulness in their nervous system.

These are just several of my favorites, but there are many approaches that take into consideration the impact of Complex PTSD on the nervous system and address the mind-body connection. The most important thing is to find the approach that feels right for you and a practitioner with whom you feel safe.

For more information on treatment approaches go to https://www.resolvetorise.com/trauma-and-treatment.

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