According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2021), complex trauma (c-ptsd) describes both children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events—often of an invasive, interpersonal nature—and the wide-ranging, long-term effects of this exposure. These events are severe and pervasive, such as abuse or profound neglect.
In the article “Understanding Complex Trauma, Complex Reactions, and Treatment Approaches”, written by trauma expert, Dr. Christine Courtois, she summarizes complex traumatic events and experiences as stressors that are:
(1) repetitive, prolonged, or cumulative
(2) most often interpersonal, involving direct harm, exploitation, and maltreatment including neglect, abandonment, or antipathy by primary caregivers or other ostensibly responsible adults
(3) often occur at developmentally vulnerable times in the victim’s life, especially in early childhood or adolescence, but can also occur later in life and in conditions of vulnerability associated with disability, disempowerment, dependency, age, infirmity, and others.
Symptoms of complex trauma can include but are not limited to:
Reliving the traumatic experience
Avoiding situations with reminders of abuse
Changes in beliefs about you and others
Hyperarousal
Inability to regulate emotions
Negative self perception
Difficulty with relationships
Dissociation
Distorted perception of abuser
Suicidal Ideation
Treatment for complex trauma (c-ptsd)
psychotherapy
- -internal family system work
- -exposure therapy
- -cognitive behavioral therapy
- -dialectical behavior therapy
eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
medication
support groups
Complex Trauma Resources
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder
https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma
https://www.verywellmind.com/using-mindfulness-for-ptsd-2797588
