Handbook of Trauma Therapy
Allie Schwartz
Just Published
Understanding Complex Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (CPTSD)
CPTSD, a long-term traumatic stress disorder, is often caused by childhood neglect or emotional abuse. While memories may not be clear, the emotional impact remains significant. This disorder is divided into three main types: avoidant, intrusive, and melancholic.
In the avoidant type, individuals deny their past, suppress their emotions, and neglect their pain. This often leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drug addiction, dissociation, emotional eating, or excessive exercise. On the other hand, the intrusive type experiences recurring anxiety, hypervigilance, and nightmares, constantly reliving the traumatic situation. Lastly, the melancholic type is characterized by negative emotions, depression, and a diminished sense of self-identity due to living in an ongoing threatening environment without an escape.
CPTSD patients endure chronic traumatic stress, which can lead to feelings of shame and unworthiness. Since children depend on their caregivers to develop a sense of security and connection, being a parent themselves can be terrifying. It becomes difficult for these individuals to form healthy relationships and often feel disconnected or numb.
Regulating emotions is crucial for CPTSD patients, as it helps reduce the impact of invalid emotions and prevents them from being overwhelmed. Strategies such as deep breathing, removing oneself from triggering situations, and questioning the validity of emotions can be effective. Additionally, finding a mantra or reminder to maintain control and increasing awareness of emotional triggers towards others can greatly assist in managing emotions.
To strengthen tolerance and emotional intelligence, swinging between safety and discomfort in a controlled environment can be practiced. By gradually exposing oneself to uncomfortable events, individuals can train themselves to handle distressing situations with resilience.
Childhood trauma often leads to a sense of learned helplessness, resulting in pessimistic thinking patterns that everything is one’s fault and nothing will improve. These individuals tend to overgeneralize negative experiences and feel ashamed of themselves. Overcoming shame involves challenging negative self-talk and understanding that it stems from relying on caregivers who were the source of fear. This conflicting emotional dynamic can cause confusion in personal identity, values, and overall security.
CPTSD triggers four common responses: fight, flee, freeze, or please. These coping mechanisms, initially adopted during childhood, can persist into adulthood as a way to protect oneself. Breaking free from relationship addictions requires deep grief and the acknowledgment of past wounds.
During a recent consultation, a counselor identified CPTSD in my case. Initially, I was taken aback, as I believed abuse only referred to physical harm. However, I came to realize that long-term verbal abuse and emotional neglect were equally damaging. Recognizing this emotional violence allowed me to gradually establish boundaries, handle my emotions honestly, and advocate for myself. Although the process of mourning my younger self has been challenging, it has ultimately helped me understand that emotional attacks were not my fault.
My journey towards healing continues, and I strive for continued progress.
Source: Xia Jiusheng https://www.instagram.com/p/CvJPaomJWLT/?img_index=1
Handbook of Trauma Therapy
Allie Schwartz
Just published
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is usually associated with major experiences, after which a person is overwhelmed by intense fear or grief and tries to avoid any situations that bring back similar trauma.
CPTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) is usually long-term traumatic stress, mainly from childhood neglect or emotional abuse. Sometimes the trauma starts in the first months. Although the memory is not so clear, the physical But I have remembered those emotions and feelings that I don’t know why.
CPTSD is mainly divided into
Avoidant type: denial of the past, suppressed feelings, and neglect of pain, often extending to drug addiction, dissociation, emotional eating, excessive exercise, etc.
Intrusive type: often falls into anxiety again, hypervigilance is like a frightened bird, prone to nightmares, and immediately relives the situation.
Melancholic: Negative emotions, feeling depressed, often extending to a low sense of self-identity, usually due to living in a threatening environment for a long time but unable to escape, and there is nothing to do.
CPTSD patients are under chronic traumatic stress
CPTSD is often shamed because it feels unworthy, or its existence is simply a mistake, because children are completely dependent on their dependents to develop their sense of security and connection in the world, so being parent itself is scary. , it will be difficult for the child to recognize whose fault it is.
CPTSD wishes to form a close connection with others, but memories tell you that it is insecure to form a relationship, so it is difficult for the patient to form a normal relationship.
CPTSD patients also tend to feel numb or disconnected, but regulating emotions means reducing the damage caused by invalid emotions (such as falling into the situation again) When we are hijacked by emotions, it will inhibits our rational thinking. recommended:
❤️ Take a deep breath
❤️ Leave the scene to calm yourself
❤️ Notice your emotions and state of mind, and think if these words are true right now
❤️ Find a phrase to remind yourself when you’re about to lose control
❤️ Raise awareness to be aware of your emotional drive towards others
hit
We can practice swinging, find a comfortable environment first, slowly expose ourselves to (or review) uncomfortable events, and allow ourselves to focus on swinging between safety and discomfort in turn, in order to strengthen our tolerance and Emotional EQ.
Persistent childhood trauma is a form of “learned helplessness”, which tends to cause a pessimistic 3P: personal, universal, persistent, meaning “it’s all my fault, I screwed everything up, I never will There we are.”
Because we were raised by untrustworthy people, we often overgeneralize our own experiences, and by consciously challenging negative self-talk, believe these lying thoughts, and feel ashamed of ourselves.
Shame is characterized by thinking that we are not good. During early childhood we are completely dependent on our carers. If the person who cares is abused or neglected, there must be a biological urge to seek safety from a source of fear.
It is a very poignant fact to remember that these children fear their carers yet expect reassurance from the source of these fears. Two opposing emotions lead to confusion about their identity, values, and sense of security.
There are four types of response to CPTSD:
Fight, flee, freeze, please, traumatized children overuse these four types to get through danger.
Even though we have grown up, we still use these four methods to build ourselves moats.
Breaking relationship addictions requires a lot of grief, and it is only when we truly grieve our own past hurts that we can slowly heal from it.
During the last consultation, the counselor thought I should be CPTSD. At first, I was very surprised. I felt that I was not abused (beating and scolding) when I was a child. Why is that? n be considered CPTSD?
The counselor told me that long-term verbal abuse and emotional neglect can also be considered a type, and I didn’t understand until I went home and read the books slowly. I am not alone young, I am still in this emotional violence.
Although I have no longer learned to mourn my young self (this way, you’ll know how hard it is to learn to mourn)
But gradually I became able to recognize what was an emotional attack, and realized that it was not my fault. Slowly learn how to establish boundaries, handle your emotions honestly, reduce yourself to accommodate other people’s emotions, and strive to “fight” for yourself.
I hope I get better and better.
#Handbook #Trauma #Therapy
