Meadowsweet
MyPTSD Pro
Reading Anthony's announcement about this forum, got me thinking, do I know what complex trauma is? I know that my own trauma being complex effected the therapeutic approach needed to heal. But somehow, all the discussion about cptsd has confused the matter by focussing the word complex onto a set of symptoms, rather than on the trauma itself.
So I had to think, what complexifies my trauma in my mind. It's the tangled string like effect of the traumas that make it really difficult or complex. So, as I deal with one aspect of one trauma, another trauma or another aspect of trauma cancels it out, or brings up another side of the constant argument in my head.
For example, if I take the stance that something in childhood wasn't my responsibility or couldn't have been helped, it seems to reaffirm that the trauma in adulthood was within my responsibility and could have been helped. So it's like there is never a logic that works across the spectrum of trauma. That's what makes it complex to deal with. I pull at one piece of string to unravel it, and it tugs on another piece and creates a new knot.
But also, the trauma experienced in my adult hood is complex in its very nature. Domestic violence in particular, is a whole mash up of different issues going on. Each issue alone could be dealt with quite logically - but it is the combination of issues that makes the domestic abuse situation almost impossible to ever convey, or even understand.
So I guess, in short, to me, complex trauma is about the multiple aspects of it. The effect of which is to make it almost impossible to untangle in my mind.
But is that what complex trauma is? Or is it that what makes it complex for me personally?
So I had to think, what complexifies my trauma in my mind. It's the tangled string like effect of the traumas that make it really difficult or complex. So, as I deal with one aspect of one trauma, another trauma or another aspect of trauma cancels it out, or brings up another side of the constant argument in my head.
For example, if I take the stance that something in childhood wasn't my responsibility or couldn't have been helped, it seems to reaffirm that the trauma in adulthood was within my responsibility and could have been helped. So it's like there is never a logic that works across the spectrum of trauma. That's what makes it complex to deal with. I pull at one piece of string to unravel it, and it tugs on another piece and creates a new knot.
But also, the trauma experienced in my adult hood is complex in its very nature. Domestic violence in particular, is a whole mash up of different issues going on. Each issue alone could be dealt with quite logically - but it is the combination of issues that makes the domestic abuse situation almost impossible to ever convey, or even understand.
So I guess, in short, to me, complex trauma is about the multiple aspects of it. The effect of which is to make it almost impossible to untangle in my mind.
But is that what complex trauma is? Or is it that what makes it complex for me personally?