Clarification On Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

[Nicolette]

Note: Don't quote me on this but from memory the child brain does not fully develop until the age of 21.

 

[anthony]

Maria, never give up... just work hard on finding what works for you. For some people a combination of medication and hard work will work... but CPTSD will always be more complicated to deal with than PTSD. Dealing with civilians who have PTSD vs. military with PTSD is vastly different in approach. Regardless, just educate yourself as much as possible about what is wrong, why things happen, why you do certain things, and by knowledge you can invoke change. If you don't know its wrong, or don't believe its wrong, then you cannot change. All decisions finally become yours though... only you can help you.

 

[anni]

This has been the most comprehensive, informative 'bunch' ( for want of a better word, please excuse ) of facts and explanations I've ever had the good fortune to come across, and thank you very much.

It has always FELT as Anthony said-that there is this lovely, solid base from a childhood I realize I was extremely lucky to have. The years of dreck sucked of course, and he was certainly able to pound my self esteem tp a pulp but I never did lose the child my parents gave me. I liked my therapist very much, but have to say he did give me pause for concern in suggesting the C category. In all fairness to him possibly I was not working as hard as I should have been and often resisted giving up the 'comfort' of some pretty wild depression.Iit also does give one confidence in learning to trust one's instincts because as I said, it has always felt pretty much as Anthony said. If one were afflicted with C, there would be no inherant, personal instincts to listen to, from what it sounds like. CLARITY untangles so much, and information creates clarity, if that makes any sense.

Thanks also TK. I know it's never the victim's fault, and tell other people that all the time. :) I'm still at the stage where I'm just SO angry and disgusted with myself for my part in the whole mess that I can't internlize that yet. It's genuinely not a 'woe is me, I suck, feel sorry for me' sort of mind-set, I'm just really ticked-off with myself. Actually, reading other people telling me that IS helpful and today I'll just be mad at him so thank you.

To anyone stuggling with C, I'm sorry to intrude on your thread. I hope at least that with so much good information you have postive amounts of energy to move forward with. I don't mean that in a New-Agey, hokey way. It has always just seemed to me that obtaining any good information that you did not have before means one has a direction to follow, and maybe hope. That is always postitive and literally gives you energy to fight with, I think.

Thanks very much again, and take care,

Anni

 

[maria]

Maria, never give up... just work hard on finding what works for you. For some people a combination of medication and hard work will work... but CPTSD will always be more complicated to deal with than PTSD. Dealing with civilians who have PTSD vs. military with PTSD is vastly different in approach. Regardless, just educate yourself as much as possible about what is wrong, why things happen, why you do certain things, and by knowledge you can invoke change. If you don't know its wrong, or don't believe its wrong, then you cannot change. All decisions finally become yours though... only you can help you.

Thanks Anthony. And thanks to everyone who contributed here. This thread has been very informative. A motto I've adopted for therapy is, "Knowing is always better than not knowing." All of you helped me to know more.

 

[Jagged Angel]

Jagged... you just said exactly what was stated... late teens. Late teens is not an adult, nor has the brain matured to adulthood late teens. Abuse at this stage is still childhood, not adulthood. I believe you are trying to justify your diagnosis to me, which really isn't required.

I didn't state it can't happen, but instead I stated it is extremely rare for the diagnosis to be given to someone who has no such trauma within their childhood. You fit the normal scale then if endured prolonged abuse during teen years, even as it shifts into adulthood, it started in childhood, as your brain is still medically childhood and forming. Nearly every reference you give above only further states what I am saying... because near every description clearly outlines the majority requires childhood abuse. There are very very few instances within adulthood that CPTSD would be diagnosed because the event was so traumatic that it actually changed their complete state of belief. It is rare, as already stated.

Note: Don't quote me on this but from memory the child brain does not fully develop until the age of 21.

My apologies. In light of Nicolette's information, I can see that 'childhood' extends much further than than 12 years old (which is where I thought childhood ended). Thank you for that clarification, Anthony and Nicolette.

 

[anni]

This is a small p.s. to a post from earlier. I'd thanked T.K. for a comment and now see it was Maria. Everyone's information has been super, but do not mean to be incorrect in acknowledging anyone's input. :)

Anni

 

[maria]

This is a small p.s. to a post from earlier. I'd thanked T.K. for a comment and now see it was Maria. Everyone's information has been super, but do not mean to be incorrect in acknowledging anyone's input. :)

Anni

no problem

maria

 

[anthony]

Whilst medically they say the brain doesn't mature from childhood to adult until 21, that is actually only a guide. For males it is found the majority actually don't mature until age 23 - 25, females are more around the 21 mark. However, it has also been found that if abuse / abnormal trauma has occurred during the childhood brain, then this can cause brain development to slow and take even longer to fully mature. The problem with childhood trauma before the brain is developed, is that unknowingly the brain may never fully develop due to the trauma, hence some of the real issues related to those who endure prolonged childhood trauma shifting into adulthood. The effects can and are usually devastating to say the least.... hence the often severity for those who have CPTSD.

 

[helena]

My sufferer has a plate in his right side of his brain. Am not sure exactly how much of his brain was lost/damaged but he cannot read properly (but is not aware that he can't - if that makes any sense) He has also suffered numerous other attacks on his brain and has had another fractured skill since the 1st injury. I am pretty sure that this physical damage is preventing him from taking control of the ptsd.

Neither does he 'feel' anything emotionally and has an extremely high threshold to physical pain, extremeties etc.
His memory is just shot to pieces and he rarely remembers things except from the past but that can often be distorted.

The most baffling of it all is that he doesn't think there is anything wrong with him either.

I have been trying to find out if there are any neural exercises that can compensate for parts of the brain that have been damaged/lost but have not found out very much. Am interested in the ambidextrous training too but have yet to convince him to give it a go.

Other than that, I wonder about stem cell research and how useful that would be.

 

[helena]

I came across this child and adult psychiatrist - Daniel G Amen (based in the US) who specialises in brain trauma.. He appears to have written several books on the subject of trauma and its link to personality disorders. He is also described as a being a specialist in brain imagery.

Just wondered in light of the discussion if anyone had come across him?

 

[Llama]

The biggest diagnostic criteria of CPTSD is 'Captivity'. Childhood trauma fits into this because children are essentially captives of their parents with no resources to escape on their own. There are very few times in an adults life that they are truly captive.

A person with actual CPTSD has absolutely zero concept of what is considered normal behaviours in many social aspects / life skills, because all they know is their actual behaviour, which usually carries forward the trauma cycle. It is very hard for them to break out of that cycle, because they don't know what a normal behaviour is to aim for, and instead have to actually totally 100% trust someone to guide them and actually believe what they say to be normal so they can relearn social skills, behaviours and being part of life.

I wouldn't say that it's difficult to know what a normal behaviour is. Normal is what is accepted by society. Normal moral guidelines are defined by the law, normal emotional behaviour takes longer to figure out, but if you make an effort to be aware of it, you can see what is normal and what is not. I don't think that you need to depend on a single person to define normality for you, which means you don't have to trust a single person.

If the majority of society act that way, then that is normal and that is what we should strive to emulate. Enough emulation and it becomes real.

An example of learning by rote being than for many, many years I could not break a law or rule. If there was a sign on a piece of grass that said do not walk, I could not walk on it. If I tried I'd feel horribly like I was doing something wrong because rules and laws were my guides to normal behaviour.

There is so much information available in this age of internet and media that it is so much easier to look into other peoples lives. We don't have to rely upon our therapist telling us that being abused is not normal, we can look and see how many people were and were not abused in their lives. There's too damned many of us that -were- abused, but the majority (the base line for 'normal') have not been.

 

[Tiger Kitten]

Llama,

While it is true that you can observe a lot about what is normal, reacting to situations as you see everyone else doing is not necessarily a good thing. There is a lot that is portrayed as a "normal" reaction to things that is not how one should react. I can act "normal' all I want. I still feel like I am going through the motions though. What I really feel and what I act like I feel are usually two separate things. It takes a ton of energy to put on the act. To get beyond the act it takes re-learning how to react to things and learning what is right and what is wrong for yourself. That is where having someone you can trust to help guide you is important. Society's rules and laws and "norms" are not always correct, and without some reference to what should be normal it's a maze that is easy to get lost in.

I have went the follow the rules and obey the laws route. The problem with that is that sometimes the laws and rules are wrong. For example, slavery was once considered "normal" and "right" by society. I have been learning my whole life what is considered "normal" and what is considered "moral". Somethings are just not covered by rules or laws. Sometimes we need a foundation to base our own thoughts and reactions and feelings upon. The foundation that I built my morals and standards and behaviors and reactions on was faulty. When that happens one must tear it all down and lay a new foundation. Without a proper blueprint it's possible to lay the new foundation faulty as well, and have to start completely over again. When you can trust someone to help you learn to build a good foundation it makes the building of it much easier.

Tiger