I agree, and am told by my trauma therapist, that all these things can be part of PTSD and are often just misdiagnoses when PTSD is the underlying cause (ie ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar, substance abuse, DID, BPD & other personality disorders, even schizophrenia). Who wouldn't have these problems with PTSD, complex or not? I'm not big on labels, just want to get to the root causes. I'm also a recovering alcoholic (20 years sober this April!) as well, and alcoholism, drug abuse were rampant in my family (lots of trauma survivors).
Attachment problems that I was talking about earlier aren't related necessarily to the any trauma - just an unstable attachment/bond to the primary caregiver, mother most often, due to their issues (in my case my mother had been abused as child and was being abused by my father). It happens in early childhood, up to age 6 or 7 when are learning to regulate emotion, establish safety & trust in the world. If there isn't "attunement" by the parent to the child's needs and a safe loving place for the child consistently, then proper brain development doesn't happen (this is where the left brain/right brain stuff gets set up, the neuroplasticity of PTSD). This then leads to instability/insecurity in the child, and higher susceptibility to PTSD (the actual disorder) when & if trauma does occur. We don't have a safe secure sense of ourselves and life to be able to deal with it, and usually no parental/family support either.
If we aren't "attuned"/bonded to our mother, we can't really do it with our children properly until we heal. I loved my daughter like crazy, but when she was born I was in such a bad place, I know I couldn't totally be there emotionally for her, as much as I wanted to. I hadn't dealt with my trauma at all, was still being abused by a partner (and trying unsuccessfully to get away from him), so there's just no way I could be fully in touch with her needs, I wasn't even able to take care of my own emotions/needs.
this is how I've been taught to think about some of the causes of ptsd, plus I think there's a genetic component somewhat to addiction..
B.
Attachment problems that I was talking about earlier aren't related necessarily to the any trauma - just an unstable attachment/bond to the primary caregiver, mother most often, due to their issues (in my case my mother had been abused as child and was being abused by my father). It happens in early childhood, up to age 6 or 7 when are learning to regulate emotion, establish safety & trust in the world. If there isn't "attunement" by the parent to the child's needs and a safe loving place for the child consistently, then proper brain development doesn't happen (this is where the left brain/right brain stuff gets set up, the neuroplasticity of PTSD). This then leads to instability/insecurity in the child, and higher susceptibility to PTSD (the actual disorder) when & if trauma does occur. We don't have a safe secure sense of ourselves and life to be able to deal with it, and usually no parental/family support either.
If we aren't "attuned"/bonded to our mother, we can't really do it with our children properly until we heal. I loved my daughter like crazy, but when she was born I was in such a bad place, I know I couldn't totally be there emotionally for her, as much as I wanted to. I hadn't dealt with my trauma at all, was still being abused by a partner (and trying unsuccessfully to get away from him), so there's just no way I could be fully in touch with her needs, I wasn't even able to take care of my own emotions/needs.
this is how I've been taught to think about some of the causes of ptsd, plus I think there's a genetic component somewhat to addiction..
B.
