affects of c-ptsd compared to regular ptsd?

[hope4us]

my therapist said I have c-ptsd because i've experienced ongoing trauma that went on for a long period of time, it wasn't just one event. how do the effects of c-ptsd differ from regular ptsd? what kind of problems does it cause that i wouldn't have if it was only ptsd? or is it just that all the symptoms are intensified?

 

[HaveWorthjustLiedTo]

No answers, same question.

 

[Ronin]

There were badass both articles and threads on the very same topic around the site, to both of you wondering. ;)

I'll super simplify and say tldr C-PTSD in therapist talk usually denotes PTSD with strong borderline-like traits / areas like dysregulation, profound dissociation, attachment issues.

And that colloquially/ survivor groups, thats not how it gets taken, as childhood/developmental survivors co opted the label to grasp their trauma was Bad Enough.

So you really better chat up your T and ask what they meant by it.

 

[mumstheword]

Think of it like PTSD can be caused by one life threatening event or perceived life threatening event, whereas c-ptsd denotes developmental injury to the sense of self caused by compounded and compounding traumas in the formative developmental years or long term trauma that one might experience in a "death camp" type situation, or a being kidnapped and raped repeatedly over years, or the equivalent.

Developmental trauma can have many adverse symptoms and person and soul injurying effects, personality disorders, chronic dissociative, (mal) adaptive, coping mechanisms, attachment disorders, developmental delays and more.
c-ptsd is just one diagnosis someone who has endured such long term damage could be given, and usually involves trauma re enactment type relational patterns, can include eating disorders, chronic immune system issues, chronic digestive system issues, nervous system inflammation, drug and alcohol issues, the inability to discern and build healthy, as opposed to not healthy connections with others, self harm patterns of various types, suicidal ideation, depression, chronic anxiety, social phobias and avoidance patterns/ disorders, etc, and (often) involves and/or needs many, many years of intensive therapeutic practise(s) to build healthier, neural/endocrine system responses/pathways and attachments, to overcome the learnt fear-based and insecure relational patterns (with self and others) that are the consequence of such long term lack of safety, violation(s) and life and health destroying stress overload(s).

 

[Freida]

My t explained it as.....
Regular ptsd is one or two traumas to deal with and recover from
cptsd is multiple traumas over a long period of time to deal with and recover from.

Short version?
The longer/more complicated the traumas the longer/more complicated the recovery.

 

[Whirlwind]

Mine explained cPTSD alters the fundamental sense of self, view of the world etc. Referring to adults as an example only.

PTSD - An adult who has a trauma event has a framework already in place. They already had a sense of self, factual understanding of their place in the world, etc. Basically my T said they work "from" this framework and heal the damage that was done to it.

CPTSD - The framework is absent entirely or is missing big sections. What framework is there is built from the wrong material. Therapy/healing often has to break down the faulty framework and rebuild it again with proper materials.

In T talk an example would be a pervasive cognitive distortion.

Silly example;

To heal a trauma it is important to see the color "red".
PTSD person always sees blue but with time can see pink, orange, then finally red.
CPTSD is color blind and has to be taught what color even is.


Hope this helps,

Whirlwind

 

[Freida]

To heal a trauma it is important to see the color "red".
PTSD person always sees blue but with time can see pink, orange, then finally red.
CPTSD is color blind and has to be taught what color even is.

This is brilliant!

 

[Whirlwind]

@Freida .... You are too kind. Thank you so much :-)

 

[Rleathen]

C-ptsd.....using myself as an example...........more likely to have emotional flashbacks as opposed to somatic or visual. More likely to have substance abuse issues and addictive behaviours. Emotional dysregulation...........I have an incredibly dificult time just trying to label exactly what emotion I am actually feeling which makes it challenging during therapy to explain just what I am feeling. Cognitive distortions, altered core beliefs, and distorted view of oneself, others and the world. My C-ptsd is not from early childhood abuse or early chioldhood traumas that affected my mental/emotional development but from 27 years as a first responder being exposed to a career of traumatic incidents.

 

[grit]

IMHO and someone who was diagnosed with ctpsd, it all that is posted here for you by others but with one caveat, add your adult life experience which can break it or make it furtherrmore. In other words, your recovery depends on the strength of what you accumulated in life even when you were impaired....and flexible you can be to learn....
It is bad but recovery is another story.

 

[Rleathen]

There are 2 kinds of people, those that wait fo recovery to happen and those that make recovery happen....be the second type !

 

[katz]

Mine explained cPTSD alters the fundamental sense of self, view of the world etc. Referring to adults as an example only.

PTSD - An adult who has a trauma event has a framework already in place. They already had a sense of self, factual understanding of their place in the world, etc. Basically my T said they work "from" this framework and heal the damage that was done to it.

CPTSD - The framework is absent entirely or is missing big sections. What framework is there is built from the wrong material. Therapy/healing often has to break down the faulty framework and rebuild it again with proper materials.

In T talk an example would be a pervasive cognitive distortion.

Silly example;

To heal a trauma it is important to see the color "red".
PTSD person always sees blue but with time can see pink, orange, then finally red.
CPTSD is color blind and has to be taught what color even is.


Hope this helps,

Whirlwind

Thank you much for your example. It really explained it to me much better that the articles I have read.