A Series of Unfortunate Events… Otherwise Known as C-PTSD

Have you ever wondered why certain patterns, memories or feelings come up over and over, and over again? Even after years of self-reflection, journaling, or introspection? It’s as if there’s something more, something just out of reach, something you haven’t quite been able to put your finger on.

The answer might lie in something deeper, something called complex trauma or C-PTSD. I refer to C-PTSD as a “series of unfortunate events” because it often results from repeated, prolonged exposure to distressing experiences, creating a complex web of emotional and psychological challenges.

As Toronto’s NARM Therapist, I’m here to help you understand and unpack these intricate layers of trauma. With over 15 years of experience in the field, I’ve seen first hand how complex trauma can weave its way into every aspect of your life, usually starting from repeated or prolonged exposure to abuse, neglect, violence or discrimination, which often begins in childhood.

This will be the inaugural blog in a series that will explore how overwhelming experiences, especially those without the support needed to soften their impact, can lead to complex and developmental traumas.

Let’s begin our exploration.

What is Complex Trauma aka C-PTSD?

Trauma isn’t just about the event itself; it’s also about how you experienced it and your level of vulnerability at that time. What might be traumatic for one person might not be for another, depending on a variety of factors, including those that might lead to more resilience, like strong support systems, and positive past experiences. Children and people with developmental or intellectual disabilities are especially vulnerable because they rely so much on the environment, including the adults around them, for safety and care. For instance, being left alone at home for two weeks would affect a four-year-old very differently than a sixteen-year-old.

As touched on earlier, C-PTSD can arise from prolonged traumatic experiences, whether in early life or later, which can develop into complex and developmental traumas, profoundly impacting emotional and psychological growth.

The PTSD Connection to C-PTSD

Before we talk more about C-PTSD, it might be helpful to understand what PTSD is. PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a condition that can develop after you’ve experienced or witnessed a single traumatic event. It often involves intense and ongoing thoughts and feelings about the experience, even long after it’s over. This is your body’s way of protecting you so that the next time you’re in a similar situation, you’ll be better prepared to handle it. While this is meant to protect you, it can also make it harder for you to feel safe, connected, or in control of your emotions. When trauma is ongoing, especially early in life, it can lead to Complex PTSD (C-PTSD).

How Do You Know if C-PTSD Has Impacted You?

Recognizing the effects of Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) can be tough because its symptoms often overlap with other mental health issues. This overlap happens because C-PTSD can actually be the source of many other mental health challenges. The trauma creates a shaky foundation, impacting your mental health in various ways, including contributing to personality disorders or making it difficult to stay connected to a shared reality, because it’s too frightening to do so. Here are some signs that PTSD or C-PTSD might be affecting you:

PTSD Symptoms:

• Sense of Threat: Often feeling on edge, hypervigilant, or easily startled.
• Avoidance: Steering clear of places, people, or activities that remind you of the trauma.
• Reexperiencing Trauma: Reliving the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts.

Complex trauma can make your life feel more chaotic and difficult to manage. It adds extra layers, such as difficulties in relationships, trouble controlling emotions, and negative feelings about yourself, on top of the usual PTSD symptoms. These additional challenges arise because complex trauma is often rooted in environmental failures, particularly in relationships where we’ve been harmed in various ways. To survive, we had to shut down parts of ourselves or develop different strategies to keep ourselves safe, while still maintaining these relationships — whether with those taking care of us or with the larger environment we depend on. These survival strategies, though necessary at the time, contribute to the additional symptoms seen in C-PTSD, making healing and moving forward even more challenging.

Additional C-PTSD Symptoms:

• Emotional Instability: Struggling to manage emotions, experiencing intense emotional responses, or feeling numb and detached, sometimes accompanied by dissociation — feeling disconnected from your body or identity and memory gaps.
• Physical Symptoms: This emotional turbulence can manifest physically, with chronic pain, headaches, or stomach issues. These symptoms may emerge as your body responds to the ongoing stress of trauma, or as body memories from a time before you could even speak or remember.
• Relationship Difficulties: Having trouble forming and maintaining healthy relationships, often due to trust issues, fear of abandonment, or repeating unhealthy patterns.
• Low Self-Esteem: Persistent feelings of shame, guilt, worthlessness, or a fragmented sense of self.

Behavioral responses, such as engaging in self-destructive behaviours, substance abuse, or difficulty maintaining daily routines often develop as an offshoot of the additional symptoms listed above. These core symptoms can be overwhelming, but understanding them is the first step toward healing.

How Therapy Can Help

As a therapist with over 10 years of exploring and working directly with trauma I bring a wealth of insight and expertise. Therapy can offer a compassionate and insightful approach to healing trauma, recognizing that it affects not just your mind but also your body and relationships. Understanding how trauma impacts your entire being is essential in forming healthier connections and improving your overall well-being.

In therapy, you’ll have the opportunity to reconnect with your core instincts to trust, connect, and love, which may have been disrupted by early trauma. This process involves exploring how you adapted to challenging circumstances, fostering an awareness that enhances your sense of agency — your power to choose how to respond to life’s challenges.

How NARM Therapy Can Help You Work Through Trauma & Move Forward:

In addition to the wealth of experience I’ve gained through years of working with trauma and training in various therapeutic modalities, I am also certified in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), bringing a comprehensive and integrated approach to my practice.

With insightful guidance using NARM principles, you can develop healthier relationships, better understand your emotions, and rebuild a positive sense of self with intention and reassurance.

Working together, with NARM we can:

• Create a Safe Space: Together, we’ll establish a compassionate and non-judgmental environment where you feel safe to explore your experiences and emotions.
• Build Awareness: With NARM, we’ll deepen your awareness of the patterns and responses that have developed as a result of trauma.
• Enhance Emotional Regulation: We’ll work side by side to develop skills that help you understand and move through intense emotions.
• Reconstruct Self-Identity: Through NARM, we’ll support you in rebuilding a sense of self that is more inline with who you are at your core.
• Improve Relationships: We’ll explore and shift relational patterns together, to foster healthier connections with others.
• Develop Personal Empowerment: We will work together to help you gain more agency so you’re empowered to make choices that align with your values and goals.

C-PTSD can profoundly impact your life, but with the right support and therapeutic approach, it is possible to heal and move towards a more fulfilling and connected life. If you resonate with the experiences described in this blog and are ready to begin a journey of self-discovery and healing, I am here to support you.

If you’re interested in thriving in your career, growing as a person, and deepening your relationships, follow me on Instagram and Tiktok. I’m also on LinkedIn sharing professional development content for other therapists and mental health professionals.

Until next time, I invite you to craft your today with care and compassion.

References

American Psychological Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Courtois, C. A., & Ford, J. D. (2020). Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in adults: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models (2nd ed.). The Guilford Publications.

Hardy, K. V. (2023). Racial trauma: Clinical strategies and techniques for healing invisible wounds. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Heller, L., & LaPierre, A. (2012). Healing developmental trauma: How early trauma affects self-regulation, self-image, and the capacity for relationship. North Atlantic Books.

Van der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Publishing Group.