The kind of trauma that may be a trigger for Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) is classified as being when you have experienced or witnessed a single incident of ‘actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation.’ (APA 2014)
Symptoms of PTSD include low mood, angry outbursts, poor memory, self-destructive behaviour, suicidal thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks. Recovery can be sustainable with therapeutic and social support.
Complex Trauma (CPTSD) is when you may have experienced all of the above on a regular or sustained basis over time, usually during childhood. Emotional abuse or neglect can be even more harmful than physical or sexual abuse.
Additional symptoms of CPTSD significantly include dissociation (feeling disconnected from yourself) and ongoing difficulties with self-regulation and interpersonal relationships. Recovery may never be complete, although therapy (including stabilisation and process work) can help make your symptoms feel more manageable.
Using a relational approach, such as psychodynamic therapy, has been found to be useful in the treatment of long term traumatic stress and is recognised by the NHS and Scottish Government’s guide to psychological therapies in Scotland.
As a therapist/counsellor, my areas of special interest are Complex Trauma & PTSD, childhood trauma, birth trauma.
FURTHER READING
- Trauma and Recovery: the aftermath of violence, from domestic abuse to political terror – Judith Herman, 2022
- Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation – Janina Fisher, 2017
- https://headfixers.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/the-role-of-trauma-in-mental-health-the-issue-cannot-be-ignored-any-longer/ – Dr Eoin Galavan, 2015
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel van der Kolk, 2015
- In an Unspoken Voice: how the body releases trauma and restores goodness – Peter Levine, 2010
- The Healing Fields: working with psychotherapy and nature to rebuild shattered lives – Sonja Linden & Jenny Grut, 2002
Adela Stockton, COSCA Accred/BACP Reg, Counselling/Psychotherapy, Clinical Supervision 