What is complex trauma — Everyday Bravery Counseling

Complex trauma is a new buzzword. But what is it exactly?

When I first started trauma work over 10 years ago, a person either had PTSD or a personality disorder when it came to working with someone with trauma. Those were the diagnoses available to therapists.

Through my work I noticed not everyone fit into those boxes. I had clients who clearly had childhood trauma but didn’t have the classic PTSD symptoms of flashbacks and nightmares. What I was seeing in my work was clients who struggled feeling safe in relationships, thought very little of themselves, and had a hard time making decisions.

In my continued research on trauma, I came across this concept of complex trauma. It has also been called CPTSD, Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified, relational trauma, developmental trauma, or attachment trauma.

In this blog post, I will be outlining the 6 aspects of complex trauma according to Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, who has done extensive research on this topic and heavily advocated for the inclusion of complex trauma into the DSM (the official book of diagnoses). It was denied and that is another blog post for another day so stay tuned! I will conclude with some of my favorite resources for complex trauma.

If you struggle with these 6 things, you may have complex trauma.

Emotional Regulation.

Do you feel overwhelmed often by the minor inconveniences in life? Or do you have trouble calming down when upset? People with complex trauma have a really hard time working through strong emotions. Anger especially can be a difficult one to express and control. When you are feeling angry you may fly off the handle or shut down completely.

Memory and Attention.

One of the biggest difficulties with diagnosing complex trauma and a big reason it isn’t an official diagnosis, is because it can look like several other diagnoses, such as ADHD. As a kid, when you are in an unsafe environment, either physically or emotionally, one of your only options is to disconnect from reality. You can’t run and you can’t hide and you have to wake up the next day, get dressed, and go to school. So in order to function and not go crazy, literally, you dissociate. This is all happening unconsciously. This dissociation can lead to a host of other problems including not feeling connecting to your body or having a sense of what it feels like to be in your body, being very forgetful or having poor memory & inability to focus, and forgetting certain time periods of your life.

Self-perception or how you view yourself.

People with complex trauma often struggle with very poor self-worth and often view themselves as damaged and unloveable. They also feel like no one understands them and they are all alone in their struggles.

Relationships.

This is a big one for people with complex trauma. When you grow up with parents who are harmful and where you do not feel seen, heard, loved, or supported, this is your template for all other relationships in your future. Meaning if you cannot trust those who are supposed to love and care for you (your parents or caregivers) then how are you supposed to trust others? You have no healthy template of what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like. When you are in a romantic relationship you may shut down and you might not pick up red flags because you are hyper focused on the other person’s feelings instead of your own. Also because of feeling disconnected to your body, people with complex trauma are often unable to use bodily signals like a raised heartbeat as a guide for action. You may also feel “alive” when in relationships that are chaotic and unpredictable because this is what your nervous system is used to. People with complex trauma deeply desire connection (as we all do!) but you are terrified of it at the same time.

Somatization.

Trauma affects the body as so much research has confirmed. The best book on this is “the body keeps the score”. Many people with complex trauma have unexplainable physical symptoms that often medical doctors cannot figure out. Typical complaints include irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, headaches, upset stomach, and autoimmune disorders.

Identity.

Many people with complex trauma have a very hard time with a sense of self and purpose. You may see the world as a very dark place, unsafe, with people who can’t be trusted.

Bessel described it like this, “This is a profound, persistent, and physical sense of learned helplessness that dramatically affects the capacity to formulate options, make choices, act on one’s own behalf, or implement changes in one’s life.”

When I began to learn about complex trauma and all of its intricacies, it made so much sense with what I was actually seeing with my clients. A lot of my clients had hazy childhoods with limited memories, they struggled with trusting others, they had a hard time remembering their coping skills in between sessions, and they felt really lost and hopeless.

I know labels aren’t everything and sometimes can do more harm than good but for a lot of my clients, being able to name their experiences has given them so much hope and understanding. Now there is so much research being done on complex trauma, so many books being written, and more and more therapists being trained in how to help and support those who have it.

If you aren’t sure what your struggles mean and want to explore your past further, I would love to chat. Schedule your FREE 15 consult today. Click here.