People suffering from Complex PTSD today are often misdiagnosed with PTSD, leading to an incorrect treatment approach. While PTSD is treated through extensive recall and discussion about the traumatic event, Complex PTSD does not have a single traumatic event. Incorrect treatment can often be harmful.
one or few traumas
flashbacks
exaggerated startle reflex
avoidance of things that trigger or evoke or suggest trauma memory
nightmares about trauma
some dissociation, may include Dissociative Identity Disorder
Hypervigilance
Anxiety and Depression
chronic inescapable traumas
flashbacks
no filer, easily overwhelmed
social isolation avoidance of relationships
night terrors and chronic insomnia
includes fragmented sense of self and Dissociative Identity Disorder
Hypervigilance, some ideas of reference, preoccupation with abuser
Severe alteration in affect regulation
Physical safety is the first step to emotional safety. Without assurance of physical safety, no further treatment can be initiated.
Emotional safety is achieved through practices such as art therapy, working with animals, and activities with the 3D arts. Try to pinpoint the emotion that causes the worst feelings, and draw out that feeling.
a. Exercise!
b. Take part in a play, where there is an opportunity to be someone else
c. Keep a Notebook: Write about what triggered you, what emotions did it make you feel, why did you have this trigger, and how can you move positively through and cope with these emotions?
d. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
"Survivors endure ongoing toxic levels of stress, anxiety, endure emotional flashbacks, feel isolated, different to others, feel they can trust no-one, feel share that is not theirs to feel, but they do anyway. Compassion, patience, and empathy are vital"
~Lilly Hope Lucario