Complex PTSD in 5 Minutes

The biggest difference between PTSD and CPTSD are that in PTSD the triggers are specific to the trauma. In CPTSD, the triggers are present in everyday life. Every person constitutes a potential threat, every incident carries trigger factors. There's no way out.

I like this guy. He feels safe and non-threatening.

One major symptom I experience with my CPTSD is the fear that I'm just inherently different from everyone else, that my brain's just broken and no one else could possibly understand me or what I went through. At least that's a symptom I've read before about the diagnosis that I relate to.

Having PTSD is like being a prisoner in your own mind where you are at war with yourself and have to fight everyday battles on how your mind thinks. It SUCKS

I have CPTSD. It's no fun. My biggest anger is that I haven't been able to lead a normal life. If you think something is up with a child's home life, say something.

Jeez, yes to all 8 questions. No wonder even just existing is so painful. I’ve tried so many things to heal but progress is painfully slow and everything feels so hopeless sometimes. I hope whoever’s reading this finds the peace and healing they deserve <3

I was diagnosed with cptsd since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting cptsd. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

PTSD is from extreme shock, Cptsd is the result of being shocked and then tortured by repeated trauma from which there is ko escape.😢 💔 💩💀

I was diagnosed with CPTSD about 7 years ago. You did a great job explaining it. I wish more people understood it so I think it's a great contribution to society that you spoke on this subject. Thank you

Been there, done that… still dealing with it @ 70 years old facing fear of similar vulnerabilities with impending old age.

Yesterday, for the first time in my 36 years of living on this planet, I went to see a Clinical Psychologist because the pain in my mind and body are unbearable. I finally gave up and asked for help, the psychologist told me I've been suffering from PTSD and the roots go back as old as my childhood (I chose not to mention the "events of trauma" here). Next week I'm going to have some screenings, Psychopathy test and whatnot to determine the severity of my PTSD and to provide ways to get me to mental recovery. I just found out that asking for help is not a weakness, asking for help is also you being strong and brave. I love you all..

If you're avoidant, you most likely have said to family members who had a major role in your childhood: "You only accepted me or liked me when I was happy/obedient/emotionless." This one simple statement fits with ALL the core symptoms of avoidant attachment: 1. Being overly self-reliant (and in doing so, you hide your needs, emotions, problems, and acute illnesses) 2. Pushing down anger until it explodes and manufactures the boundaries you crave but can't always ask for 3. Not wanting to burden others with your problems 4. Wanting to fix your own issues to avoid looking incompetent or even getting bullied and teased 5. Numbing out emotions with self-soothing behaviors that are either totally unhealthy or pseudo-healthy (like getting addicted to working out and healthy eating)

So glad someone connected cptsd with something other than childhood trauma. Some of us developed it from being with a narcissist

I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder but developmental trauma and c-ptsd were looked into beforehand. The trauma beforehand made it difficult for the diagnosis to be made because there is a lot of overlap and presented in a way that made a lot of psychologists believe i was just traumatised but eventually due to the fact BPD is a diagnosis of exclusion, was able to be diagnosed after a lot of evaluation. I feel for those who struggle with c-ptsd and ptsd, it is not a fun condition and I understand the effects of trauma, despite having a different diagnosis. This video was very informative, thank you!

I could remember several years ago, I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Was actually diagnosed with CPTSD. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

I was officially diagnosed with CPTSD a few days ago and I can’t actually escape my trigger because I’m in college and the trigger is a classroom and a person associated with it. It’s been difficult to try to deal with it but I just want to try.

This is well put, and I appreciate that you highlight domestic abuse. I was actually diagnosed with PTSD in my twenties, and then CPTSD in my 30s. The big difference between the two is that with PTSD the flashbacks and triggers are generally sensory and with cptsd, the flashbacks are emotional. I find that living with cptsd is extremely challenging and the fact that it's not even recognized in the DSM and people often dismiss it is really a travesty to the people who have endured tremendous trauma. Cptsd can be additive and I have experienced several Big T's as they say, as well as many small t's. There is a lot of debate about who gets PTSD and who doesn't, it is my belief as well as those who have discussed this with, that generally more sensitive and empathetic people will acquire cptsd. And such people often find themselves in abusive relationships. I also had a parent who was abusive, and endured a fair amount of trauma as a child. Well I did not develop PTSD or cptsd because of my childhood adverse experiences I believe that this kind of set me up to get it later. Because my cptsd was caused a severely abusive interpersonal situation, I generally only get triggered by people who I am close with, or especially men who I am close with romantically since my abuser was my ex-husband. People talk a lot about boundaries and I believe I've always had pretty good boundaries and having boundaries I believe led to my very pathological and predatory ex leaving. It was a war of attrition. I beat myself up about it for years because I thought that because I was completely deceived and everyone else in my life was completely deceived, there was something inherently wrong with me. Finding a good therapist who understands trauma and cluster B personality types what is so important to understanding what happened. I was able to give a name to the kind of abuse that I received, since it was rather unusual, but unusually Insidious. It also helped me redraw my boundaries because I am a people person and I do not want to forgo relationships because of a bad apple. I am still grappling with boundaries, because if somebody oversteps a boundary with me and triggers me into a dissociative state, I am not only re-traumatized, but I truly believe that I am back in a place where I was being abused, helpless, and get extremely defensive. I've never hurt anybody or done anything I really regret, but I have run people out of my house threatened to call the cops on them etcetera etcetera. This has happened with several men and I have tried to explain that by not respecting my boundaries and triggering me I was in a dissociative state which wasn't really me. It was like me watching myself from the corner of the room and really overreacting to a situation that still was not okay. It's been disappointing that in my experience that my explanation and even self-awareness was dismissed and ultimately weaponized against me later. Obviously those are some red flags! But this is a very difficult condition to explain and most people will want to completely dismiss it, and because they don't understand it they will label you as dramatic and crazy. Sometimes these people who will label and trigger you, you may have known for years. But if they don't respect you and your boundaries you have to absolutely cut them out of your life. I become quite a loner, but it's been good because I know how to rely on myself a lot more, and I also don't need validation from anybody. I am proud of myself for keeping my head above water despite what I have gone through. I know that I am strong, and I don't NEED anyone. Although gaving a partner who loves me and understands me would honestly be a dream come true.

As someone who has been formerly diagnosed with CPTSD, I can say you've done a pretty good job of summarizing an incredibly complicated state of being.

I was formally diagnosed with PTSD even tho I technically have C-PTSD. But my psychologist said it was enough to warrant the PTSD dx code, which I am honestly thankful for. It has helped me understand myself a lot better and learn how I can deal with it. It also helps other doctors take me seriously. It's such a hard thing to dx I feel. I come from a broken, narcissistic household and now suffer from having flashbacks of my childhood while watching my very own child grow up. Things will happen that most people would get so upset with him about and I completely understand him. I'm breaking my parents cycle of not giving 2 shits about their own kids emotional needs, and actually making sure my kids know that my husband and i are there for them, no matter what. I grew up knowing I was disposable....

You did great! First video of yours I’ve seen, but I will come back for sure! Thanks for sharing!