Most people are familiar with PTSD—the kind that can follow a specific, terrifying event like a car accident or natural disaster. But there’s another form of trauma that’s more chronic, more insidious, and often misunderstood: Complex PTSD (C-PTSD).

C-PTSD doesn’t come from one overwhelming moment. It comes from many—repeated over time, especially in childhood—where a person felt unsafe, unseen, or powerless.

It’s not just what happened. It’s what kept happening.

What Causes Complex PTSD?

Complex PTSD is typically the result of long-term, ongoing trauma, especially when escape or protection wasn’t possible.

Common sources include:

- Childhood emotional neglect or abuse

- Growing up in a household with addiction, mental illness, or unpredictable caregiving

- Domestic violence

- Long-term bullying or relational trauma

- Being in a controlling or emotionally abusive relationship

- Repeated exposure to unsafe or invalidating environments

While PTSD often results from a single traumatic incident, C-PTSD reflects chronic, developmental trauma—especially when a child’s emotional needs weren’t met during their most formative years.

Signs and Symptoms of Complex PTSD

People with Complex PTSD often don’t realize they’ve experienced trauma—because they’ve lived with it for so long. Instead of flashbacks or nightmares (common in PTSD), symptoms tend to show up in more relational, emotional, and identity-based ways.

Common signs include:

- Emotional flashbacks (sudden waves of shame, fear, or sadness with no clear trigger)

- Persistent guilt, shame, or low self-worth

- Difficulty trusting others or forming healthy relationships

- Hypervigilance or always feeling on edge

- Dissociation or feeling disconnected from your body or reality

- People-pleasing, perfectionism, or codependency

- Avoiding vulnerability or emotional closeness

- Feeling “too much” or “not enough”

- A harsh inner critic or chronic self-doubt

In short, C-PTSD often hijacks a person’s sense of safety, identity, and belonging.

Why Is It So Often Missed?

C-PTSD is underdiagnosed, especially because:

- It can look like anxiety, depression, ADHD, or personality disorders

- Many survivors normalize their upbringing or minimize their trauma

- Our culture doesn’t always recognize emotional neglect or relational trauma as “real” trauma

But the nervous system doesn’t lie. If you constantly feel unsafe, on guard, or ashamed of who you are—something deeper is going on.

Healing from Complex PTSD

Healing from C-PTSD takes time—but it’s entirely possible. You are not broken; you are living in survival mode shaped by your past. Therapy helps you shift into healing mode.

Effective approaches often include:

- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) – Helps reprocess and release stuck trauma memories

- Parts work/Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Helps you connect with and care for your inner child or protective parts

- Somatic therapy – Restores regulation by helping you listen to and calm your nervous system

- Relational therapy – Offers a reparative emotional experience through a safe, attuned connection with a therapist

Therapy isn’t about “fixing” you—it’s about helping you feel safe, whole, and in control of your story again.

Final Thoughts

Complex PTSD is real. And if you see yourself in this, you’re not alone. You didn’t choose what happened to you—but you can choose what happens next.

You deserve to feel safe in your body, at peace in your mind, and secure in your relationships.