Childhood abuse is linked to a range of negative outcomes, including increased risk for emotion dysregulation and psychopathology such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Parental PTSD is associated with adverse child mental health outcomes, including child PTSD symptoms, internalizing problems such as depression, and the development of emotional issues in adulthood. The present review considers parent factors such as parenting styles, parental post-traumatic pathology (PTS), adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies, and the impact of traumatic or extraordinarily stressful situations on children.
Postpartum mothers without a strong support network are at a higher risk of developing PTSD in children before the age of 18. PTSD in children occurs before the age of 18, and it can develop after a child has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event. A child experiencing PTSD may experience impaired functioning across various parenting domains, including increased levels of parenting stress and lower parenting levels.
Spanking is a form of physical abuse that often leads to psychological trauma and can set up the child for future and ongoing trauma. It is not effective in disciplining children and can lead to long-lasting anxiety, social withdrawal, and severe depression. The act of hitting a child subverts the need to talk and reason out what they might have done wrong, leading to terrorized and unhappiness.
In conclusion, parental PTSD is associated with impaired functioning across various parenting domains, including increased levels of parenting stress and lower parenting levels. It is crucial for parents to recognize the potential negative effects of childhood abuse and implement appropriate coping strategies to prevent future trauma and mental health issues.
📹 The PTSD brains of children & soldiers – BBC News
Scientists have discovered that the brain structures of traumatised soldiers and children change in the same way. Subscribe to …
How do children react to abusive parents?
It is not uncommon for children who have been exposed to domestic abuse to exhibit a range of emotional responses, including fear, anger, sadness, confusion, and guilt. Such children may come to believe that they are at least partly responsible for the abuse they have suffered, and they may feel that they must choose between loving one parent or the other.
Can you have PTSD from being spanked as a child?
The extant research indicates that spanking children is as serious as other adverse childhood experiences for associated behavioral problems and future trauma risk. This is because the body stores the experience as long-lasting trauma that may persist for years.
Is being spanked as a child traumatic?
Physical punishment, even for discipline, is considered a form of trauma and is not effective in teaching children self-control or prosocial behavior. According to Gershoff, there is no situation where physical punishment is useful or necessary, as it does not teach children to behave well, reduce aggression, or teach self-control or prosocial behavior. It is not effective in the short- or long-term, and it is not a useful or necessary method for teaching children.
Can abusive parents cause PTSD?
Child physical abuse and domestic violence can cause youth to experience pervasive traumatic stress, leading to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The ongoing nature of family violence exposure can result in multiple domains of functioning problems and meet criteria for multiple disorders in addition to PTSD. These characteristics and unique factors related to children’s developmental level and symptom presentation complicate a PTSD diagnosis.
This paper discusses evolving conceptualizations in the field of trauma related to family violence exposure and reviews considerations that inform assessment and treatment planning for this population.
Children’s interpersonal violence exposure is now recognized as a potential precursor to PTSD in youth. Early examples of children’s PTSD focused on sudden, out-of-the-ordinary catastrophic events, but recent definitions of trauma stressors have expanded to include events within the range of normal experience capable of causing death, injury, or threat to the physical integrity of the child or a loved one.
This paper addresses children’s exposure to domestic violence and child physical abuse as potential precursors to PTSD in children and provides a foundational framework of knowledge essential to working with youth traumatized by family violence. Child sexual abuse and community violence, other examples of youth violence exposure, have somewhat different mechanisms of impact and have received attention elsewhere.
Can yelling at a child cause PTSD?
Yelling in a relationship can lead to various psychological effects, including depression, fear, strained communication, stress, low self-esteem, anxiety, and PTSD. The more you experience yelling, the more helpless you feel, which can result in persistent sadness and feelings of worthlessness. Fear can lead to a loss of trust and an unhealthy relationship, while strained communication can result from poor communication. Stress can result from high blood pressure, headaches, and heart issues.
Low self-esteem can result from believing your feelings and boundaries don’t matter to your partner, leading to humiliation when yelled at. Anxiety can result from increased heart rate, hyperventilation, or panic attacks due to being yelled at. PTSD symptoms can include insomnia, feeling the need to be on guard, easily startled, and self-destructive behavior.
To address these long-term effects, it is essential to seek help from mental health professionals who can help work through mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Cognitive processing therapy and other modalities can help you get to the root of these issues, or you can work through them in family or couples counseling. Taylor Counseling Group offers high-quality, affordable mental health services, providing a warm environment and highly trained counselors to help you work towards a happier, healthier future.
At what age should you stop whipping your child?
The author posits that the majority of corporal punishment should be administered before the first grade (approximately six years of age), gradually diminish thereafter, and cease altogether when the child reaches the age of ten to twelve. This is due to the fact that children exhibit a range of emotional and developmental characteristics throughout their childhood years.
Do children remember being spanked?
The recollection of being spanked during childhood can result in the development of intense anger and feelings of betrayal in adulthood.
Can getting beat as a child cause trauma?
Physical abuse can have a significant impact on a child’s life, particularly when a parent becomes a danger. Traumatic stress reactions can occur, leading to difficulties in developing and maintaining friendships, trusting authority figures, and feeling self-worthless. Children may blame themselves for the abuse and feel obligated to keep family secrets. Reactions vary depending on the child’s age, type of abuse, and duration of the abuse.
Many physically abused children become aggressive or have other behavioral problems, with some showing few or no reactions, losing their fight or flight reactions. They may also stop trying to make friends, succeed at school, or plan for the future.
Anxiety and fearfulness may also occur in abused children, as the abuse has no predictable pattern. This can lead to a child feeling numb and withdrawn, as they cannot control the potential violence and violence from their caregiver.
Can childhood beatings cause PTSD?
A review of the literature on maltreated children reveals a significant association between childhood abuse and subsequent development of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other trauma-related psychopathology. This conclusion is supported by the findings of Horwitz, Widom, McLaughlin, and White and Kaplow and Widom. This assertion is corroborated by the HHS Author Manuscripts, which are accessible via PMC as of January 8, 2016.
Should a 12 year old be spanked?
The author posits that the majority of corporal punishment should be administered before the first grade (approximately six years of age), gradually diminish thereafter, and cease altogether when the child reaches the age of ten to twelve. This is due to the fact that children exhibit a range of emotional and developmental characteristics throughout their childhood years.
What are the psychological effects of whipping a child?
By 2000, research on physical punishment had expanded beyond its effect on child aggression to include associations between it and mental health, physical injury, parent-child relationships, and family violence in adulthood. One of the first such studies linked slapping and spanking in childhood with psychiatric disorders in adulthood in a large Canadian sample. These relationships may be mediated by disruptions in parent-child attachment resulting from pain inflicted by a caregiver, increased levels of cortisol, or chemical disruption of the brain’s mechanism for regulating stress. Physical punishment is also linked to slower cognitive development and adversely affects academic achievement.
Intriguing results from neuroimaging studies suggest that physical punishment may reduce the volume of the brain’s grey matter in areas associated with performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, third edition (WAIS-III). Additionally, physical punishment can cause alterations in the dopaminergic regions associated with vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse.
These findings are consistent with the growing body of literature on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on neurological, cognitive, emotional, and social development, as well as physical health. No study has found a long-term positive effect, and most studies have found negative effects.
Research that questioned the traditional punishment-abuse dichotomy has clarified this finding. For example, the first cycle of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS 1998) showed that 75 of substantiated physical abuse of children occurred during episodes of physical punishment. Studies of the dynamics of child physical abuse have shed light on this process, which involves parents attributing conflict to child willfulness and/or rejection, as well as coercive family dynamics and conditioned emotional responses.
📹 5 signs of complex PTSD that most people miss
Have you ever heard of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)? The World Health Organization Department of …
If you have Complex PTSD you may be particularly likely to experience what some people call an ’emotional flashback’, in which you have intense feelings that you originally felt during the trauma, such as fear, shame, sadness, or despair. You might react to events in the present as if they are causing these feelings, without realizing that you are having a flashback.
I was diagnosed with CPTSD almost a year ago. I am a victim of abuse with my dad, sexually assaulted in high school, bullied through most of my school life, had an awful relationship with my ex and discovered a loved one dead. I am still struggling. I still have irregular emotions, flashbacks, hypervilgence, and a slew of other symptoms. Its a terrible thing to deal with. I really hope we raise more awareness of this new disorder. Since I learned how new it is. Thank you so much for the kind words! Means alot to me. Also glad to be able to show that you are not alone with these internal battles.
I grew up in a horrible environment. Our “home” was a war zone where nothing was stable. I would watch my mother be degraded and beaten. On top of that, I was neglected but also physically and verbally abused. I deal with cptsd still at 28, but its gotten a lot better. Teenage years and early 20s I had the flashbacks everyday, the nightmares often where i wake up crying, and the dissociation episodes were very scary and would last hours at times. I could not control my anger around people who loved me, and this wasn’t fair to them. I felt like a piece of trash unworthy of love for a very long time. Personally, the more I learned about toxic parents and how they affect us, the more it helped me heal. Its been constant work for years as I’ve continued to get help, try different interventions, and generally keep researching but it has made my quality of life much better. Don’t give up. What happened to you IS horrible and you did NOT deserve it. You are worthy of love.
I was diagnosed with cptsd since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting cptsd. Also 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. This is something that really need to be use globally to help people with similar health challenges.
“IT WILL BE OK.” …One of these days, I will get this dealt with. Your articles make me understand so much about myself and how badly things really are. If anything the soft tone voice also makes me feel calm in researching and learning mental illnesses. …sorry if this comment is phasing randomly, I sometimes find it hard to think, but that’s also probably due to the fact I might have ADHD, but yeah.
Timestamps! 1:26 – 1: Frequent feelings of trauma 2:25 – 2: Difficulty controlling your emotions 3:12 – 3: Were you saying something? 4:08 – 4: Physical symptoms when reminded of past trauma 4:56 – 5: Avoiding your trauma triggers I hope everyone is doing well. If not, remember that you’re not alone. I’m so proud of you for being here today, whether it was just getting out of bed, or simply waking up. I’m here for you, even though we may not know each other. <3
I’ve had CPTSD (and depression, anxiety, OCD, mysophonia) for 30 years. The things I’ve seen, survived, and lived through in my childhood and then surviving the war and living through that… the complex, multiple and long term trauma… it has almost destroyed me completely. I am just now starting to feel my body and brain slowly reconnect, but I am yet to FEEL safe – truly safe. It’s a deep wounding of the soul and it can take decades to heal. For all the people that have lived through horrors of life… I understand your suffering. 🙏🙏🙏
I recently started getting therapy and made an instant breakthrough when my therapist asked if I experienced any trauma. I never gave much thought to it, but I have PTSD. I was bullied a lot as a kid. But the worst part was a teacher was bullying me. She was my language arts teacher and I was having a hard time. She didn’t make it better she just kept reprimanding me, even taking me to talk to the principal a few times. I then had to go to tutoring (which I’m just now realizing it was probably considered remedial classes) and the kids made fun of me for it. My parents had enough and pulled me out before the last couple weeks when I told them what my teacher said. She stood up in front of the class and said, “You all did really well this year. Where my name ’s future in language arts is yet to be determined.” Knowing I have PTSD from my time in that school explains so much now. My anxieties. Making presentations all the way through college (only getting worse each time). My anger when I mess something up. My tendency to go “auto-pilot” when doing things like driving (disassociation). Meeting new people, making new friends and finding a girlfriend. It was only made worse with the lockdowns, I lost all my friends because we lost touch. All my anxiety, depression, irritability, loneliness, and pain stems from one old bag who is probably dead now. And now I’m 27 trying to treat something I didn’t even know I had since I was 12. It sucks. The principal told my mom that “A lot of students that had trouble with her came back to thank her.
I have C-PTSD and though I’ve mostly recovered from it, there’s always that doubt–planted by all the gaslighting and dismissive comments over the years–that my experiences were “all in my head” and that what I think is reality is completely fake/imagined. This article helps so much to confirm my reality that I definitely had/have it. Thank you so much.
complex ptsd has completely changed my life especially over the last few years. it sucks that there’s so little social awareness about it. i was always called a ‘psycho’ simply for expressing my emotions that i couldn’t hold much longer. im only human too and people need to see that; especially when i do things i regret and hurt the people i love. i’ve gotten very bad social anxiety which only seems to increase. it feels like there’s 500 voices in my head telling me what to do with my life and idk where to start. all i know is there’s a difference between interests and passions. and life is too short to not follow your passions. at the end of the day we all reach the same fate. it’s just life, it’ll be over before we know it
I didn’t know about the dissociation until now!! Nor did I even know I was going thro that with my ptsd!! This is something I’ll definitely be talking about with my trauma therapist when I see her next!! Thx soooo much Psych2go! U’re really changing the world and educating others around the world!! Props to u!! 😊
It’s been like this since I was 6. I’m 30 now. As early as age 9, I used to dissociate so hard I’d forget who I was, while my body fought my classmates for me. By the time I tuned back in mentally, I’d be in the middle of a lecture for something I didn’t remember doing wrong. The most insidious part of c-PTSD is that it affects me even when I’m not triggered. My attention span and memory seem to be permanently damaged, and that’s cost me every job I’ve ever tried to work. When I get stressed, I have seizures that I stay conscious for. This means that even when I work 100% as hard as I can, I still screw up all the time. It’s obliterated my confidence. I get self-conscious talking about my past, because there’s so many gory details, some people assume I’m making it up. I thought everyone had stories like that. I never thought of my life as uniquely awful, because the good days are so good and I love my friends so much. But the fact is, I’ve seen some shit that a lot of people haven’t.
I am in the midst of recalling trauma from 37 years ago, at my mother’s and maternal grandmother’s hands. They changed my entire personality. One of the most noticeable things was what is deemed “Compulsive Compliance,” by Bessel Van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps The Score. I became completely incapable of making my own decisions or of deciding with whom to associate. I could no longer say ‘no’ without an intense fear of losing someone (even if they were awful people, I still clung to them). I concerned myself only with others’ needs, believing that I did not even have needs. I lost the ability to truly feel happiness. I was taught that I was not allowed to be happy, joyful, sad, upset, or anything but serene compliance. I was on the verge of an emotional (angry) outburst at all times. I am reading through the book and working on publishing a memoir. I feel my story needs to be told. God’s blessings on you all for your recovery work!
I was bullied in middle school for 3 years straight and it was an almost daily occurrence that I was bullied. People made fun of me, poked around at me, and generally did as much as they could to make my day miserable. Add the fact I grew up in a household with double standards, my step brother always got away with things, but I would always get worse punishments over things. My parents never helped me talk to the school about the bullying, and constantly told me to just stand up for myself and fight them if I have to. I am not a fighter, I don’t want to hurt anyone, so I just kept telling staff to help me, almost daily. They said they’d help but they never did. Finally in 7th grade, I got so fed up with anger from being bullied that I said things I didn’t mean, and it got me emergency expelled. My bullies, still continue to get away with everything. I was punished and nobody even cared to hear me, I went to a therapist with my dad for a few months because they school told him to. My bullies then began manipulating my words that day and using them to get school security to search my bag, slander my name, and ruin my life. It never seemed to end, finally in 8th grade, on my last day, I finally snapped and fought my bully, but still afraid of punishment, I stopped because I never wanted to fight. I got punished again, and my bully manipulated the fight against me on social media and made my reputation even worse. Finally in high school, I was finally rid of my bullying, but then I would be left alone for the entire 4 years.
A close friend of mine who was diagnosed with C-PTSD told me about it a few years ago. When I read about what it was, how it happens, and potential triggers, I started crying because I had finally found a term for something I now realize I’ve been feeling for most of my life. I had been working with a therapist for a while as a soldier (A soldier with mental health issues? Shocking! 😱) and he helped teach me how to process old traumas. I keep going further back in my life identifying and dealing with them. It’s hard going, but worth it.
I am 18 yrs old and I tend to have: ✨toughts like,, if you don’t touch that tree 5 times, your loved ones are going to die”. ✨ I get overwhelmed when I have to talk to adults.☺️ ✨I tend to forget what I was talking about when I get even a little stressed. ✨I can’t control my emotions when I habe to say how I feel even if it’s something good. I explode into crying the moment I open my mouth. And usually I prefer to stay quiet. ✨I’m always stressed that maybe the person who talks with me gets annoyed by me but tries to be nice and that’s why they say we are,, best friends” or,, they love me” bcs they pity me ✨I care too much about others, even strangers I don’t know but I’m scared that maybe they won’t want my help so I get freezed when someone needs help but I’m scared to do it. ❤I never understood why I am like this but I’m trying. My parents really affected me since I was rly rly young till now and they still are the same and I can’t get used with them even now bcs they have a way in which you can’t just ignore them bcs you are involved as well without doing anything wrong.
I was a victim of severe bullying and neglect from staff in elementary school (age 9-12), it’s a horrible trauma that’s prevented me from feeling safe while driving certain routes, taking tests, being near scoops or school busses, and even getting a job. You’d be surprised how many mundane things happen to tie back to those two and a half years of hell. I’ve bounced from therapist to therapist, and nothing ever seemed to truly work, EMDR therapy is the closest I’ve gotten to true relief but even then, it can sometimes do more harm than help. The trauma I’ve faced has completely uprooted my entire life. It’s hard trying to rebuild it; my coping mechanisms have led me to destroying my body and everyday tasks are now incredibly difficult. C-PTSD is a fate I’d never wish upon any innocent soul. To all of my C-PTSD friends out there, stay strong. 💪
I found the hidden phrase! “It will be ok” I have C-PTSD from narcissistic abuse and I’m trying to learn how to be more compassionate towards myself and acknowledge the impact the abuse has had on me, as well as other trauma related to the pandemic and other triggering things that all happened around the same time, which was right around the same time that I became an adult and was expected to know what to do with my life and be self-sufficient but currently lack the capacity to do because of my current mental/psychological state. I feel like people don’t understand how my trauma still lingers or try to cancel my emotions by telling me that I shouldn’t be feeling the way I do because my abuser’s gone now, or that I’m using my abuser as an excuse to feel or act a certain way
I’m fighting this now. The VA keeps saying I have depression because they say I don’t have PTSD because it wasn’t tied to one specific event it was my entire life until about 30 and the military had a big role to play in it. Sexually and physically assaulted in the military, recalled after being out, sent to a combat zone, then sent home with almost zero notice of any of it. 12 days to go from civilian to in the Marines again Big mess getting over there. Literally told “grab your stuff we leave in 2 hours” when we returned to the US. Then from a combat zone to discharged. My second dd214 in hand and back home in less than 9 days. Return home to an employer who all but accused me of making it all up, forging federal documents just to take a few months off. Zero help from anyone when I returned. Then called names and made fun of by everyone when I started having issues. Homeless most of my 20s, looked sickly, barely ate. I am male by the way and yes I was sexually assaulted in front of over 100 people
I was diagnosed recently I was physically assaulted by my dentist from the ages of 4-8 and had a hard time going to doctors or dentists because I felt like I couldn’t trust them years later when I was starting my senior year of high school I was shot in a school shooting and I was more scared if the doctors than I was the shooter I was taken to the hospital and rushed into emergency surgery where I suffered from anesthesia awareness I could feel the breathing tube in my throat and the initial stab from the surgeon until I blacked out from pain now I fear so many things and still feel physical pain I’m training to be a nurse but I can’t work in ORs or really anything to do with surgery because the setting brings on the most horrible flashbacks and panic attacks
I’ve lost my son’s father his 2 cousins a close friend of mines and suffer from domestic abuse also my mother attempted suicide during the pandemic from fear…. I needed to hear this…..I definitely need help and be evaluated….I’ve been so depressed lately….thanks for sharing I know I’m not alone…peace and love to everyone ❤️🙏🏻🌹
I was diagnosed with CPTSD almost two weeks ago, after years and years of blaming myself for still being depressed, and for “not trying hard enough” despite countless hours of therapy and treatment. I always felt like there was something deeper than just depression and anxiety. Many past therapists showed me pity and gave me tools on how to cope, but they never really gave me any validation toward why my depression was so severe and persistent. But finally, I have a therapist who knows what’s going on, and therefore gave me an answer. Things make much more sense. Now I know the source and hopefully can head toward the path of recovery.
My mum took her life nearly 5 years ago, and I found her and had to do cpr even though she was gone and the image is fresh in my mind I still have night terrors to this day. I can’t think about it or her for too long at once because it feels like it’s happening right there and then. And the saddest part is, my whole childhood is a massive blank, can’t remember any good memories with her before the event happened even though I know we were best friends like we were bonded more than just mother and daughter, I can’t remember any fond memory. Our brains are funny things hey
“It. Will. Be. Ok.” guys stay strong also I realized that what I thought was traditional PTSD was actually CPTSD oop we all learn sometimes and thank you to everyone and Psych2Go for spreading awareness and support for so many people. Have a beautiful day you amazing people! Enjoy the summer solstice! (I smell a pun somewhere but I can’t exactly find it)
Never wanted to admit I have C-PTSD, but most of my symptoms involved being R’ed by a ex-friend of mine. They put me through months of sexual abuse and my reason for not leaving right away was because I was already used to abuse. I grew up with my biological dad abusing my mom, my first bf pressured me into unprotected sex, and emotionally abused me to the point I wanted to off myself. I recovered for the most part from being R’ed while drunk, but my biological dad still makes me feel betrayed. Most importantly, I’m still reminding myself that I’m safe from my first bf now
With the PTSD medication we’re on, the flashbacks have lessened since recovering tragic memories last year. Apparently our childhood was extremely traumatizing and horrifying. Still get flashbacks every 1-2 weeks on average. We have many disorders and diagnoses that are difficult to live with at times but we’re learning, with our therapist, to build a successful life that is worth living. C-PTSD sucks and you’re going to just have bad days where you’re just using coping skills to recover from bad flashbacks.
i really struggle to explain this kind of thing to people a lot of the time i can figure out a way to explain it to people but i always struggle more when explaining it to my gf when i cant figure out how to explain, ive started showing her your articles because you explain it so much better then i can and it gives me a second to breathe and think about what to say thank you so much for making these!!!
You described how my life is. I live with c-ptsd, form multiple traumatic situations. But I don’t have so much off memory flashbacks, but more of emotional flashbacks. So everyday things can trigger me into the fear, stress and dread feeling I had at the time of some of the trauma happened. And I struggle a lot with sensory triggers and overloads, it can be really hard to be around people sometimes. But even if things are really hard, I try to except myself for needing time to heal, and I know it’s not my fault.
Yikes, I may have this. Was sexually assaulted at a young age and saw a loved one die right in front of me mixed with being constantly bullied. I’m not sharing my triggers because I will break down in a panic attack if I think of them. But yeah, my therapist has seen the trauma take a huge effect of my life. So uh, yeah. I feel everything in this article at a personal level. It’s just the norm.
I’m 99% sure I’m juggling both cptsd and ptsd. I’ve been in a lot of executive shutdown and can’t get myself back to working my business effectively. But my autonomy right now is very low, and I’m dealing with chronic physical pain too. I just don’t know what to do because my therapist triggered me hard too, and I can’t word right to them. I just want to be safe again. Thank you for this article. Much love yall.
I’m so happy you used car accidents as an example. I’ve been told to just get over for years. It goes away but when you get told “oh I know what that’s like I got rear ended once” yes you had issues. I 100% understand you don’t mean to be insensitive. That day the fear of losing my mother, pets, life, and new home were horrible. Even after the accident, physical and mental issues follow me. Hell typing this im getting back pain. So that rear ending in a car you had, that you fixed in a quick trip to the mechanic is different. Not one is worse, but they are different and so I how everyone handles it. So thank you for doing car accidents and showing what can happen from it. It’s either brushed off or “oh I’ve done that I know what it’s like”
the phrase is: “it will be ok” honestly, I 100% have C-PTSD because of my ex fiance who was very abusive. I was stuck with him for almost three years, and I’m still recovering from the whole experience- a few friends of mine have allowed me to move in with them on the other side of the country so I can be as far away from my abuser as possible, and every now and again, something will trigger me to disassociate or have a mental breakdown, but I’m moving past it very slowly. Thankfully, I have a loving partner who has been caring and kind to me, and has been by my side for years, even before we have originally gotten together. If he wasn’t in my life, I would no longer be here on this earth because I wouldn’t even be where I am now, I wouldn’t have been able to escape from my traumatic environment I had called “home”.
I was diagnosed as having C-PTSD last month. I already “knew” it, but it was a relief to get that validation. Trying to set up EMDR sessions to see if that will help, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel or be the person I once was. It’s wild how it can make you feel as if all or a majority of you has just disappeared or died. Feels like you’re trying to live with a stranger in a body that used to belong to your former self.
My therapist didn’t say C-PTSD, but it reminded me of when I was at work. Someone said a guy was looking for me, and my friend said they saw a car that looked like my ex’s. I had a mental breakdown. I don’t remember crying in the corner in the main office. I felt paranoid. My job sent me home for the day.
I didn’t even know this was a thing. I always joked about having trauma because I would tell myself, “There’s no way I have PTSD. It was just the loss of a loved one. It happens all the time.” After this, I considered the factors and how much of my life began to change after that. How much my family began to change. A few months ago, we lost three close family members in the span of about six weeks. Since then I’ve felt even more numb than before. Now my father is at medical risk but wants to prolong any surgery, and it’s been flooding back to me…I can’t lose another loved one so soon…
I suffered from true PTSD a few years ago. With treatment and help I’ve over come most of the triggers I had. I’ve had recent traumatic experiences from a narcissistic relationship, and have been diagnosed with c-ptsd. Learning about it is good for me to know how I can move forward. Because the triggers are different and the initial reaction is different
i was diagnosed with CPTSD but mine is a lot different then seen in these articles. CPTSD has caused me to.. not really remember my traumatic events. my trauma was over years of suffering and confusion as a kid. i don’t remember ANYTHING as a kid, and if i do it’s things that caused me overwhelming joy. my doctor said this is because my brain is blocking out those memories so i don’t have a chance to remember them and start an episode. so i still have these memories but there all clouded and i can’t remember them at the moment. that is until something exactly like the traumatic thing happened. then i’ll get a flashback. i’ll remember the memory instantly and i’ll start to feel every emotion i did when i was a kid. makes me feel very childish in the moment as they are very kid feelings but they are horrifying to experience. so if you don’t remember literally anything from your childhood it might also be a sign of CPTSD
My dog died a year ago and if a memory pops up I start feeling sad but not always cry. I cry more easily and sometimes I just cry and I don’t even know why. And because of you, I started to understand more about myself. Thank you for all of these articles. You are the best and I feel like we will be the bestest friends even on earth. Again, thank you. Love, Hedge-Draw 🦔
This is the first time I ve been able to do this, I was bullied at school x my home life was chaotic. I used to escape by switching off to have a teacher asking me a question so I would quickly have to work out what wad going on first, it even affected my speech. 56 and still not quite climbed that mountain. Thank you all for sharing x making me realise I m not on my own ❤
I’ve dealt with C-PTSD for over 40 years. It’s important to understand it’s a scar. You suffered traumatic injury to your psyche. You heal up, but that scar will always ache sometimes. It’s not your fault and it’s not a choice. If you experiance symptoms it’s not because you didn’t deal with it. It means your scars are hurting. Professional help can definitely aid and treat it. You will probably always have symptoms, but you can build a life that is fulfilling and content and holds that pain as what it is…only one part of your life and not the whole.
I was diagnosed with C-PTSD yesterday. I’ve been in two very toxic relationships before, one of which was with a narcissist. But three months ago I broke up with my boyfriend who cheated on me with a prostitute 1 month after I had his baby via emergency c-section. It’s been 3 months with therapy, yet sometimes flashbacks happen that feel like I’m back to the day he told me or back on the OR table. EMDR has been helping tremendously! articles like this go a long way as well because now I can research how to help myself outside of therapy. To anyone experiencing this kind of PTSD, this won’t last forever. Every day is an opportunity to heal. You are loved, you deserve happiness. It gets better ♥️
I FINALLY got someone to listen to me and diagnose my PTSD. I’ve always known I had CPTSD but unfortunately it’s not “officially” a separate dx yet, so I just have a PTSD dx. I hate to use the word bullying because of the judgements around it being “normal”. I was severely physically abused and mentally tortured by my peers for 13 straight years of public school and either ignored or blamed by the adults tasked with caring for me. Unfortunately, avoiding my triggers means avoiding people, which has turned me into an agoraphobic mess because people are EVERYWHERE. Unfortunately extended isolation has made me realize that I’m actually an extrovert (or at least an ambivert) and having no social life was killing me. I’m trying to get better at going out, but it’s hard since there isn’t any real help for me. Anti anxiety meds are sedatives and even at the lowest dose, I immediately need to sleep. This makes it necessary to leave immediately and go home. I need help being able to manage an anxiety attack and STAY out. I can run away from anxiety on my own without meds.
#Psych2Go I like this article. I myself have CPTSD from being bullied from Gr. 1 – Gr. 11. Please do a article on trauma and non-epiletic seizures. Not alot of people know about it and I myself suffer from it every once in awhile due to past childhood trauma. I’m sure educating more people about it will raise awareness about it! Thanks for all you do!!
For myself back when I was 3-7 I was ignored, isolated, and degraded by teachers and students. Eventually there was a time when the teachers themselves would strangle me, lock me in the principals office or yell at me for certain things. This lead to me having an intense trigger of anyone touching my neck, my friends have done it sometimes as a joke. This lead to me grabbing and clawing at their hand until they stopped, mostly ending in me completely freaked out and torn up skin. These days I have realized I do need professional help, it’s not easy since alone with this I have 9 other disorders (maybe more)
I suffer from C-PTSD… I lived in an abusive house hold for 5 years of my life. Age 0-5, my first home, I witnessed my mum being beaten up and my dad threatened to push me and my mum of a sixth floor balcony, I still hear Screaming and shouting in my head. I am now 17 years old, I still remember some stuff. Even the scent of my house I can remember. At ages 0-5 I was moved house 8 times. My foster home abused me, they never fed me, they hit me and locked me in dark rooms. I never felt good enough. I learnt to dissociate with the world and pretend it was all a dream at a young age, and now I just naturally do it, without even thinking!! I’m currently writing an autobiography to help adopted children and foster children and give them hope for the future!! I’m currently getting help, and I absolutely love my therapist, but life is still hard. At age 8 I first had thoughts of ending my life, and still from this day I have these thoughts, but not as regularly anymore! I hope anyone who’s reading my comment, gets the help they deserves, and you can do it and I’m proud of you all ❤️
this example hit me hard. I got in my first crash getting on a highway exit and ever since then, I have had to avoid highways at all costs. Just the thought of getting on a highway en route to where I have to be is very overwhelming. One time, my roommate asked me to bring him Subway while he was at work and I missed the usual turn I take to his work. The next thing I knew the only other way to his work was on a highway. the entire time I was on the highway for the next three exits I was in a state of panic. hyperventilating, feeling like at any second the car would lose control, and it didn’t make it easier for me with it raining. I finally got off the highway and just as I was taking the left at the light and I saw his work, I realized, in my panicked state, I was on the wrong side of the road and there was a blocker preventing me to get back on the right side of the road. I just kept crying and saying out loud, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” while making sure I was driving as far left as I could so traffic could go around me. Not too much time later I finally made the turn to the parking lot of his work, parked, and cried for another 5 min. and after I thought I was done and got control again, I entered the store to deliver his food. only for him to ask me if I was okay, making me immediately start uncontrollably crying again.
For myself it was a series of traumatic deaths, each alone was damaging but recoverable. I had depression and anxiety issues for many years but was “coping” The sudden passing of my remaining parent and only elder figure I had left changed things. Its like it linked everything together so each traumatic memory reinforced the others. Four years on and I can’t say if anything has changed in a positive way. A car accident would be easier to explain to people rather than a 30 year story summarised as, “everyone around me seems to die or leave” Such is life?
Ive been in a pretty traumatic and toxic “relationship” and I’m having trouble figuring stuff out. I’m only 12 and I dated this girl for a few months and she ruined me. I’m not even joking, she used to send me pictures of her arms after self-harming, would manipulate me, and so on. It may sound like some typical “kids being kids” stuff, but I’m actually so scared of her. She ruined my life. I’m still going to therapy and I frequently have emotional breakdowns, meltdowns, mental breakdowns, panic and anxiety attacks, flashbacks and now I can’t trust anyone out of fear of them turning out like she did. I’m going to therapy to sort this out and I’m pretty sure it’s getting confirmed I have PTSD, but I’m still not sure if I could say I have it. This article really helps making me feel more valid and understood. Edit: I should add I also avoid things that remind me of her. I stopped loving things I really used to love because of her. I seriously will never forgive or forget what she did.
The lost of parents, and enslaved in my own family, like the fact I was told not to say no and have no rights to my own as they claim I was helpless and never able to help myself, feels like drowning in the ocean which seems to effects me for a bit and still effects a lot so I have my animals as service ones, which helps my stress. But knowing how much others neglected me when I needed help, I feel nothing a lot just so it don’t hurt but I space into time stressing from which makes my ears ring with hurt coming for 20 to 50 seconds which is why it’s hard to sleep and make me scream.
I am not sure if I have C-PTSD because I haven’t seen a mental professional. However I can say I do relate to these signs. I have felt like this after years of toxic relationships (relatives, friendships and one romantic ex-partner) with narcissists who once I dumped them, they harassed me for years. Even though I make my best effort to stay strong and heal on my own, this has taken an inmense toll in me. Every now and then, I get a lot of crying and rage outbursts. I can go from rage to tears and viceversa in matter of minutes… I cannot trust easily, and even when I trust, I panic and I have to make an effort to shoo away the intrusive thoughts. Now it’s harder for me to make friends, and most of the time I prefer distancing myself from others. Can you believe that when I trust, sometimes I want to regret and take it back? It’s horrible…
i didn’t know what type of PTSD i had, until i watched this article! Thanks! I thought it was just uncomplicated PTSD because a lot of people explain it as ‘nothing was ever fine’ so i thought i didn’t have it. i got diagnosed with a medical condition when i was young and had to take many different types of medication, and it RUINED lots of my favourite foods, because i associated the food with the medicine. everyone told me i was just being weak, or that my mind was protecting me. i also had to take lots of IVs and injectable medicines. when i was still on the pills (i got off them a while back, i was so happy) it took me a while to eat them, but then i didn’t really think about it. i handled my needles with ease, even bragging about getting it done in under 2 minutes! then, just this year, i tried to inject myself, and i did it wrong, and ended up hurting myself. then, whenever i smelled rubbing alcohol, i started thinking of the pain of the needle, whenever i saw someone eating Nutella or smelled it, i thought and i swore i could taste my pills (they were in nutella for years as that was the only thing with the right consistency) and just a few months ago, someone told me to go see someone to get my handwriting fixed (as my body adapted my writing to something less painful, ie; an almost illegible scribble) and now whenever i look at my handwriting i try to correct it or think of that moment. i just thought i’d share.
I have ADHD and suspected cptsd due to undiagnosed til 30 and previous sexual traumas. It’s hard to differentiate between the two, but for sure learning more about cptsd as noticing it more ♥️ and as anybody working through in it in therapy. Despite anything, I hope just like myself we learn to pull through our triggers, become our own safe space and hopefully find some form of home in others ♥️♥️. Thank you for this article, it’s validating and informative and a reminder of the reality of what happens x x
i think I developed CPTSD from getting hurt every time I showed any emotion. if you have a crazy bitch mom like mine you know what im talking about. I ran away from home at 19 and found a safe place to live and oh my god. Being in a safe environment meant I was safe to express my emotions and thoughts and it set me back so far because there was just so much to process… Its a truly isolating experience. Thank you for this article, I hope more people grow aware of CPTSD
Interesting… I always assumed this was how normal ptsd was, but it turns out this is a different version of it. I tend to create characters a lot, and I usually end up added some c-ptsd in there. Not really sure why, it’s just something I do I guess. Thanks for this, it’s good to know that this isn’t how all ptsd is, and that it’s a different type of one so I may be able to look more into this and do some research into this 🙂
My old therapist diagnosed me with this and I find it sad because I haven’t told her anything about my actual life. I just talk a little about how I feel about everyday life being a never-ending loop of old horrible memories replaying themselves, mental and physical. how the days seem to drag on going nowhere but to the destruction of my own mind. It got to the point where everyone I have ever know broke my trust and now I’m trying to learn that I am not my trauma
I’m so glad for these articles . For all the unlicensed professionals around me who have never gone to school a day in their life for anything mental health . All the people who try to over ride the doctors diagnosis which was severe PTSD and anxiety …. Everyone around me will try and say I’m a sociopath . Split personalities . You wish . No license un professionals who think anyone cares about your un educated opinions . Learn something . Or can your ignorance not handle truth Or does the actual truth not fit your narrative of lies
Ah, yes. An old psych liked to describe trauma as two versions: Truama (big T) and trauma (little t). Trauma: a big singular event that can be easily linked to. A car accident, gunfight, injury, etc. trauma: long series of events that leave you with a general sense of unsafety. Long-term abuse, food insecurity, poverty, harassment, disease, etc. You can also mix and match. CW: mention of abuse follows. I knew someone in their last year of undergrad prepping for med school who got mono, had their phone and wallet stolen, and had an altercation while drunk at a party where a guy kept touching them inappropriately. Any of these could result in PTSD for a person. Given who this person was, i think they would have been fine if these events were spaced out. With it all happening in 6 months, though… they ended up with CPTSD for sure.
Why haven’t you taken this down and fixed it after so many folks have told you that the information it contains is incorrect? As someone with both PTSD and C-PTSD, you’re conflating PTSD with Acute Stress Disorder and suggesting that all those that have uncomplicated PTSD have C-PTSD, which is incorrect. C-PTSD and PTSD overlap a lot in symptoms and both sustain in duration. The difference is in what caused the traumatic stress, intensity of symptoms, and there are a couple symptoms that tend to indicate C-PTSD (but this is not always a given). For the most part, the symptoms you’ve described as C-PTSD are just PTSD. Very disappointed to see that you are knowingly spreading false information.
I deployed to the middle east 2 years ago and didn’t see combat but I still haven’t felt the same since leaving. It’s a very strange feeling even though I know plenty that had it much worse than me. Not sure if I have CPTSD or anything of the sort but this article is pretty relatable. Everyone keep your heads up and keep it pushing, you got this!
I suffer from ptsd.. and every day does get somewhat better, other days, ill cry.. and lose hope, like today, it was raining when i had a flashback.. i bawled my eyes out.. looks up said “im sorry..” and an unbelievable event occured.. the rain stopped and the sun came out, to anyone suffering, it really will be okay, if you don’t think so, i understand, but i Believe in you, keep your head up, please
After struggling with my mental health for most of my teen and adult life (I’m in my 30’s now), I think I’ve come to realize that I have c-ptsd stemming from my childhood. I was born with a birth defect, making it very difficult for me to speak properly. No one except for my mom could really understand me. I had surgery to correct my birth defect, and I can talk normally now but the whole medical surgery and learning to properly communicate later in my childhood life really left a deeper impact in me than I thought! I am terribly frightened of anything medical related (especially my teeth/mouth, which I have recurring nightmares about) I was also diagnosed being on the autism spectrum, and I suffer from health anxiety and of course depression. I stay in my bedroom a lot and I can’t do much without my mom’s help. I depend on her a lot, even as an adult because subconsciously I don’t think I can handle/being understood without her with me. I’m seeing a new psychologist soon to discuss this with them! I hope to put the final missing piece together.
I have CPTSD, my first trauma was at 13, and even after 20 years of therapy, I feel like a dysfunctional, broken, failure. The thought of living a “normal” healthy life just makes me tired because I’m struggling so much as it is with my pathetic disabled existence. If it weren’t for my meds, I’d have taken myself out years ago. My heart goes out to anyone experiencing this nightmare. I hope you have better luck at healing than I have.
I was in relationship with a man Which I gave everything and from beginning to end always treated him so good, killed my self respect for him He treated me like no one ever did for 3 4 months and then.. He just took all of it all of the love and changed 2 years I took the abuse and always waited for him to change But slowly he kept going worse and worse From getting angry for the mistakes he did and the pain HE gave to me To not comforting me and ignoring my tears and pain To never being sorry for the abuse he did A weak and a half ago I was feeling this feeling of ”why things had to turn this way” I hugged him and asked him to stay like this in a hug for some time He said okay with no sense of sympathy or anything And asked in such a rude and painful way ” am I supposed to comfort you or something ” And that hit very painful and I started crying I told him can I ask a favor He say hmm I told him ” if you’re not willing to change and take responsibility for your actions, if you are not going to behave like you are in a relationship with me just break up with me if you don’t love me ” He started blaming me and saying You might have found a new man And flipping the question towards me But I didnT give up I kept asking and asking him the same While he kept hitting hitting me with painful things he kept saying about me Then in the end when he knew his topic changing won’t help He said ” if you’re begging for a break up so here you go I break up with you ” I loved him too much I knew I won’t be able to break up with him no matter what happened While I write this everything just gets reminded to me Of the things in writing in mind, We broke up before this and it took him 3 days to move on from me aT that time But I didn’t want it to end so I told him to give this relationship one chanCe and at that time he said he’s grateful for me taking the move to fix it And he’s grateful for all the times I’ve fixed it and from now He’s going to fix any break up (spoiler : he lied) He lost feelings a very long ago but didn’t wanted to accept that We broke up And he moved on without anything It took him 3 months or something to get over this old ex Of what 1 -2 years But he moved on in 1 day of our 3 year old relation He moved on and he always used to get angry whenever I used to tell my best friend while crying the things he used to do to abuse me And he always used to say You always tell your friends about me to make me the bad guy I get ptsd from anything romantic I can’t watch anime I can’t listen to songs I can’t watch movies I can’t do basic things in life Everything in life gives me ptsd And it gives me several pain in my chest whenever I get reminded of him or a memory relaTed to our relationship Please help
I am only 12 years old but I’ve been through a lot of traumatic events. I have been diagnosed with depression from a young age as a result. These events include: abuse by parents, bullying, and losing a lot of important people in my life. So far, aside from my parent’s abuse, there has been one even that happened a year ago that just wont leave. My piano teacher was the only thing left that made me happy in the whole world. She had a weak immune system though. One day, i got a call that she was sick, which wasnt unusual. But one day i got the news that she passed away. its been a little over a year since then and i cry whenever i think about her. Ever since then i found myself unable to touch my piano. My parents keep saying they want me to go back to piano but i just need more time to get over it. I loved her so much.
I think I have C-PTSD to an extent … I got out of an abusive relationship last year, after living with the person for 11 years. The abuse went on for 8+ years of the relationship. It was mental, emotional, and sexual abuse. Since I’ve been free I’ve had nightmares about my ex. I’ve done things like play a article game, make an online purchase, make plans to go out somewhere, or talk to a friend online, and could swear I heard my ex yelling at me about it. I live with my brother, and I heard him breathing heavily in the hallway out of breath, and the sound reminded me of my ex and I felt panic mode rising. Different sounds and phrases have triggered brief flashbacks or negative reactions. I yell “Don’t touch me!” and pull away from physical contact. I’m borderline sex repulsed. I flinch if someone reaches toward me too quickly. I freak out if someone is behind me or touches me from behind. I jump and even squeal at loud noises because my ex would make loud noises to scare me on purpose. And so many other things that are too much to list here.
I feel like I have the worst CPTSD ever; I was adopted as a baby, but my adoptive parents had a terminally ill biological child. When she died (I was 3), my adoptive mother tried to stab me to death in my bed. Seven years later, when my adoptive dad was dying of cancer, she tried to kill me with neglect; I was denied medical care for appendicitis for a week (she insisted it was ‘just the flu’) and came within 24 hrs of a rupture and possibly dying. After my dad passed, the family on the whole disowned me (I was 11) and my “mother” was free to treat me like a house n-word until I graduated from HS. At that point, I was forced into homelessness despite being enrolled in college; my “mother” and stepfather literally forced me into the car, drove me to a neighbouring state, and abandoned me at the mall. I was 17. I won’t get into the decades of abuse (relationships, landlords, roommates, etc) that followed, but suffice it to say that I’m severely damaged from all of this. I currently have a manager, Becks T., who likes to trigger my PTSD and label my reaction as a ‘red flag’; I fully suspect that she does this to all BIPOC employees, because there are ONLY WHITE PEOPLE working at this store, and the only other brown person who worked there was bullied into quitting not long after I was hired. “DIversity and inclusion” at Joann’s my ass….
I’m usually fantastic at understanding myself and what’s inside of me, but recently I’ve been talking to a therapist of sorts and discovered something that I waded completely bind to. What I’ve found so far is that because of an event from my father in my past, apparently my “self-esteem” was completely tossed out the window and replaced with a sort of “others-esteem.” To elaborate, while I have a self image, my personality self image has no meaning to me. If I see myself one way, it means nothing so long as there are those who see anything remotely different from what I see. The perception of my self-image is completely dependent on how others view me. Back in my childhood, my dad called me a monster and spread rumors about me because of the way he perceived me. At that time, even though I was suffering, the only thing I considered was how others would feel about me. Nothing about me mattered if everyone thought those rumors were true. My dad’s lost his trust in me, and my sister couldn’t even look me in the eyes. It was only my mother who stood up for me, and my little brother trusted in me. I’ve always thought these discussions were fascinating, understanding how the brain works, how it reacts to extreme negative stimulus and how it grows and changes over time. I enjoy getting to learn more about myself and people. I have a couple of these things from the article, (especially dissociation, terribly so) so it’s nice to get an understanding of what’s happening on the inside. Keep up the good work.
I got unofficially diagnosed with cptsd 4 years ago by a psychiatrist. The one thing I can say is, most people have unreasonable expectations for you to just “get over it” and move on. But some things stick with you. I’ve been sexually assaulted 4 times, and abused growing up. Like after I got sexually assaulted in the school bathroom by 2 other students when I was 14, I went to the school for help. Only thing I got was being blamed for it, and having rocks thrown at my head by the other students which progressively got worse because they only got a talking to by the school, and were mad that I reported them. It’s not like I could have turned to my family, either. Because if I wasn’t being slammed against walls by my dad or ignored by my mom, it would be something else. Shit like that sticks with you.
There are so many labels floating around. I tried the therapy route for over 30 years. Just word vomiting what happened in my life over and over. Yes, I learned a few tips to calm myself down when panic starts, but that’s it. I felt horrible after each session because it was all brought forth every time. So I’m now doing meditation and using binaural beats and frequencies and only at night using Medical MJ to help sleep. I’m learning to live in the NOW. That WAS my Life, It’s not who I am now. My last therapist actually told me ” There is nothing else we can do to help you. We will be here to manage your meds, and here if you need us. But, regular visits are not doing you any good.” I was stunned.😮 That’s when I started to change myself and heal myself with what I mentioned earlier. I hope and pray you all find peace ✌️ ❤.
I grew up with an alcoholic mother and a father who wasn’t around because he had schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and every time me and my sister spent time with him, one of us would wind up getting hurt because he wasn’t present enough to properly take care of us. So our father wasn’t there physically, and our mom wasn’t there emotionally. Then I had a long term trauma bond with my ex best friend/girlfriend who didn’t let me have any other friends and who made me her unpaid therapist for years. Then, as I was attempting (and failing) to get her out of my life, my dad went missing, and my sister went off to college and started coming home having raging fits where she would scream for literal hours over the smallest things that could set her off. And this was all during Covid, and so most of the time I was stuck at home with my mom who drunk her sorrows away on a nightly basis. Just today I was talking with my therapist about how I think I might have complex PTSD, and she said she wouldn’t doubt it because I show a lot of symptoms of it. I also dissociate a lot, basically nonstop. I have a bit of depersonalization and dissociative amnesia I think, but mainly I deal with derealization day to day. I’m hoping more therapy over time might help me recover, at least mostly.
I have been diagnosed with C-ptsd among other things… Can I say, along with dissociation comes memory loss ? Sometimes you know what happened but can’t really “remember” any of it. Dissociation is a mental mechanism to avoid anxiety. Memory loss is also a form of dissociation seen a quite a few cases a PTSD/C-PTSD . the memory of the traumatic event causes you so much anxiety and pain that your brain just decide to restrict access the these memories. They’re still there just not accessible right now.. I experienced a lot of that. The memory loss didn’t lower the symptoms of PTSD… In fact… I had extreme symptoms.. even 7years later I have High number of C-ptsd symptoms. Like flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, mood changes, panic attacks, dissociation and so on.
My math teacher in 7th grade was horrific. I’m autistic, and can’t handle loud noises. Despite being told this almost every day, she would yell and scream at the class because of a few people who didn’t do their homework. Because of that, I would cry every day in her class. The worst part is, after I switched math classes, she decided to pull a “prank”. She walked into my new class, pretending to be the sub, and threw chairs at the ground to scare us. THE ACTUAL SUBSTITUTE WAS IN ON IT. I had emotional flashbacks and SUDDENLY they cared about how it had affected me. I spent the rest of that day in one of the academic support rooms.
Last January I fled a malignant narcissist after three and a half years of verbal battering and then, physical abuse. Sleeping with the enemy situation to a T, right down to the boat. We had a boat. We had a beautiful home but it was his and he never let me forget it. He threatened my life and I fled with just a suitcase. Stayed in a rat infested but affordable weekly rental motel for three months desperately searching for my own place just flooded, terrified, a wreck. In May I moved into my home and had to see him again finally to get all of my possessions out and it was hard but I started mending. Yesterday mid October I was driving down my street and there he was. Forty minutes away from his home driving down my street. A side street. I almost drove into another car i was so shocked, perusal him disappear into my rear view. I slept three hours last night and tonight it’s already midnight and I’m still not tired…I’ve cleaned my little home for hours just terrified and flooded and appalled and unable to stop moving. Bursting into tears uncontrollably and shaking at times..Tomorrow I call my trauma counselor . This is the face of CPTSD. It’s terrible.
I had a horrific childhood, with my sadistic family putting me through sheer terror, bulying, and even trying to kill me. We moved constantly, because they were always one step ahead of Children’s Services. I was coached on how to hide the abuse, told that I would go to a foster home. At 15 my father threw me out into the streets. You can imagine…I had no place to run to, so 24 hours a day I ran from predators, like a pinball. At 18 I was starting to get my life together, and on my way to work, was kidnapped at gunpoint by a serial killer. For a week I was raped and brutally beaten, day and night. I escaped, and became his last victim. I was always in survival mode or crisis mode. Yes, I have complex ptsd.
I hate two things: -dishes. Doing them, and the sound of someone else doing them. My dad was very abusive and would yell at me and beat me if I didn’t do them right, or fast enough. -Touching myself, or washing/wiping. It’s not the feeling that I hate, it’s the smell. I don’t smell abnormal or anything, I was SA when I was 10, and I smelled myself a lot during it, (it happened in a tiny car) so now whenever I smell myself, I panic.
After being sexually abused by my best friend I now suffer from severe anxiety everytime someone touches me (especially if not asked for consent before) and if a situation is too overwhelming,it forms into a panic attack and me breaking down completely. I feel lonely to the point I feel isolated, but whenever someone tries to get closer, its too much for me and I push them away. This article made me realize, I should really get in touch with a mental health expert/therapist and talk about my experiences, thank you very much ❤️
No war experiences, no s3xual assaluts, not “heavy” bullying experiences, no car/flight/transportation accidents, always got food on the table, always worn confortable clothes, no death of loved ones. I have not suffered from the “classical” traumatic events most people with PTSD may have suffered, yet my sister and I, especially my sister, suffer from these symptoms for almost 10 years already. We have always been shy and anxious kids. Always scared of events that may be disruptive of our routine. We had (have) a too calm, yet anxious and absent dad who worked 12 hours a day, and an hysterical, anxious too and over controlling mom. Our most stressfull event it had to be our school years, from elementary to high school. We both went to the same school. Rules there were strict, and our mother did not let us take a breathe either. It was annoying to compare our life to other children to seemed to have more freedom than us. My mom’s obsession was school, homework and grades. That alone was stressful but let’s add the personality trait my sister and I always had and everythiing seemed to be worse. My sister experenced a burnout when she was 14. She was not diagnosed with it, but I am highly sure that’s what had happed to her, althought she was told she suffered from a psychotic ‘attack’ (one night she couldn’t fall asleep, her anxiety level were high high, and started to call my mom saying ”something’ was coming to attack her’, feeling an extreme pressure in the air). She could not go to school anymore, always suffered from nightmares, was always sleepy due to light sleep, was hyperaware.
A car wreck is a single traumatic event. It literally only happens once. As someone who has real PTSD and not this made up fair tale crap, PTSD does last your whole life, its NOT just one event. Going to war or being molested as a child does mean “it only happened once” I was molested over 200 times. People who go to war may never experience trauma, or they may experience losing their entire platoon
More than 20 years but I still feel nauseous and body aches when remembering about my past trauma. And it’s very hard for me to remember every details. But this event have changed my personality forever, I don’t feel safe with anyone, I feel like someone is perusal me from the windows so I always prefer to close the curtains, I always lock my room door and make sure no one can get inside. I am constantly feeling that i am stalked. And this feeling never go away.
I grew up in Chicago, & was active in the gang madness from 1985-2014, & have seen more friends die than i could even count, had 3 attempts on my life & been shot 7 times, as week as stabbed, i served 17 years in prison, 7 of those in solitary confinement, so I’m pretty much “damage goods” at 49, & trying to reclaim, & fix my life since i been free in 2014, but it’s been a struggle, especially being a single father, but I’ve been taking psilocybin mushrooms over the last month & feel better than ALL THE YEARS of meds & therapy I’ve had over my life & had a breakthrough yesterday that made me feel so much better, it literally rewires your brain & does wonders for most crippling mental health disorders
I have ADHD and I remember everything I don’t want to remember. The way I felt, the way others felt, the scenery. Once I felt like I was in a dream. I was walking up a staircase as I started to imagine certain people and reliving memories as if I was the ghost of Christmas past, blaming myself, and perusal everything unravel over and over and over again.
I am a 66yr old gay man who watched all his friends die of AIDS all through the 80’s and 90’s. It was a horrible death for all those young boys, they were loving skeletons, in agony, abandoned by their families. I lost my best friend and everyone I knew and loved. I am the only one left. Thirty years of panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts, guilt, pain, fear, regrets, anger and tears. It ruined my life and my relationships. I have a therapist and each day has been a struggle, some are better than others, but I will always be haunted by the faces of all those dear sweet boys who died so horribly and so young.