Do you suffer from C-PTSD? These 15 questions will help you see if Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is affecting you. 

What is CPTSD? Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a relatively new field of psychology. It typically stems from repeated, significant dysfunction in primary relationships and occurs during a child’s formative years. There is also new research showing that C-PTSD can occur from significant experiences in adulthood as well- abusive relationships, multiple single-incident traumas, and prolonged experiences where an individual faced severe threat and their sense of safety was compromised. 

When a child experiences neglect, anxiety, or danger repeatedly in a close relationship, that child often grows up with a sense they are not okay.  CPTSD occurs when, as adults, these children then feel insecure, overwhelmed, and generally unsafe in the world. 

"Unsafe" as a term encompasses a general, pervasive sense that something bad or uncomfortable is imminent, or that personal psychological, emotional, or physical safety is at risk, regardless of whether real or perceived. 

 When someone is living in a constantly triggered state of alarm, it can become so familiar that many people don’t realize that trauma is the source of their feeling “not okay.” This is where the term "complex" comes from, it is not a linear event from trauma to injury. The injury webs outward through the nervous system, manifesting as neural pathways created for emotional or physical survival, and these become current emotional habits or addictions and result in a compromised experience of the present-moment environment. 

 C-PTSD can be difficult to recognize because it happens in the formative years, while emotion regulation skills begin to develop, and it impacts the ability to understand and maintain emotional stability in relationships. It can come from repeated, single-incident traumas, as well as neglect or attachment trauma resulting from disorganized, insecure, or avoidant attachment, creating a shaky or unstable environment during foundational years.

The questions below offer a starting point to discern whether complex trauma has played a role in your emotion regulation and nervous system development. There are varying degrees of severity with C-PTSD, and any markers from the following questions should be followed up on in order to support you in achieving your full potential in health and happiness. 

1. Did you experience multiple instances of emotional, sexual and/or violent abuse as a child?
2. Did you have dysfunctional emotional relationships with any primary caregivers in your life?
3. Do you struggle with maintaining emotional balance under stressful circumstances?
4. Are you able to tolerate minor stresses and strains of day to day living without becoming emotionally upset, anxious, nervous, tense, or angry?
5. Do you find it difficult to trust yourself, or others?
6. Do you have difficulty standing up for yourself or setting boundaries?
7. Do you feel frustrated that you can’t seem to manage your emotions “like everybody else”?
8. Do you have low self-worth or a loud inner critic that stops you from doing things or making connections you enjoy?
9. Do you use drugs, alcohol, sex, or food in order to numb uncomfortable emotions?
10. Do you struggle to make choices because you don’t fully trust your ability to make a decision?
11. Have you ever been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder?
12. Do you feel like you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop or feel a deep sense of agitation or apprehension?
13. Do you often minimize the negative experiences you had as a child?
14. Do you have a pervasive sense that there’s something wrong with you, or have you ever used the term “broken” to describe yourself?
15. Did you experience neglect or attachment trauma as a child or ever feel generally unsure or unsafe in childhood?

If you believe you might be suffering from CPTSD, there is help available.

Trauma-informed therapy is a great resource for developing awareness of your complex trauma and how it is impacting your life today. Therapists will support you in confronting your past trauma in order to resolve it. They will likely use therapeutic treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization (EMDR), or others. Therapists are licensed mental health professionals that can diagnose and prescribe a medical treatment path for you.

Trauma-informed coaches are mental health practitioners and can help you untangle the symptoms of CPTSD from your identity and take steps toward building safety, trust, confidence, and connection in your life while building new neural pathways to support healthier emotional habits. Working with a mental health practitioner can empower you to take ownership of your own health in a very supported and guided way. You will see yourself stripped of the trauma, and access strength, wisdom, confidence, and safety from within. 

If you are interested in seeing what your trauma-free pathway could look like, please reach out. I offer completely free trauma recovery roadmap calls. On this call, you will learn what exactly you can do to begin living your life in full emotional control starting today. From there, if I feel we are a good fit and that I can help you, we will discuss options for future work together. Simply click the "book a call" button at the top of this page to begin your journey to recovery. 

Help is available. You are not your symptoms, and you, too, can live life untriggered.

In peace and light,

Amanda