Explaining Complex Trauma

To begin, I’d like to challenge the diagnosis of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and CPTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) since I don’t consider it a disorder at all. It is natural and normal to have a stress response to trauma. It is, in reality, very common, so diagnosing it as a disorder in many ways is unhelpful. 

The people who experience the symptoms and effects of the conditions may well be facing some disorder or disruption in their lives, and need support to heal. But the fact that they are they are experiencing this does not indicate some deficiency of the mind or body. The body is responding exactly as it is designed to after a distressing or life-altering event. And the mind, without appropriate support to process the events, will struggle to solve or analyse what it means and how to respond. 

I would prefer to simply refer to the condition as PTS (Post Traumatic Stress) or CPTS (Complex Post Traumatic Stress). 

Trauma is defined as “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience (a personal trauma like the death of a child), an emotional shock following a stressful event or a physical injury, (which may lead to long-term neurosis where the event is relived with all the accompanying trauma) or a physical injury.” 

The disorder label is often used to describe the “after shocks” of these events. The ongoing, emotional, physical and psychological responses people have after their experience. This can include symptoms like:

• Flashbacks

• Insomnia

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Emotional Outbursts

• Addiction

• Patterns of staying or feeling stuck in the initial trauma response (often referred to as fight or flight mode or victim mindset). There are also several common trauma responses that we can experience, which are explained in the blog How Trauma Responses Manifest In Our Lives. 

Complex trauma develops after a period of prolonged stress, abuse, neglect or a series of significant, distressing events. The CPS is also considered complex due to what could be the manifestation of several, or interconnected trauma responses that trigger each other in different, competing or connected ways. 

In contrast, PTS is usually linked to one significant event like a tragic loss, injury or a violent crime or can be directly attributed to a specific period, like we associate after a war, for example. It also tends to present with a particular and identifiable response. 

When we consider the stress or trauma response, this is often referred to as a trigger response. Something (potentially unrelated) happens in our day-to-day lives that triggers the nervous system to respond. The trigger can be environmental or related to our psychology and how we have processed the traumatic event. 

Trigger responses can come from anywhere: sights, sounds, a conversation, smell, feeling or thought, can all cause the trigger to occur. 

Some people can have both a PTS and CPTS condition to resolve. In my case, I had specific PTS due to sexual offences and crime as well as CPTS due to abuse and neglect. Each of the wounds, triggers and the associations all need to be healed ultimately to find recovery. 

Despite the common misconception, it is possible to heal from both PTS and CPTS. These are not fixed conditions of the body and mind that we simply have to tolerate and accommodate. They do, however, require support, potentially therapy and understanding as they are resolved. 

The healing process is physical, mental and emotional. We may have to look deeply at the circumstances of our lives, dive into the mind to unravel the meanings and associations we have developed around the trauma and the later trigger responses. We also have to calm, ground and re-regulate the nervous system to a more stable state. 

There isn’t a quick fix for most cases; it takes a commitment to recovery and a willingness to embark on a healing journey. 

It’s not easy and can challenge us in many ways to recover. There is also the problem of finding the right, appropriate support which isn’t always readily available. Most of the psychiatric response is to medicate and manage symptoms rather than look to heal the root causes, and many therapies that can offer this solution are private (and expensive) or offered by charities, which can have long waiting lists and limited resources. 

I found some support from a local charity, but it took six months to wait, and that was after trying for many years to get any appropriate help from the NHS (which I ultimately never did). There are more services available through mainstream channels now, but still, potentially, the challenge of limited availability, long waiting lists and a medicalised view of the process. 

A space like Love School is designed to offer some groundwork understanding, a place to reflect alone with guidance and tools and begin doing the healing work you can, alone at home. Either while waiting for therapy, to prepare or to make the best steps possible without it. 

I found that my healing journey was also a spiritual one and could mostly be done through this guidance, following my intuition and connection with nature. 

Not everyone might feel comfortable with the idea of spirituality as part of their healing, but I found that trauma is also an energetic and spiritual wound. The reason we find it distressing and tragic is often not due to logic (it can be and of course it is reasonable to expect someone who has witnessed or been involved in a violent crime, intentional harm, tragic loss to be shocked, stressed, hurt or traumatised). But the meaning is often entangled in something deeper; it makes us question our safety, justice, the dangers of the world, grapple with the ideas of good and evil, question our morality and have to unpack perhaps more meaning or acceptance about the nature of life and our previous perceptions of it. 

The spiritual aspect of the recovery can be deeply personal. The energetic nature is also based on our emotional responses. How we feel about what happened. What that embodied feeling attracts to us and is reflected in our reality. 

Many people who have experienced trauma or complex trauma experience more of it. For whatever unexplainable reason beyond logic, there can be, for some of us, a trail of tragic, stressful events. 

This ties in with spiritual and energetic ideas about the law of attraction or manifestation, for example. Not to place blame on any trauma survivors or victims, but I found part of the challenge and motivation to heal from these symptoms and events was due to the constant and ongoing energetic state of drama, stress and trauma that seemed to keep appearing in my life, no matter how much I tried to avoid it. 

When it comes to healing trauma and especially complex traumatic stress, I find the simple advice “We can’t heal in the same environment that hurt us” is helpful. 

At Love School, we consider all healing and recovery from an ecosystem mindset. We focus on shadow work as a root of healing and life design as the process of recovery. Within these foundations, we explore the connection between body, mind, spirit (emotion and energy), relationships and environment. All these areas of our lives can be impacted by the trauma or the trauma response we adopt. 

Shadow work helps us to understand the meaning behind the events and why they have impacted us so significantly. And life design is a process of adapting through the recovery process while healing and beyond. Creating a life that has had to transform in some way in response to the experiences we have had. 

When choosing to heal from trauma and address our nervous system and responses, I find it helpful to begin with grounding and body-based practices (good nutrition, exercise and somatic work). Then, when the body is better regulated and optimised, we have more energy to look at the mind. As our minds and thinking become clearer, we have more self-awareness and understanding, so we can begin considering the deeper spiritual and energetic nature of the wounds. We can then consider how our relationships and environments have also been impacted, and have better strength and clarity to make appropriate changes. 

Healing and the recovery journey are not straightforward, and often these aspects are interconnected. We might find ourselves repeating patterns, falling back into old habits, and being triggered again due to new events occurring in our lives. This is all natural and part of the process, as we evolve. 

Often, we find things naturally unfolding deeper as we begin to make changes. Our body loves repetition, ritual and habits, so it can take time to change our old ways of being. It is important to be understanding and gentle with ourselves through the healing process. Learning to nurture ourselves and practice self-love rather than feeling ashamed, blaming ourselves or criticising our efforts when it is more difficult. 

It is natural to have strong emotions as we heal. Feel grief, get angry, sad, and even depressed at times. Anxiety might peak as we face what we have been through. Our emotional range can deepen and develop through the process of reconnecting with ourselves and our bodies. 

I have found that the more we can stay with the process, express ourselves and learn through our experiences, these responses calm down and we can regulate ourselves more effectively. 

The more we adapt and practice these new ways of being, we begin to nurture the wounds. As we adapt our lives, we create a stronger bond with ourselves, can develop more stable foundations and support systems. Eventually, we need less conscious attention on the healing as we have transitioned into a new, recovered state. 

Some people experience traumatic events and don’t have PTS responses. It is interesting to consider why. I have found that often it is because the people have a more stable foundation already. They might have a strong support system, good health, already have a developed value system, a strong faith, perhaps or a clear mindset. 

As I have said before, there isn't always a logical reason why some people can experience something and not feel a strong response while others find it deeply traumatic. We can not compare ourselves or our experiences to others. We are all born with unique traits, in different environments, at different times, have different experiences, thoughts, emotional responses and connections. 

Each of us will have a unique path to healing and recovery. We can use the advice and guidance of others, but I have found tapping into my intuition and internal guidance system, addressing what arises, trusting myself and the process as it unfolds, has worked to allow me to heal. 

Additional Support

If you are ready to embark on your journey of healing and would benefit from more support, I suggest reading the following blog posts:

Are You Mentally Ill?

Do You Need Therapy?

How to Heal from Trauma: A Holistic Approach to Recovery

Thriving Beyond Trauma

If you have experienced complex trauma and are struggling with addiction, or have experienced bullying or abuse and are struggling with rejection sensitivity, you might find the following YouTube playlists helpful. 

We also provide tools, guidance and more information around natural trauma recovery in the following courses and bundles at Love School:

This dedicated course supports trauma recovery and provides space for group sessions and a community discussion to aid your recovery. Visit Complex Trauma Recovery Course

We would also recommend the following courses and bundles to support your healing journey:

Recovery By Design

Inner Child Healing & Reparenting

Love School Curriculum