Serenity Trauma Healing Center
The creators of the original SERENITY METHOD.
Complex PTSD in Malibu, CA
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (often abbreviated to CPTSD or c-PTSD) is a condition in which one experiences symptoms of PTSD along with additional feelings like the following:
- Regular thoughts of suicide
- Difficulty controlling emotions
- Feeling that you are worthless or forever damaged
- Regular feelings of distrust and anger
- Avoiding relationships and friendships
- The need for isolation
- The feeling that nobody can relate to you
- Dissociative feelings such as derealization or depersonalization
- Ongoing physical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea, and chest pain
All mental health professionals that treat complex PTSD have recognized that various traumatic events combine leading to the effects of PTSD. Though there is no universally accepted name for it, complex PTSD is the most widely adapted and recognized one.
Types of Trauma that Cause Complex PTSD
Any traumatic event can cause complex PTSD, but the most common include the following:
- Childhood abuse (neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse)
- Ongoing witnessing to acts of violence or abuse
- Expierencing Repeated domestic violence
- Forced into something against one’s will such as prostitution or slavery
- Victims of torture, kidnapping, or rape
- Being a prisoner of war
- Having an invasive medical procedure or experiencing severe medical complications
- Learning that a loved one has gone through a violent or traumatizing experience
- Surviving a traumatic accident like a car crash, collapsing building, near drowning, or a fire
- Survior’s Guilt
Complex PTSD is more likely to develop if these traumatic events occurred during childhood. In addition, the symptoms of complex PTSD will likely be more severe if the trauma lasted for long periods of time, if there was little hope of being rescued there were multiple types of trauma, and if the person who inflicted the trauma was close to you.
How is Complex PTSD Treated?
Treatment for complex PTSD will be determined by your therapist at Serenity Trauma, as each patient is a unique individual with their own sets of experiences. But some of the most popular treatment methods used for treating complex PTSD include the following.
- Brainspotting
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Somatic experiencing/ Sensorimotor psychotherapy
- IFS (Internal Family Systems)
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
- Physical Therapy
- Art Therapy
- Music Therapy
- Acupuncture
- Massages
- Movement Therapy
Living with Complex PTSD
Complex PTSD is a serious mental health condition that absolutely must be treated. Treating complex PTSD often takes a great deal of time to treat if done in individual therapy, and for many people, if not treated it can be a lifelong condition. Using the Serenity method we have found that we can successfully reduce the symptoms of complex PTSD within 3-6 months. Working with a psychiatrist is important but medication alone won’t work at the deepest levels; therapy is essential to recovery.