Severe, catastrophic, prolonged and/or repetitive childhood trauma can lead to a shattered, fractured, disintegrated and fragmented sense of self which can manifest itself in various ways including:
DAMAGE TO ‘SELF-STRUCTURE’:
According to Zepenic (2016), severe trauma can adversely affect … Read the rest
We have already seen from other articles that I have published on this site that, according to major studies, severe and protracted childhood trauma can dramatically increase our risk in adulthood of suffering from various physical illnesses (e,g, … Read the rest
If, as children, we grew up in an environment in which we were subjected to severe stress over protracted periods of time the way in which our internal physiological systems would normally operate may be seriously … Read the rest
There has been some controversy regarding the difference between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD) amongst researchers and members of the medical profession.
During the early 1990s, the psychologist Judith Herman, in her seminal … Read the rest
Increasingly, many individuals who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and who have suffered severe and protracted childhood trauma are starting to question whether the BPD diagnosis is the correct and most appropriate one. One of the … Read the rest
Betrayal trauma is a term which comes from betrayal trauma theory which was developed by Freyd (1994). Essentially, an individual may experience betrayal trauma when betrayed by a person to whom s/he is very close and upon whom the … Read the rest
We have seen from numerous other articles that I have published on this site that those of us who experienced severe and protracted childhood trauma are at a highly increased risk of being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and/or … Read the rest
As Bowlby emphasized, the child is profoundly dependent upon a reliable and secure attachment with his/her parent/primary carer for his/her physical and psychological health; indeed, throughout human evolutionary history, such a protective relationship has been crucial to the child’s … Read the rest
Childhood Trauma And Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Survivors of extreme trauma often suffer persistent anxiety, phobias, panic, depression, identity and relationship problems Many times, the set of symptoms the individual presents with are not connected to the original trauma … Read the rest
Whilst there has been a lot of research conducted upon the psychological and physiological effects of the 9/11 tragedy on adults, far less has been conducted on children who witnessed that appalling tragedy. However, researchers at Columbia University have helped … Read the rest
What are the effects on the child of being born unwanted because his/her mother wanted an abortion but was prevented from having one? A Czechoslovakian study, known as The Prague Study, spanning over thirty years and involving 220 … Read the rest
One of the hallmarks of both complex PTSD and borderline persona; disorder (BPD) is a feeling of constant anxiety, agitation and apprehensiveness, As a result of feeling trapped and imprisoned in this distressing state, individuals become desperate to escape … Read the rest
Sufferers of both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (Complex PTSD) experience terrifying flashbacks.
Such flashbacks can be split into three categories as follows:
Below, I briefly describe the form … Read the rest
According to MEMORY REPRESSION THEORY, (a theory that originates from the work of Sigmund Freud and more likely, today, to be described as memories made inaccessible due to DISSOCIATIVE AMNESIA) some memories of childhood trauma in some individuals are … Read the rest
One of the hallmarks of complex PTSD is a perpetual feeling of being under threat, stemming from constantly feeling afraid and vulnerable during childhood. This is true even though the threatening circumstances of our childhood have long since past … Read the rest
