1) Which of the following can lead to complex PTSD?
2) Complex PTSD was first described by Judith Herman in…
3)
Test Your Knowledge About Complex PTSD (Multiple Choice Quiz).
What Types Of Trauma Cause The Greatest Psychological Damage To A person?
Whether or not an event is ‘traumatic’ depends upon the individual’s subjective experience. What one individual may find traumatizing, another may not. Furthermore, two individuals traumatized by the same event/experience may be traumatized by different aspects of the experience as … Read the rest
When Instruction To Honour Parents Produces Moral Injury
I remember, even as still a pretty young kid, learning that the fifth of the Ten Commandments In The Hebrew Bible (Exodus 20:1-21, and Deuteronomy 5:1-23)was to ‘honor thy father and mother’ was somewhat morally contentious. What if your parents … Read the rest
Do Gay And Bisexual People Have More Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?
A study conducted by Anderson and Blosnich (2013) was carried out in order to investigate whether or not gay and bisexual individuals had, on average, experienced more adverse childhood experiences than their heterosexual counterparts. Before we look at the study, … Read the rest
The Antilibidinal Ego: Self-Protection Following Trauma
If as a child we suffer severe interpersonal trauma in the form of rejection by a primary-carer or similar experience, a part of us may ‘split off’ (dissociate) and act as our protector in order to prevent us from becoming … Read the rest
Forensic Inpatients, Crime, Complex PTSD, Childhood Trauma
We have already seen from numerous other articles that I have previously published on this site that there is an association between the early life experience of interpersonal childhood trauma and the development of violent and aggressive tendencies which may … Read the rest
The Importance Of Understanding The Meaning Of The Traumatized Child’s Behaviour.
When trying to understand why a traumatized child is behaving in a particular way – such as being prone to outbursts of rage aggression or being perpetually withdrawn – it is important to remember that all behaviour carries with it … Read the rest
Childhood Trauma And Somatic Psychology
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We have seen how significant and protracted trauma in childhood can adversely affect the body’s physiology leading to constant feelings of hypervigilance in adulthood due to a dysregulated autonomic nervous system and how therapy involving … Read the rest
Unable To Live In The Present? Therapy And Dual Awareness Can Help
Many people who have suffered severe and protracted childhood trauma and, as a result, go on to develop complex posttraumatic stress disorder or related conditions often feel permanently stuck in the past and unable to live in the … Read the rest
Study Suggests Writing About Our Traumatic Experiences Can Be Beneficial To Health
We know that childhood trauma is strongly associated with poor mental and physical health in later life (e.g. see the ACE study) due to the hazardous, longterm effects of prolonged and repetitive toxic … Read the rest
A Shattered Sense Of Self Due To Childhood Trauma
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 what … Read the rest
How Childhood Trauma Can Speed Up The Ageing Of The Brain
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
Labelling And Understanding Our Emotions May Reduce Inflammation And Improve Health
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 compromised. Such long-lasting stress … Read the rest
What Is The Difference Between PTSD And Complex PTSD?
Above image: Creative Commons Licence
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 … Read the rest
Unhappy With BPD Diagnosis? Is ‘Formulation’ The Answer?
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 main … Read the rest
