What is Complex Trauma (cPTSD)?

Have you experienced repeated adverse life experiences that left a profound impact on your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing?

Have you been diagnosed with and treated for a laundry list of different conditions over the years but it still feels like something is missing?

Have you tried therapy many different times and struggle to feel truly understood by your therapist(s)?

These are all potential signs that you might be living with the deep and long-lasting effects of complex trauma.

I often hear from clients, and I’ve experienced this myself, that once they learn about complex trauma, they feel a lightbulb go off. It’s like they finally feel seen and understood in a way they never have before. It’s like being consumed by a warm hug of comfort, care, and you’re not alone-ness.

I recently learned that September is Complex Trauma (aka cPTSD) Awareness Month, so what better time than now to help spread knowledge and awareness about it!

In this blog, you’ll find:

  • What is Complex Trauma (cPTSD)

  • PTSD vs. cPTSD

  • Common Co-occurring Diagnoses & Misdiagnoses

What is Complex Trauma (cPTSD)?

To understand complex trauma, we need a strong comprehension of trauma.

Have you ever wondered why two people can experience the same event but one finds it traumatic and the other doesn’t?

This happens because trauma is not in the event itself. Yes, some events are more likely to be traumatic than others, but it’s not the event alone that causes trauma.

Trauma occurs when you experience something too fast, too soon, too much, or not enough and it overwhelms your nervous system, and it often happens without adequate support during or after the event.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can result from one singular traumatic experience, such as a car accident.

Complex trauma (cPTSD) is a condition that can result from ongoing, repetitive traumatic experiences, such as abuse or neglect.

Continue reading to find a list of the similarities and differences between PTSD and cPTSD.

PTSD vs. cPTSD

Symptoms of Both PTSD & cPTSD

  • Distressing memories of the event

  • Flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts

  • Emotional dysregulation

  • Dissociation (can happen with PTSD, more common with cPTSD)

  • Avoidance of people, places, or things that remind you of the event

  • Persistent negative beliefs about yourself, others, and or the world

  • Hypervigilance (being on edge)

  • Reckless behavior

  • Symptoms cause significant impairment to your daily functioning


cPTSD Symptoms

  • Exposure to ongoing, repetitive traumatic experiences

  • Symptoms can take years to fully develop

  • Interpersonal difficulties (relationship challenges)

  • Greater emotional dysregulation

  • Chronic low self-worth and a significant negative impact on your sense of self

  • Somatic symptoms develop due to the long-term stress (e.g. autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, migraines)

  • Symptoms tend to be more severe in nature

  • Typically, longer-term treatment is needed for healing

PTSD Symptoms

  • Exposure to a traumatic event

  • Symptoms develop shortly after the event






 

Common Co-occurring Diagnoses & Misdiagnoses

As it states in the name, complex trauma is, well, complex.

Because of the complexity and the way that trauma, especially ongoing trauma, affects the brain, people often receive a variety of other diagnoses before, or in addition to, receiving the complex trauma diagnosis.

There are a few reasons for this:

  1. Complex trauma isn’t an official diagnosis yet (hopefully that will change soon), and it is something that we are still learning more about all the time. Click here to sign the petition to get cPTSD added to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

  2. Not all providers are familiar with complex trauma. It’s important to work with a provider who specializes in it to get proper diagnoses and treatment.

  3. Complex trauma often co-occurs with other diagnoses. For example, because complex trauma can have a significant impact on your life, it makes sense that you may also experience a mood or anxiety disorder. For people who are neurodivergent, living in a neurotypical world can be a traumatic experience (especially for those who are mis- or late-diagnosed).

    Some of the commonly co-occurring diagnoses are:

    • ADHD

    • Anxiety disorders

    • Autism

    • Mood disorders

    • Personality disorders (especially Borderline Personality Disorder)

  4. The diagnoses listed above are also commonly misdiagnosed because complex trauma symptoms overlap or can present very similarly to the symptoms of those diagnoses. They can be misdiagnosed in two ways. For example, one way is that someone is living with both ADHD and complex trauma but only the ADHD diagnosis is given. Another way is that someone is living with complex trauma only and is given an ADHD diagnosis instead.

    Getting an accurate diagnosis can be a long and frustrating process. Try to be patient and if you suspect that you might have cPTSD, take your time in searching for a therapist who specializes in complex trauma. You deserve compassionate, good quality, and well-informed care with a provider who truly understands you and what it means to live with the effects of complex trauma.

Final Notes

September is Complex Trauma Awareness Month, and we’re celebrating by spreading more knowledge and awareness about complex trauma (cPTSD).

Trauma is the result of experiences that happen too too fast, too soon, too much, or not enough, and without adequate support, for your nervous system to handle.

There are similarities and differences between PTSD and cPTSD. Some of the similarities are distressing memories of the event, avoidance of people, places, or things that are reminders of the event, and symptoms that cause significant impairment to daily functioning; while some of the key differences are that PTSD results from a single traumatic experience and symptoms typically start soon after the experience, and cPTSD results from ongoing traumatic experiences and symptoms can take years to fully develop.

Due to a number of factors, including the complexity of cPTSD, there are a number of diagnoses that are often co-occurring with or misdiagnosed instead of cPTSD, such as ADHD and Borderline Personality Disorder.

Complex trauma requires working with a provider who truly understands it. Take your time in finding the right provider for you, ideally someone who specializes in cPTSD to give you proper diagnoses and the compassionate and well-informed treatment you deserve.



Support for Women: Tame Your Mind group

If you experience anxiety, chronic self-doubt, people pleasing, and/or perfectionism and maybe have a history of complex trauma, you’re not alone. It can feel like you are, but I can tell you from personal and professional experience, you are not. To gain support from others who have had similar experiences, my virtual Tame Your Mind group is here to support you.

Past group members have expressed that the validation, understanding, and support they received in the group was life-changing for them. Reach out today to join the next session starting September 2025, available for women in Wisconsin, Florida, Utah, and Vermont.

Read more: Where to Get EMDR Therapy

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