How to heal Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that develops when a person suffers mental, physical, or psychological abuse over an extended period with no hope of escape.
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CPTSD is also an illness of poor emotional control developed because of childhood abuse.
What is the cause of CPTSD?
Usually, children abused by parents, siblings, relatives, school fellows, and child soldiers suffer from CPTSD.
Poor parenting, narcissistic parents, parents with mental disorders themselves, bullying by siblings, over-controlling parents, severe mental or physical trauma like extended hospitalization, forced to fight gruesome wars, forced to perform tasks against your will, rape, molestation are all causes of this mental illness.
Symptoms of C-PTSD
The only outward manifestation of CPTSD is an
- Emotionally numb
- Helpless
- untrusting personality,
- impulsive reckless actions,
- sexual indiscretion,
- Anger outbursts,
- Poor interpersonal relationships
- Excessive Drugs and Alcohol use
- lack of motivation,
- Inability to connect and love people
- excitable nature,
- alternating between clinginess and indifference,
- Poor job history,
- Poor relationship history,
- unhappiness
- Seething rage
- Overly compliant
- Amnesia and poor memory
- Poor quality sleep
Difference between PTSD and C-PTSD
The difference between CPTSD and PTSD is that PTSD is usually episodic and can settle down after the trigger is over, however, CPTSD is a part of the soul forever, and returning to the baseline is a lot more difficult.
Difference between CPTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
The difference between CPTSD and BPD is the suicidal ideation the BPD sufferer usually experiences.
Also, the BPD sufferers have no real sense of self, which CPTSD people do.
Early deaths in CPTSD sufferers
Untreated CPTSD sufferers stay under so much stress because of their inability to regulate emotions, the physiological burnout causes early breakdown and death.
Mostly the diseases CPTSD, PTSD, and patients with BPD suffer from are
- heart attack,
- stroke,
- diabetes,
- motor neuron diseases and
- auto-immune disease,
The mental triggers that cause these symptoms have not been fully explained to date.
How Can CPTSD patients live a decent life?
The first thing the CPTSD patients must do is to get a correct diagnosis.
Then stop worrying about
- career,
- money and
- people
Calibrating expectations with reality is a great stress reliever – the number one problem for trauma patients.
Find any work you can find in a non-threatening, peaceful environment.
The same applies to your house.
Simple ways to control CPTSD symptoms
- Exercise
- Meditate or Pray
- Sleep 8 h
- Get a therapist
- Vent through art, crafts, music, or writing
- Drink Green Tea
Triggers of CPTSD people
Notice the situation the triggers your anger and isolation instinct – that is your abuser.
- Deliberate deception,
- Anger directed at them,
- deliberate isolation
- Not accepting a certain opinion
- Superficial Love
- Not returning friendship
- Mistreatment by boss
- Conflict
- Boredom
- Undervaluing
What does a triggered C-PTSD look like?
Once triggered, the CPTSD patient will quickly turn to rage, as the soothing mechanism in the prefrontal cortex does not function properly.
This rage can last as long as it takes for the patient to correct his perception again.
No one can fix a C-PTSD in rage, except the person themselves.
If the rage is left to simmer, it turns to take revenge ideation and consume the conscience of the patient.
PRO-TIP
With a considerable intuitive understanding of the world, however, skewed, a vengeful C-PTSD can cause considerable damage to his perpetrators.
Failed Relationships and the C-PTSD
Once angered, years of hard work in building and nurturing relationships can come crashing down overnight.
Nothing seems more imperative for a triggered C-PTSD than to set the records straight, whatever the consequences for the relationship.
So, piles of work will be washed down the toilet in a fit of rage.
That is why CPTSD people have a hard time maintaining relationships and holding on to jobs.
C-PTSD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Sometimes, the lack of attention and focus caused due to the lack of mindfulness seems like a symptom of ADHD, but it is not.
This lack of attention comes from the damage the brain has physically suffered by constantly staying in a flight or fight mode, for years.
This lack of attention and focus is the cause of their poor academic grades and low productivity in the work environment.
Does C-PTSD have a damaged brain?
Yes, there is physical damage to a CPTSD brain in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.
This is because our reptilian brain needs someone to check the mad dash to fight or flight, which does not happen.
The missing and misdirected brain connections need to be rewired by a combination of nutrition and re-learning.
Medication for C-PTSD
Some long-term PTSD sufferers swear that these drugs work because it exposes the neuron network to allow for the brain to rebuild:
Addictive Drugs
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
- Opioids
- Methylenedioxymethamphetmine (MDMA)
- The cannabinoid
Non-Addictive Drugs
- Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors (SSRI)
- Propranolol
These medications must be combined with anti-depressants, Prozac Etc., if you are not exercising.
I think the medications will only delay the symptoms from appearing.
Treatment for CPTSD
Psychotherapy is the only proven way to tone down the symptoms of this mental illness
CBT (Cognitive Based Therapy)
CBT is about rewiring the brain to think differently through practice.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
After visualizing the trauma, rapid eye movement decreases the intensity of the emotional response.
The root cause of CPTSD dysfunction?
Unless the core problem of coping with uncontrolled stress, which has its origins in hypervigilance and poor coping, is not addressed, medication will be of no use.
CPTSD safe and natural environment
The work and the home environment must be
- clean,
- organized,
- noise and
- Pollution-free.
- Green
Anything or person that threatens their peace of mind must go.
It would be better for trauma patients to get an opportunity to interact and make like-minded friends.
Work for CPTSD
Work is essential to PTSD sufferers as it gives them
- structure,
- routine and
- an opportunity out of self-isolation
Best Jobs for CPTSD
- Tutors
- Animal, particularly dog pound workers
- Librarians
- Bloggers
- Nursing
- Gardening and landscaping
- Therapist
Partners of CPTSD patients
CPTSD patients also leave deep psychological scars on their unsuspecting partners and their workplace.
So, the partner should be sure they want to stay for the long haul.
When the CPTSD suffer eventually does overreact to a perceived slight that takes them back to their original trauma, their partner should
- Keep Quiet
- Stay out of their way
- Wait for things to cool down
- Give love and meet bodily needs
- Pep talk
Tips to improve your C-PTSD life
- Make a to-do list every night before bed and crush it the next day.
- Read any book before sleeping
- Live for the day.
- Call two new people that you know are not A*hole, every day.
- Go out of your way to help people in need, but not at the cost of your own goals.
- Give alms and help the needy.
- Volunteer some time to work for the downtrodden in the world that you desperately feel for.
- Avoid stressful jobs, situations, and people.
- Self-isolation does work, but eventually, you will have to learn to function among people.
- Try developing the ability to keep stress at a manageable level, while dealing with people.
Is CPTSD curable?
No, CPTSD is a lifelong problem. It is only manageable.
Conclusion
CPTSD people are highly sensitive people who were mistreated in their childhood by people they trusted and could not getaway. Now these damaged souls need peace inside and around them to be able to function normally.
Give them that peace, or get out now!
