When Trauma Influences Human Development: Understanding and Healing Complex PTSD (CPTSD)
If you’ve ever felt like your trauma is more than a single event—like it’s something that shaped who you are, how you relate, and how safe you feel in your own skin—you may be experiencing Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD).
At CARE Counseling, Inc., we help individuals living with CPTSD understand what they’re experiencing and gently work toward healing in body, mind, and relationships.
What Is Complex PTSD?
CPTSD develops after long-term, repeated, or inescapable trauma, especially in childhood or within close relationships. Common sources include:
Childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Chronic neglect or abandonment
Domestic violence
Repeated medical or institutional trauma
Cultic or systemic oppression
Intergenerational trauma
This kind of trauma affects not only your nervous system—but also your sense of identity, safety, and trust in others.
CPTSD in the ICD-11 vs. DSM-5
There’s sometimes confusion around the diagnosis of CPTSD—because it depends on the diagnostic system being used.
ICD-11 (used internationally):
CPTSD is a distinct diagnosis from PTSD.
It includes the core PTSD symptoms:
Re-experiencing (flashbacks, nightmares)
Avoidance
Hyperarousal
Plus three additional features unique to CPTSD:
Affect dysregulation (intense emotions or numbness)
Negative self-concept (shame, guilt, self-loathing)
Relational disturbance (difficulty trusting or connecting with others)
DSM-5 (used in the U.S.):
CPTSD is not a separate diagnosis.
Instead, the expanded criteria for PTSD include many CPTSD-related symptoms:
Persistent negative beliefs about self or others
Chronic feelings of shame or blame
Dissociation, detachment, and emotional numbing
Self-destructive behavior or chronic fear
Bottom line? Whether your therapist uses the term CPTSD or not, your symptoms are real—and they are treatable.
How Does CPTSD Feel?
While every person is different, many people with CPTSD experience:
Ongoing anxiety or emotional shutdown
Feeling “on edge” or constantly bracing for harm
Deep shame or guilt—even when nothing is “wrong”
Feeling unsafe in relationships or emotionally distant
A confusing inner world with “parts” that seem to conflict
Disconnection from your body or identity
Cycles of perfectionism, burnout, or people-pleasing
Exhaustion from always trying to hold it together
These patterns aren’t flaws. They’re adaptations. Your system learned how to survive—and now, with the right support, it can begin to heal.
What Does Therapy for CPTSD Look Like?
At CARE Counseling, Inc., we take a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to working with CPTSD. We understand that deep trauma requires deep care—and that safety must come first.
Your therapy may include:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) – working with the “parts” of you that carry fear, shame, or protect you
Brainspotting or EMDR – trauma-processing methods that bypass overwhelm and reach stored memories gently
Somatic therapy – helping your body feel safe, grounded, and connected
Polyvagal-informed work – understanding your nervous system and learning to regulate with care
Attachment and relational healing – repairing the parts of you that fear closeness or dependability
Psychoeducation and neuroeducation – learning how your trauma responses make sense and can shift over time
Every session is guided by consent, pacing, and respect. You’ll never be rushed, pushed, or pathologized.
You Are Not Too Much. You Are Adaptive.
Living with CPTSD can make you feel broken, difficult, or too complex to heal. At CARE Counseling, Inc., we hold a different view:
You are not broken.
You are not too much.
You are brilliantly adaptive—and deserving of support that honors the full depth of your story.
We are here to help you:
Feel safer in your body and relationships
Reconnect with your emotions and identity
Stop cycles of self-blame or sabotage
Discover a life that feels like it belongs to you
There is nothing wrong with who you are. There’s only healing waiting for the parts of you that needed to survive. And we’re here to help.