Complex Trauma

Imagine experiencing something that gave you such an intense emotional response that it literally altered the way you see everything.

In our previous post we talked about developmental trauma, a form of trauma that occurs during the very earliest years of our life. We now move on to talk about complex trauma, sometimes known as complex PTSD – the result of an accumulative effect of a repetitive series of events and experiences which usually involve direct harm or endangerment to an individual. These typically involve a specific relationship, period of time or situational setting. Examples include the effect of ongoing abuse of a child, domestic violence, and multiple military deployments where trauma is experienced; The list goes on.

We have already described in our last post on ACE’s how trauma can effect brain development in children. However, clearly, not all trauma is experienced during childhood. It’s entirely possible that you may grow into adulthood before you experience trauma which can become complex if trauma is repeatedly experienced, but not necessarily of the same type. For instance, you might experience a series of unrelated traumas although this is rare. Far more common for this type of trauma is that experienced in abusive relationships or by people working in environments where they are repeatedly exposed to traumatic circumstances.

Severity is thought to be influenced by:

• Experience of trauma during early years
• If an abuser was a parent or caregiver
• The length of time the individual endured trauma for
• If the victim was alone at the time
• If the victim remains in contact with an abuser

When trauma is experienced it can result in a deficit in brain development in children as well as impaired brain function in children & adults. Trauma appeals to the brains amazing ability to protect us from danger. Our brains have evolved a system that, for the most part, serves us very well. The limbic system in the centre of the brain uses the things we perceive to determine whether or not they are safe and then distributes the appropriate message to other parts of the brain to drive a response. If the alarm bells have been triggered our flight or flight response is activated. This is the automatic response you might experience if you are about to cross the road and realise at the last moment that a car is coming. Before you’ve even had time to think about it you’ve withdrawn your foot back to the path and your body is primed to deal with the prospect of physical danger.

This is a healthy anxiety response. It has automatically taken physical action to negate the danger while at the same time prepared your body to deal with potential physical damage if things don’t turn out well. However, the brains of people who have experienced trauma can become hardwired to process benign threats in this anxious way & can be triggered by experiences that seem to pose no threat. To make matters worse, things that genuinely are dangerous may not be perceived as so. In other words, their perception of danger is completely distorted and the behaviour of sufferers often seems erratic and inappropriate to others; And it doesn’t stop there.. Cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal gland which affects things like blood sugar levels, metabolism, reducing inflammation & memory formulation. However it also adversely affects the ability of the Prefrontal Cortex – the part of the brain responsible for rational cognition & decision making – to function. In other words, it inhibits your ability to think clearly and make good decisions. So, at the very moment you need clarity of thought, your body’s natural defence mechanism can work against you.

Symptoms typically include:

• Feelings of shame or guilt
• A lack of emotional control
• Loss of concentration, attention or memory
• Self harm
• Unexplained physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, miscellaneous aches & pains, chest pain
• Relationship issues
• Substance use & abuse
• Isolation from friends & relatives
• Suicidal ideation

If these experiences sound familiar to you & you would like to talk about trauma, get in touch with us at BroadMinds Therapy for a free consultation and see how we can help. Call 0899420568, email help@broadmindstherapy.org , message us via this website or visit our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jpbroad

All details are treated with discretion, privacy & are completely confidential.

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