From my perspective as a trauma psychologist, it should not be surprising, or an exception to the rule, that people who have suffered early childhood trauma may develop personality features that are shaped by their traumas. Attachment research offers a valuable perspective on how default trust (or lack thereof) is developed in early-childhood relationship contexts. Trauma shapes and changes them in ways that are both biological and psychological. When people suffer continual trauma in early childhood, their personalities form in the crucible of their trauma exposures. ACE refers to adverse childhood experiences and is a measure of traumatic experiences like physical or emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver separation or divorce, exposure to family member addiction, or witnessing violence. Individuals with complex PTSD often have a high ACEs score. In such cases, the clinical treatment plan often involves identifying the central trauma, what psychologists call an 'index' trauma, and doing work to process and resolve that trauma.īut with complex PTSD, there is often no clear index trauma. Other classical focal traumas might be an assault, or a trauma sustained during combat operations. In the context of this discussion, it's important to note that the very term 'PTSD' has actually been evolving into 'post-traumatic stress injury' (PTSI). In such classical descriptions, there is often a major focal trauma that changes the life course of an individual.įor example, suppose that an individual has had a catastrophic car crash and develops PTSD as a result. Stella patients often contrast this set of experiences with the conventional understanding of PTSD, which is diagnosed after someone is exposed to an event that causes a feeling of helplessness or horror. What they're expressing is that they've had early-life trauma in addition to subsequent trauma exposure in adulthood. For many of Stella's patients, C-PTSD is a term that validates their experience of multiple layers of trauma. In the last decade, we've started to notice that many of our patients identify a meaningful difference between ' PTSD' and 'Complex PTSD.' This article will describe the difference that is meant by patients who draw a distinction between these two concepts, and will explain how Stella views the concept of 'Complex PTSD' as a discrete challenge relative to classically defined 'Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.'Ĭomplex PTSD (C-PTSD) is often used among those who suffer from trauma as a better term to describe the challenges they face relative to the conventional understanding of PTSD. By: Shauna 'Doc' Springer Ph.D., Stella Chief Psychologist If you think that you may be experiencing symptoms, take this PTSD test online or speak to a Care Advocate now directly by calling (908) 293-7559.

Signs of ptsd from childhood trauma