Does complex trauma go away?

Recovering from complex PTSD takes time. For some people, the condition poses lifelong challenges. However, with therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes, people can manage their symptoms and enjoy a good quality of life.

How long does Complex PTSD take to heal?

Recovery from C-PTSD is a long slog, with survivors sometimes requiring more than ten years of psychotherapy for resolution. There are some C-PTSD programs offered through residential psychiatric programs that offer specialized treatment for this disorder and accompanying dissociative disorders.

What does Complex PTSD feel like?

If you have complex PTSD you may be particularly likely to experience what some people call an ’emotional flashback’, in which you have intense feelings that you originally felt during the trauma, such as fear, shame, sadness or despair.

Can you ever really be healed from trauma?

This creates the belief that you can never be healed from PTSD, CPTSD, complex trauma, or childhood trauma. This “modus operandi” of releasing and building up emotional residue can become cyclic and addictive.

What is the difference between complex post-traumatic stress disorder and PTSD?

The problem is that while PTSD generally involves a single traumatic event, complex post-traumatic stress disorder involves exposure to repeated traumatic events. One argument is the reason for the exclusion of CPTSD from the DSM-5 is that while PTSD affects 7-8\% of adults, CPTSD occurs in .05\% of adults.

Why does it take so long to recover from C-PTSD?

Having ceded power to the abuser, the victim feels powerless. Because the traumatic events were repetitive, prolonged, and cumulative, recovering from C-PTSD takes time and patience. Healing from C-PTSD can take place within a safe, trusting relationship if the victim feels empowered in that relationship.

Can posttraumatic stress disorder be treated?

Posttraumatic stress disorder is very treatable. A good first step in healing is to pursue evidence-based treatments, which are backed by rigorous scientific research. In my recovery, prolonged exposure therapy, commonly referred to as PE, was one key.