Complex Trauma

woman standing alone surrounded by lots of people
What is Complex Truma?

Complex trauma, also known as developmental trauma, often stemming from prolonged exposure to adverse childhood experiences such as chronic abuse, neglect, poverty or domestic violence, can have profound and lasting effects on adulthood. The ramifications of such trauma are extensive and can affect every aspect of life including work, relationships, and physical health.

If you suffered any of the above, you may frequently struggle with emotional dysregulation, experiencing intense and unpredictable emotions that feels out of control. This can lead to challenges in forming and maintaining healthy relationships due to trust issues, fear of intimacy, and deep-seated feelings of worthlessness.

How can it affect me?

You might find yourself stuck in patterns of self-sabotage, replicating the dynamics of your traumatic past. You may experience a feeling of never being ‘good enough’ or just a feeling that there is something wrong with you, regardless of how hard you try or how much you achieve. Or you may think of yourself as independent and strong and not needing anyone, even in situations where help is clearly needed or useful but then feeling lonely and/or resentful.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the result of a situational trauma while complex trauma is the result of emotional and psychological wounds. As with PTSD, you may struggle with persistent anxiety, depression, and hypervigilance and experience intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and nightmares related to your trauma. The difference is that you may not know why you feel the way you feel as there is no particular event that you can recall but a series of situations that caused the emotional wound.

You may have low self-esteem, often accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt, and inadequacy. In order to deal with these uncomfortable feelings, you may use defence mechanisms such as dissociation, denial, and repression to cope with overwhelming stress. Dissociation can range from feeling detached from yourself or numb as if life is happening to someone else. Denial and repression may cause you to blame yourself or tell yourself that it wasn’t that bad and other people have it worse. Denial and repression help to keep painful memories and emotions at bay but often lead to further psychological distress over time.

Physically, the chronic stress associated with complex trauma can manifest as various health problems, including heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, and autoimmune disorders. The body’s prolonged exposure to stress hormones can wreak havoc on your overall well-being. Conditions such as fibromyalgia and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) have been linked to trauma.

In therapy, my goal is to provide you with a safe, compassionate environment where you can explore and process those traumatic experiences. As an integrative therapist, I use many different strategies to help you develop healthier coping mechanisms, improve emotional regulation, and build a more positive self-identity. By addressing the deep-rooted impacts of complex trauma, I’ll help you to find your inner power so you can lead a healthier and more fulfilling life. Are you ready to free yourself from the limiting patterns impose on you? If so, click the button below to start today.