{"quotes":[{"text":"Patients with complex trauma may at times develop extreme reactions to something the therapist has said or not said, done or not done. It is wise to anticipate this in advance, and perhaps to note this anticipation in initial communications with the patient. For example, one may say something like, 'It is likely in our work together, there will be a time or times when you will feel angry with me, disappointed with me, or that I have failed you. We should except this and not be surprised if and when it happens, which it probably will.' It is also vital to emphasize to the patient that despite the diagnosis and experience of dividedness, the whole person is responsible and will be held responsible for the acts of any part. P174.","author":"Elizabeth F. Howell","tags":["complex-ptsd","dissociative-identity-disorder","mental-disorder","responsibility","responsible","system-responsibility","trauma-therapy","traumatized"],"id":18581,"author_id":"Elizabeth+F.+Howell"},{"text":"But on Kwajalein, the guards sought to deprive them of something that had sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity. This self-respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at the heart of humanness; to be deprived of it is to be dehumanized, to be cleaved from, and cast below, mankind.","author":"Laura Hillenbrand","tags":["captivity","complex-ptsd","dehumanization","dehumanize","held-captive","inhumane","no-longer-human","prisoners-of-war","self-respect","survivors-of-war","traumatic-experiences","traumatized","war","worthlessness"],"id":47774,"author_id":"Laura+Hillenbrand"},{"text":"Somatic Symptoms:People with Complex PTSD often have medical unexplained physical symptoms such as abdominal pains, headaches, joint and muscle pain, stomach problems, and elimination problems. These people are sometimes most unfortunately mislabeled as hypochondriacs or as exaggerating their physical problems. But these problems are real, even though they may not be related to a specific physical diagnosis. Some dissociative parts are stuck in the past experiences that involved pain may intrude such that a person experiences unexplained pain or other physical symptoms. And more generally, chronic stress affects the body in all kinds of ways, just as it does the mind. In fact, the mind and body cannot be separated. Unfortunately, the connection between current physical symptoms and past traumatizing events is not always so clear to either the individual or the physician, at least for a while. At the same time we know that people who have suffered from serious medical, problems. It is therefore very important that you have physical problems checked out, to make sure you do not have a problem from which you need medical help.","author":"Suzette Boon","tags":["complex-ptsd","dissociative-identity-disorder","hypochondriac","medical","physical","ptsd","somatic","survivors","trauma"],"id":78107,"author_id":"Suzette+Boon"},{"text":"People with Complex PTSD suffer from more severe and frequent dissociation symptoms, as well as memory and attention problems, than those with simple PTSD. In addition to amnesia due to the activity of various parts of the self, people may experience difficulties with concentration, attention, other memory problems and general spaciness. These symptoms often accompany dissociation of the personality, but they are also common in people who do not have dissociative disorders. For example everyone can be spacey, absorbed in an activity, or miss an exit on the highway. When various parts of the personality are active, by definition, a person experiences some kind of abrupt change in attention and consciousness.","author":"Suzette Boon","tags":["amnesia","attention","complex-ptsd","day-dreaming","dissociation","dissociative-identity-disorder","memory","personality-types","ptsd","survivor","trauma"],"id":78734,"author_id":"Suzette+Boon"},{"text":"Beneath the surface of the protective parts of trauma survivors there exists an undamaged essence, a Self that is confident, curious, and calm, a Self that has been sheltered from destruction by the various protectors that have emerged in their efforts to ensure survival. Once those protectors trust that it is safe to separate, the Self will spontaneously emerge, and the parts can be enlisted in the healing process.","author":"Bessel A. van der Kolk","tags":["complex-ptsd","complex-trauma","dissociative-disorders","neuroscience","psychology","trauma"],"id":101064,"author_id":"Bessel+A.+van+der+Kolk"},{"text":"Playing nice' comes naturally when our neuroception detects safety and promotes physiological states that support social behavior. However, pro-social behavior will not occur when our neuroception misreads the environmental cues and triggers physiological states that support defensive strategies. After all, 'playing nice' is not appropriate or adaptive behavior in dangerous or life-threatening situations. In these situations, humans - like other mammals - react with more primitive neurobiological defense systems. To create relationships, humans must subdue these defensive reactions to engage, attach, and form lasting social bonds. Humans have adaptive neurobehavioral systems for both pro-social and defensive behaviors.","author":"Stephen W. Porges","tags":["complex-ptsd","dangerous-people","defensive","distrust","fear","interpersonal-relationships","neurophysiology","polyvagal-theory","social","triggers","trust","unsafe-people"],"id":108844,"author_id":"Stephen+W.+Porges"},{"text":"Physical symptoms such as muscle tension, back problems, stomach distress, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, obesity or maybe even hypertension can be caused by suppressing your emotions. Suppressed anger may also cause you to overreact to people and situations or to act inappropriately. Unexpressed anger can cause you to become irritable, irrational, and prone to emotional outbursts and episodes of depression.","author":"Beverly Engel","tags":["anger","complex-ptsd","depression","irritability","ptsd","survivors","unexpressed-emotions"],"id":109369,"author_id":"Beverly+Engel"},{"text":"Complex PTSD consists of of six symptom clusters, which also have been described in terms of dissociation of personality. Of course, people who receive this diagnosis often also suffer from other problems as well, and as noted earlier, diagnostic categories may overlap significantly. The symptom clusters are as follows:Alterations in Regulation of Affect ( Emotion ) and ImpulsesChanges in Relationship with othersSomatic SymptomsChanges in MeaningChanges in the perception of SelfChanges in Attention and Consciousness.","author":"Suzette Boon","tags":["betrayal","bond","complex-ptsd","dissociative","dissociative-identity-disorder","emotion","emotional","fear","guilt","memory","mistrust","personality","ptsd","relationships","shame","survivor","trauma","trust"],"id":135904,"author_id":"Suzette+Boon"},{"text":"Alterations in regulation of affect (emotion) and impulse:Almost all people who are seriously traumatized have problems in tolerating and regulating their emotions and surges or impulses. However, those with complex PTSD and dissociative disorders tend to have more difficulties than those with PTSD because disruptions in early development have inhibited their ability to regulate themselves.The fact that you have a dissociative organization of your personality makes you highly vulnerable to rapid and unexpected changes in emotions and sudden impulses. Various parts of the personality intrude on each other either through passive influence or switching when your under stress, resulting in dysregulation. Merely having an emotion, such as anger, may evoke other parts of you to feel fear or shame, and to engage in impulsive behaviors to stop avoid the feelings.","author":"Suzette Boon","tags":["affect","affect-regulation","amnesia","attention","avoidance","behavior","complex-ptsd","day-dreaming","disregulated","dissociation","dissociative","dissociative-identity-disorder","emotion","emotional","fear","impulsive","memory","personality","ptsd","shame","survivor","trauma"],"id":195653,"author_id":"Suzette+Boon"},{"text":"Changes in Relationship with others:It is especially hard to trust other people if you have been repeatedly abused, abandoned or betrayed as a child. Mistrust makes it very difficult to make friends, and to be able to distinguish between good and bad intentions in other people. Some parts do not seem to trust anyone, while other parts may be so vulnerable and needy that they do not pay attention to clues that perhaps a person is not trustworthy. Some parts like to be close to others or feel a desperate need to be close and taken care of, while other parts fear being close or actively dislike people. Some parts are afraid of being in relationships while others are afraid of being rejected or criticized. This naturally sets up major internal as well as relational conflicts.","author":"Suzette Boon","tags":["betrayal","bond","complex-ptsd","dissociative","dissociative-identity-disorder","emotion","emotional","fear","guilt","memory","mistrust","personality","ptsd","relationships","shame","survivor","trauma","trust"],"id":222889,"author_id":"Suzette+Boon"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":14,"pages":2,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}