Episode 1: This explores uncovers the origins of developmental trauma, also known as Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and how it differs from the more commonly known PTSD. The main difference is that childhood trauma affects the developing brain, where PTSD in adult life is less severe as in many cases the adult brain has fully developed. The alteration occurring during child development account for identity and attachment problems as well as all the other common symptoms associated with adult PTSD, so in many respects CPTSD is much more difficult to recover from.
Exposure to life threatening circumstances commonly abandonment or threats of annihilation, are in of itself not the cause of PTSD & CPTSD. More accurately it is the inability of the individual to be unable to unable to use their own power of agency to neutralise the threat, remove themselves from harms way. The adrenalised fight, flight, freeze responses could not be employed, at the time, without exacerbating the situation, so energy gets trapped in the body, as the individual employs the only survival strategy remaining which is to collapse and shut down.
This is why not everyone who is exposed to trauma develops the condition of PTSD or CPTSD, because it has more to do with the individuals ability to express the right biological responses at the time without inhibition. with inhibition of fight or flight, the condition develops as adrenaline can not be discharges.
This trapped energetic state shows up as learned helplessness, and an extreme negative cognitive bias effecting most of their life decisions thereafter. Trauma corrupts healthy intuition leaving survivors with extreme difficult knowing and trusting their own instincts, as what they had to do, and what they needed to do to survive are conflicting interests.
Although every individuals traumatic circumstances are differ, common biological adaptations can be observed, as common themes that unite the experiences of CPTSD & PTSD.
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