Let's Talk About Chronic Trauma: aka Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD).

PTSD is a familiar term to most people. C-PTSD not so much. Strange, since the concept has been on the books since Judith Lewis Herman suggested it as a "new" diagnosis back in 1988, then published on the subject in 1992. As far as I can tell, the idea hasn't been widely accepted.

I've been lucky. Sort of. After decades of treatment for clinical depression and a general anxiety disorder, I've finally gotten the correct diagnosis. I'd looked at PTSD as a possible, but it just didn't seem to fit. It wasn't until I was researching for my book Letters to Jeannie: Teetering on the Cusp, that I found Judith Herman's work. Bingo.

What's the difference? In a nutshell, PTSD is the result of a single highly traumatic event. C-PTSD is due to repeated or ongoing traumas. There's a host of symptoms, including physical problems. If you're wondering, please look them up. This is a great site that explains it well: https://www.hanleycenter.org/mental-health-disorders/complex-ptsd/

I happened to watch the television series Criminal Minds the other day. The show usually closes with a quote. This one was:

There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future.

Eleanor Brown,

The Weird Sisters