C-PTSD Awareness Month
September is C-PTSD Awareness Month 💜
C-PTSD is more common than you think.
You are not “broken.” You are healing from something that was never your fault.
What is C-PTSD?
C-PTSD = Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
It’s a response to ongoing or repeated trauma, especially when you didn’t have the safety or support you needed at the time.
Examples:
Childhood emotional neglect
Growing up in a chaotic or abusive home
Long-term relationship abuse
Repeated medical or perinatal trauma
How Does It Differ from PTSD?
PTSD often develops after a single traumatic event (e.g., a car accident, assault).
C-PTSD stems from chronic, repeated experiences over time — often during childhood, when our sense of safety and identity are still forming.
Common Symptoms
If you’re living with C-PTSD, you might notice:
🌪️ Feeling “stuck” in survival mode
🧩 Struggles with identity and self-worth
🔄 Repeated relationship patterns
😰 Hypervigilance or feeling “on edge”
🫂 Intense shame or guilt
You Are Not Broken
Your reactions are adaptations — your nervous system learned to keep you safe.
Healing isn’t about “fixing” you.
It’s about helping your mind and body finally feel safe.
How EMDR Helps
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) helps “unstick” traumatic memories stored in the nervous system.
It can:
Reduce the emotional charge of painful memories
Reconnect you with your sense of safety
Build resilience and self-compassion
How IFS Helps
Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you understand and heal your inner world.
Recognizes your different “parts” — the protector, the critic, the wounded child
Creates space to listen, nurture, and unburden these parts
Helps you reconnect with your core Self — calm, compassionate, and whole
EMDR + IFS Together
When combined, EMDR + IFS can:
Heal deep-rooted wounds
Reprocess painful memories
Build lasting self-trust
Support long-term nervous system regulation
This Healing is Especially Important for Parents
If you’re pregnant, postpartum, or parenting:
C-PTSD can show up in body image, eating patterns, and triggers with your kids
Healing supports you and helps you break generational cycles
If This Resonates With You And:
You are a seeking EMDR/IFS therapy, or you are a therapist interested in IFS-informed EMDR consultation, reach out to me here.
