7 Key Symptoms of CPTSD (Complex PTSD Signs You Should Know) I recently wrote about the difference between CPTSD and PTSD, how CPTSD often includes the symptoms of PTSD plus additional layers tied to long-term, repeated trauma. It’s not just the flashbacks and fear. It’s the ripple effects that bleed into your sense of self, […]
Why CPTSD Makes Letting People In So Hard
Ever feel like you have spent a life time pushing away the person who loves you the most? Yes. Me too. That’s what this week’s Healing Out Loud podcast episode is all about: those invisible walls we build when we have CPTSD. The ones that say, “I love you, but please stay right over there […]
The Departure Theory and CPTSD
(a.k.a., why “being left” hits like a freight train when you’ve got trauma on board) Let’s get this out of the way upfront: The Departure Theory isn’t something you’ll find in a psychology textbook. No citations, no DSM entry. But in trauma circles, especially among those of us navigating life with CPTSD, it comes up […]
Recognizing Trauma Dysregulation as It Happens
(aka: Is This a Red Flag, or Am I Just Spiraling?) When CPTSD turns relationships into a weather system, dysregulation is exactly when your internal forecast suddenly calls for a hurricane… all because of a missed text. Meanwhile, everyone else is just seeing a light drizzle, and you’re busy grabbing sandbags. Suddenly, you’re frozen, flooded, […]
Emotional Whiplash in a Trench Coat
Let’s talk about attachment styles, shall we? You know, those deeply ingrained survival strategies we picked up in childhood that now wreak absolute havoc on our adult relationships? Yeah. Fun times. Mine is what therapists call disorganized and what I call emotional whiplash in a trench coat. If you’re unfamiliar, disorganized attachment is what happens […]