Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Window of Tolerance
One of the worst symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) must be the inability to get and maintain self-regulation. This article will focus on what self-regulation is and how to obtain it. What is CPTSD? CPTSD is a chronic condition brought on by exposure to...
Sugar Addiction
You have probably heard of addictions to alcohol, work, and prescription drugs, but have you ever considered addiction to sugar? Sugar addiction is a real problem, especially in the developed world, causing many physical ailments and co-occurring with some serious mental health problems such as complex post-traumatic stress disorder...
Family Estrangement: Going No Contact
People with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), or living in other distress usually come from dysfunctional homes. These survivors have endured many traumas perpetrated by their family members, and after reaching adulthood, many of these grown children choose to have little to no contact with...
Quitting Work Because of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Although this article focuses on complex post-traumatic stress disorder, it is also pertinent to dissociative identity disorder. You cannot have DID without also having CPTSD. I wrote this for another site CPTSD Foundation. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Upon learning one has the diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), many people...
Poly What? Understanding Polyvagal Theory
I apologize for not being here as much as I should but I’ve been very busy. I’m volunteering now three days a week and writing for the CPTSD Foundation, another group (both paid gigs), and writing grants. I’m excited to be so busy but my blog has suffered. Please,...
Inflammation and the Brain Changes Observed in Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
In our previous article, we examined how neuroimaging is giving new insights into changes in the brain caused by trauma. Yes, trauma harms the human brain but how does that work? What could our bodies be doing that causes the types of damage outlined in this article? Today, we...
The Difficult Road to Intimacy: Living with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Those of us living with dissociative identity disorder most certainly live under the thumb of complex post-traumatic disorder. This piece is about learning to have a relationship despite having a traumatic past. Living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is very challenging. If affects every aspect of the lives...