The Psychology of People Who Have Endured Too Much Trauma

[Gaugamela]

A number of years ago I found a website with a list of 35 symptoms of complex PTSD. The instructions were simply to count the number of symptoms that apply to you. If you have 7 or more of these symptoms then you likely have CPTSD. There were two symptoms I felt did not apply. I scored 33 out of the 35.

A lot of what’s described in this video are symptoms of CPTSD. The problem with CPTSD is that it becomes hardwired into your nervous system. I had a pretty fucking major crisis in my early twenties when I realized this. It felt like a life sentence.

Is your "laziness" actually exhaustion? Is your "need for control" actually a desperate search for safety? The traits you likely judge most harshly in yourself are often not defects—they are scars. We tend to believe that if we were "better" people, we would be more relaxed, more trusting, or more open. But psychology tells us a different story: these behaviors are not signs of a broken character; they are signs of a nervous system that has worked incredibly hard to keep you safe.

In this deep dive, we look at the biology of survival. When you endure chronic stress or childhood instability, your brain—specifically the amygdala—rewires itself for hyper-vigilance. You become an expert at reading micro-expressions and anticipating danger, but you lose the ability to rest. This video explains why you feel like a car with the engine revving in neutral, why you might feel "numb" to survive, and why your high-functioning armor is so heavy to carry. It is time to understand the machinery under the hood so you can finally stop fighting your own biology.

[multigraincracker]

1. My life never made sense to me until

I found a brilliant psychiatrist at age 40. I had PTSD and ADHD. I prefer to say I’m on those spectrums. He talked me into going back to college, only this time sit in the front row of every class. It worked.

[Gaugamela]

2. I was an actor in my twenties. I was actually quite good at it, as my friends at that

time would attest. It helped a lot, but it didn’t fix it. These things can become manageable, but they never go away. But I suspect we all have these defining experiences which become private mythologies. Some are darker than others.

[multigraincracker]

3. You might look into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Might give you some techniques to get out of that slump. Doesn’t rehash those pain again, it can give some positives to focus on instead. That really helped me with the PTSD part.

[Gaugamela]

4. Thanks. I'm not in a slump anymore. Just recounting my experience.

[FirefighterJo]

5. Your post hit me like a ten ton truck

I would like to read/learn more about this condition. Could you help me with some usefull links (Like that test you mentioned) to get me started please?
Thank you already.

[Gaugamela]

8. I came across that test about 10 or 12 years ago, and I can't find it now. However,

if you google “complex ptsd test” a good number of such tests will come up.

Here is a website on the condition that I have found very helpful: https://www.pete-walker.com/

There are also many YouTube videos on the subject.

Complex PTSD was first described in a book by Harvard psychologist Judith Herman called Trauma and Recovery. She defines CPTSD as a condition that occurs due to repeated periodic trauma, as opposed to a single instance of trauma that can instigate PTSD.

[FirefighterJo]

9. Thank you for your clarification

It is much appreciated

Kudos

[Mossfern]

6. This brought me to tears

I hold on to the hope that I manage to have a few good years some day ....
I've been working with a trauma therapist .... healing is a long and often painful road.