How Unpredictable Childhood experiences can lead to Complex PTSD
Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( C-PTSD ) can occur when there are lasting traumatic events and stressors over a long period of time. In childhood kids have very little voice in their environment. If you witnessed parents fighting all the time, whether verbal abuse or physical, you may have developed a response to those fights. When the body experiences distress our nervous system responds with an abundance of adrenaline and cortisol flooding the brain. If a child grows up in a home with a lot of fighting, economic insecurity, and instability its a safe bet their nervous system will try to respond in various ways and as a result, Complex PTSD may developing.
Children do not have the cognitive ability to fully understand what is happening to them or to identify that their environment feels unsafe, instead they tend to use techniques to manage the feelings,The child will typically look for ways to blame himself. You can see why a child may come up with this strategy - it’s easier for the child to think there is something he can DO to control the outcome. The child may run away or refuse to talk. The child may shut down and be unable to interact. The child may stare off into space (dissociate). The child may be in fights at school all the time. The child may try to kiss up to the parents to get on their good side (children with a good sense of humor often find their comedy career started with this strategy) The child may be overly friendly with strangers and prone to wandering off to neighbors homes. Each of these are a strategy and a response to the complex trauma.
The techniques the child employs in the previous paragraph are all part of the normal trauma response: Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are the four strategies humans employ to get themselves out of danger.
Fight - I used the example of the child in fights at school all the time. In adults this might look like people who always create conflict or dramatic chaos in relationships.
Flight - yes it could mean a person is literally running away from the other person but it can also show up in adulthood as people who can never stay in one place too long, people who feel angsty about making commitments to things or to other people may just have a strong flight instinct. People who can never commit to a relationship or who leave a relationship or something very minor.
Freeze - this could look like staring into space or just staying in one spot and never getting anything accomplished (dissociation). Freeze can feel like an inability to communicate. In adults this might show as being unable to make decisions or unable to move forward with goals. In situations where they face actual danger they are the most likely person to stand and stare at the accident unfolding, rather than respond in a helpful way.
Although I end many essays on this note; I will say this type of trauma is very treatable and the majority of my clients who use EMDR therapy to work on healing complex trauma, have great success.