When talking to someone with Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), avoid invalidating phrases like "just get over it," minimizing statements such as "it could have been worse," unsolicited advice, and comparing their trauma to others; instead, offer empathy, validate their experiences, listen without judgment, and avoid triggers like yelling or pressuring them to talk, recognizing that healing is a long, non-linear process.
Some of the things not to say include: "Just get over it" or "move on" - These dismissive statements undermine the severity of their trauma and can make them feel invalidated. "It could have been worse" - Minimizing their experience can cause them to feel unheard and unsupported.
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD, C-PTSD or cPTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop if you experience chronic (long-term) trauma. While CPTSD is often associated with chronic trauma in childhood, adults who experience chronic trauma can also develop the condition.
Yelling can serve as a powerful trigger for individuals with PTSD, reigniting their traumatic memories and plunging them into a state of overwhelming distress. The aggressive and forceful nature of yelling can mimic the threatening and dangerous situations that caused their PTSD in the first place.
difficulty controlling your emotions. feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world. constant feelings of emptiness or hopelessness. feeling as if you are permanently damaged or worthless.
Examples of PTSD Triggers (Also Known As Re-Experiencing)
Anger and violent behavior
After trauma, your nervous system may become overly sensitive, and you may feel a lot of anger at times. Your anger may cause you to feel bad about yourself, lose your temper, or do reckless things. You may distance yourself from people who want to help.
The symptoms of complex PTSD are similar to symptoms of PTSD, but may also include:
Many people who have PTSD find their instinctive responses are extremely rapid and significantly exaggerated when triggered by certain sounds. The most common being a loud, unexpected noise. It's the sort of sound that would startle anyone.
First coined by complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder expert Pete Walker, “a fawn response is triggered when a person responds to a threat by trying to be pleasing or helpful in order to appease and forestall an attacker[1].” In 4Fs: A Trauma Typology in Complex PTSD[2], Walker writes, “Fawn types seek safety by ...
The symptoms of complex PTSD resemble those of conventional PTSD, but they are more painful and often dominate the lives of those who experience them. Complex PTSD is one of the most debilitating mental health disorders, and yet it remains largely unknown and is only now beginning to receive the attention it deserves.
PTSD flashbacks are often triggered by things that remind the person of the traumatic event they experienced. These triggers can be external, such as sights, sounds, smells, or locations that are associated with the trauma.
Medication for CPTSD
However, healthcare providers may prescribe certain medications to help certain CPTSD symptoms, such as: Antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Anti-anxiety medications. Sleep medications.
Oversharing can be a trauma response as a way to seek connection, create feelings of intimacy, or protect yourself by pushing people away. It's a part of the fawn response, in which you over-disclose to appease others and avoid rejection, conflict, or harm.
Importantly, the frontal lobe is also the part of the brain that deals with language skills. PTSD or C-PTSD brain injury can therefore result in the individual struggling to articulate their emotions and thoughts.
Unfortunately, many people with PTSD suffer in silence, often ignoring symptoms and hoping they'll disappear. It's hard to blame them when the road to recovery is fraught with obstacles.
Loud noises like yelling can trigger PTSD. When a traumatic situation involves loud sounds, such as a concert, parental verbal abuse, or combat, people can be triggered when similar noises occur.
If complex PTSD is left untreated, patients can become increasingly unstable. They may exhibit serious symptoms of depression or even suicidal thoughts. It's important to seek treatment to achieve mental stability.
Pete Walker's “Complex Trauma: From Surviving to Thriving,” explores the four F's of complex trauma, fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, to help survivors understand their coping mechanisms and reactions, and begin to work towards actions that may better serve them in their life and relationships.
These symptoms include hallucinations, such as hearing voices or seeing things that aren't there, delusions, and disorganized thinking. In the context of PTSD psychosis, these positive symptoms often arise in response to trauma, amplifying feelings of fear, paranoia, and distress.
10 Things To Say To Someone With CPTSD (And Not Say)
They may be impulsive, acting before they think. Aggressive behaviors also include complaining, "backstabbing," being late or doing a poor job on purpose, self-blame, or even self-injury. Many people with PTSD only use aggressive responses to threat.
Irritability, a common psychological response after trauma exposure, is a diagnostic symptom of PTSD. Irritability is characterized by an increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli and a lowered threshold for experiencing anger.
When our brain then recognises similarities between our present situation and our past trauma (e.g. a colour, smell or noise), it can activate the fight, flight, freeze, flop or friend response, even if we're not currently in danger.