For those living with CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder), you know what it is like to experience reality in a way that others often do not understand. It can feel like an upside-down experience shaped by an upside-down childhood—one in which you had to continually reorient yourself to navigate a painful, unpredictable, or unsafe emotional landscape.
In this episode, Dr. Jacob Ambrose and Dr. Vincent Barbieri discuss how chronic and complex traumatic experiences can lead to the development of protective nervous system responses. The nervous system learns to anticipate danger, detect potential threats, and brace for the emotional “tripwires” associated with past trauma.
Although these responses may have been necessary for survival, the anticipation of past trauma can later interfere with a person’s ability to feel safe in healthy environments. Hope can feel terrifying. Emotional numbness can feel safer than vulnerability. Relationships can feel uncomfortable or threatening because allowing another person to hold emotional power may seem ineffective, dangerous, or unreasonable when safety was repeatedly withheld during childhood.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Ambrose and Dr. Barbieri explore strategies for understanding and navigating these experiences through thoughtful discussion, relatable analogies, and validation of the core pain points associated with CPTSD.
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This content is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individualized mental health care, diagnosis, or treatment.
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