Complex trauma (C-PTSD), also known as relational trauma, attachment trauma, developmental trauma, and long trauma, develops from prolonged, repeated trauma, such as emotional neglect, chronic relational misattunement, and shame.

Unlike single-event trauma, C-PTSD stems from prolonged exposure to environments where emotional needs were unmet.

Because complex trauma may have more to do with “what didn’t happen” rather than “what did happen,” many have trouble identifying that they’ve experienced trauma. They often do not understand why they are feeling the way they are feeling, and are confused as to why they are having challenging emotional and relational experiences as adults, because “nothing really bad happened to me when I was a kid.”

What they know is that they are having trouble staying present, connecting with others or regulating their nervous systems. They may find themselves chronically stuck in a fight or flight response, or oscillating between hyperarousal (activation, hypervigilance, panic) and hypoarousal (depression, numbing, or freezing). They may experience chronic shame, have difficulty trusting others, or have trouble feeling safe. They often feel emotionally dysregulated. Anxiety, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, insomnia, and depression are common.

What is the difference between Big T Trama and Complex Trauma?

Big T trauma typically refers to single, overwhelming events that threaten a person’s safety or life, such as accidents, physical or sexual abuse, natural disasters, or assaults. These events are often clearly remembered and linked to a specific moment in time. In contrast, complex trauma arises from repeated or prolonged exposure to relational or environmental stressors, such as emotional neglect, abuse or instability, often occurring during early development. While big T trauma tends to produce intense but more straightforward symptoms like flashbacks or hypervigilance, complex trauma can create deeper patterns of emotional dysregulation, difficulty in relationships, and a fragmented sense of self. Healing complex trauma often requires a more nuanced, relational, and body-based approach to address the layers of impact on the nervous system and attachment patterns. Healing from complex trauma involves restoring safety, processing trauma, and building a more regulated, connected sense of self. 

How can we address and resolve trauma?

Healing complex trauma often requires a more nuanced, relational, and body-based approach to address the layers of impact on the nervous system and attachment patterns. Because single event trauma and complex trauma can happen when we are quite young and occur before the we have begun to speak, we may not have any explicit memory of what happened. Rather than being stored in our verbal or conscious memory systems, these early traumatic experiences become encoded in the body and the nervous where they manifest as physiological responses, emotional patterns, and relational difficulties without an attached story or narrative.

Cognitive therapy, which relies on conscious processing and language, may have limited effectiveness in accessing and resolving these early, nonverbal imprints. Somatic and body-mind trauma-oriented modalities engage the nervous system and bodily sensations directly, and have the goal of processing, metabolizing and releasing stored survival responses. Stuck fight, flight, or freeze responses which create chronic hypervigilance, numbness, or emotional overwhelm can be safely discharged, restoring the nervous system’s natural balance. This process restores the nervous system’s organic rhythm and balance, helping clients reconnect with a sense of safety and inner regulation.