A breakdown
PTSD & Complex PTSD
When trauma keeps living in your nervous system long after the event.
Overview
PTSD develops after exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Complex PTSD (cPTSD) follows prolonged, repeated trauma — often relational or developmental. Both are treatable. You are not broken — your nervous system did exactly what it needed to do to survive.
Common signs
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares
- Avoidance of trauma reminders
- Hyperarousal — easily startled, hypervigilant
- Negative beliefs about self / world / future
- Emotional numbing or disconnection
- cPTSD adds: shame, identity disturbance, relational difficulties
What helps
EMDR and trauma-focused CBT have the strongest evidence. NHS Talking Therapies offers both.
Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and yoga for trauma release stored survival energy.
SSRIs and prazosin (for nightmares) can support — but rarely sufficient alone.
Stabilisation first (resourcing, grounding), then processing, then re-integration. Skipping stage 1 backfires.
Daily practices
Small, repeatable habits — not a checklist to fail at.
- 01Resource yourself daily — a felt-sense memory of safety, warmth or strength
- 02Orient: look around the room and name 3 things made by humans, 3 by nature
- 03Move the survival energy: shake, walk, push against a wall
- 04Track your window of tolerance — what shrinks it, what widens it
When to reach out today
These are signals to contact your care team, GP or a crisis service — today, not next week.
- Flashbacks are leaving you unable to function for hours/days
- You are dissociating to the point of memory gaps or driving without recall
- Self-harm is your main coping tool
UK resources
Keep reading
Information shaped by NICE, NHS, Mind, and peer-reviewed clinical guidelines. Not a substitute for personalised medical advice.