PTSD and C-PTSD: What Is the Difference and How Can Therapy Help?
- Guest Author
- May 21
- 3 min read
By Sara Price, ALC, MA, NCC – Váthos Counseling Note: this article was written by an outside guest author, and the information / views provided may not reflect the opinions or views of North Star Psychology. Questions about this article should be directed towards its author.
Most people are familiar with PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s often associated with survivors of war, accidents, or other major traumatic events. But there’s another form of trauma that often goes unnoticed and unspoken: Complex PTSD (C-PTSD).
For many of the individuals I work with, understanding the difference between PTSD and C-PTSD is a powerful first step toward healing.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD develops in response to a single traumatic event, something sudden, life-threatening, or deeply distressing. Common causes include:
Car accidents
Physical or sexual assault
Natural disasters
Combat or war exposure
Symptoms of PTSD can include:
Intrusive memories or flashbacks
Nightmares
Avoidance of trauma reminders
Heightened startle response or hypervigilance
Sleep disturbances and irritability
PTSD can feel like a constant replay of the traumatic event, leaving the nervous system on high alert and the body stuck in survival mode.
What Is Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)?
C-PTSD is caused by repeated or long-term trauma, often in childhood or within close relationships. Unlike PTSD, which usually stems from one incident or a few incidents, C-PTSD results from ongoing exposure to harm, often from someone the person depended on for safety.
Examples of complex trauma include:
Childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Neglect or abandonment
Growing up with a caregiver who was narcissistic, abusive, or emotionally unavailable
Domestic violence
Living in a chronically unsafe or invalidating environment
In addition to PTSD symptoms, people with C-PTSD often experience:
Deep, persistent shame or guilt
A fragmented or unstable sense of self
Difficulty with trust and relationships
Emotional flashbacks (waves of emotion without a clear memory attached)
Chronic feelings of worthlessness or being “not good enough”
How Therapy Can Help
Whether you're dealing with PTSD or C-PTSD, you are not alone, and healing is absolutely possible.
At Váthos Counseling, I specialize in working with adults who have experienced:
Childhood trauma
Childhood parental loss
PTSD
Family enmeshment
Codependency
Emotionally abusive or narcissistic relationships
Identity formation
Anxiety
Depression
I use a compassionate, trauma-informed approach that meets you where you are. One of the main modalities I use is Lifespan Integration, a gentle, body-based therapy that helps reprocess past trauma and build a stronger, more integrated sense of self.
To learn more about trauma therapy offered at Váthos Counseling, Lifespan Integration, and my Lifespan Integration practice check out the pages below:
Therapy can help you:
Make sense of what happened and how it shaped you
Soothe your nervous system and find emotional safety
Set boundaries and build healthier relationships
Reconnect with your strengths, values, and identity
Move forward without being haunted by the past
You Deserve Healing
Whether your trauma was sudden or prolonged, loud or quiet, clear or confusing, its impact is real. If you see yourself in the experiences described here, know that healing is possible, and help is available.
Ready to start your journey?You can schedule a free 15-minute consultation at Contact | Váthos Counseling, or reach out with questions. Therapy is a brave step, but you don’t have to take it alone.
Note: this article was written by an outside guest author, and the information / views provided may not reflect the opinions or views of North Star Psychology. Questions about this article should be directed towards its author.