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What is Complex PTSD? / Prevalence of CPTSD

« on: June 01, 2020, 03:12:04 PM »

I came across a 2019 research article when I was working on the CPTSD bibliography about the percentage of people in the USA with Complex PTSD and its an absolutely staggering number:

An estimated 3.8% which for the US population of 331,002,651 = 12,471,600

We all knew the numbers were high but it's still jaw dropping when you see an actual figure.

Reference: "ICD-11 PTSD and Complex PTSD in the United States: A population-based study" https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22454.

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United Kingdom / Scotland - Resilience Learning Partnership

« on: May 29, 2020, 12:55:42 PM »

Resilience Learning Partnership is a:

...training and education provider, specialising in psychological trauma and lived experience. All our educators and trainers have lived experience, as well as the relevant professional experience to deliver such work.  Where members do not have the professional skill set already, we work with them to develop those skills within a project format.

At Resilience Learning Partnership, we specialise in bringing the expertise and knowledge of people with Lived Experience into the training and development of staff within the public, third and private sectors. We do this by tapping into the unique understanding and resource people with Lived Experience bring to our work by feeding it directly into staff training and development.

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Research & Advocacy / Recruiting Participants from the US for a Research Study about Trauma & Emotions

« on: May 28, 2020, 09:08:59 PM »

My name is Shaan McGhie and I am a graduate student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University working on a study that seeks to understand daily fluctuations of emotions in people who have experienced a traumatic event. This study has been approved by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects at Harvard University.

This study will be completed online over the course of two weeks (a couple minutes a day) and participation is completely voluntary. The study involves answering brief questions (1-2mins) through an app multiple times a day.  All people who complete our study can receive up to $25 for participating, and selected participants who complete more than 90% of the surveys will be entered to win one of three $200 amazon gift cards.

 A few important things to know about the study are:

• Participants must live in the United States
• All information collected will be kept completely confidential.
• Participation is voluntary. The link we provide will send you to a website that asks some questions to determine whether you are eligible to participate. If you are eligible, we will provide you with a description of the study and you can decide whether or not you want to participate. Also, if you start to participate and decide you no longer feel comfortable or are no longer interested, you can end your participation without any penalty or punishment.
• This study will include only trauma survivors fluent in English who are 18+ years old and own a smartphone.
• We will also provide links to treatment and informational resources throughout the study.

To participate, copy and paste the following URL into your browser search bar:

https://tinyurl.com/trauma-emotions

If you are not interested in participating but you know someone who might be, please feel free to forward this information and the link to the study.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me at smcghie@g.harvard.edu.

 

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Therapy / Bibliography re Assessment & Treatment of Complex PTSD

« on: May 28, 2020, 12:26:11 PM »

Barrett, M., & Stone Fish, L. (2014). Treating complex trauma. New York: Routledge.

Briere, J., & Lanktree, C. (2011). Treating complex trauma in adolescents and young adults. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Briere, J., & Scott, C. (2014). Principles of trauma therapy: A guide to symptoms, evaluation, and treatment (2nd ed.).  Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Chu J. (2011). Rebuilding shattered lives: Treating Complex PTSD and dissociative disorders (2nd ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Danylchuk, L., & Connors, K. (2017). Treating complex trauma and dissociation. New York: Routledge.

Ford, J., & Courtois, C. (Eds.) (2020). Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in children and adolescents: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Gómez, J., Lewis, J., Noll, L., Smidt, A., & Birrell, P. (2015) Shifting the focus: Nonpathologizing approaches to healing from betrayal trauma through an emphasis on relational care, Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 17(2), 165-185.

Grossman, F., Spinazzola, J., Zucker, M., & Hopper, E. (2017). Treating adult survivors of childhood emotional abuse and neglect: A new framework. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(1), 86–93.

Herman, J., & Kallivayalil, D. (2019). Group trauma treatment in early recovery: Promoting safety and self-care. New York, The Guilford Press.

Hopper, E., Grossman, F., Spinazola, J., & Zucker, M. (2019). Treating adult survivors of childhood emotional abuse and neglect: Component-based psychotherapy. New York, The Guilford Press.

Karatzias, T., & Cloitre, M. (2019). Treating adults with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder using a modular approach to treatment: Rationale, evidence, and directions for future research. Journal of Traumatic Stress. https://doi:10.1002/jts.22457

Kezelman C., & Stavropoulos P. (2012) Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Complex Trauma
and Trauma Informed Care and Service Delivery. Australia: Blue Knot Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.blueknot.org.au/resources/Publications/Practice-Guidelines/Download

Kezelman C., & Stavropoulos P. (2019) Practice Guidelines for Clinical Treatment of Complex Trauma. Australia: Blue Knot Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.blueknot.org.au/resources/Publications/Practice-Guidelines/Download

Kezelman C., & Stavropoulos P. (2019) Complementary Guidelines to Practice Guidelines for Clinical Treatment of Complex Trauma. Australia: Blue Knot Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.blueknot.org.au/resources/Publications/Practice-Guidelines/Download

Kezelman C., Stavropoulos P. (2020) Practice Guidelines for Identifying and Treating Complex Trauma-Related Dissociation. Australia: Blue Knot Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.blueknot.org.au/resources/Publications/Practice-Guidelines/Download

Kezelman C. Stavropoulos P. (2020) Guidelines for Clinical Supervisors of Therapists who work with Complex Trauma and Dissociation.  Australia: Blue Knot Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.blueknot.org.au/resources/Publications/Practice-Guidelines/Download

Litvin, J., Kaminski, P., & Riggs, S. (2017). The Complex Trauma Inventory: A self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder and complex post traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(6), 602–613. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22231

Mendelsohn, M., Herman, J., Schatzow, E., Coco, M., Kallivayalil., D., & Levitan, J. (2011). The trauma recovery group: A guide for practitioners. New York, The Guilford Press.

Schnyder, U., & Cloitre, M. (Eds.) (2015). Evidence based treatments for trauma-related psychological disorders: A practical guide for clinicians. New York: Springer Publishing.

Schwartz, L., Corrigan, F., Hull, A., & Raju, R. (2017). The comprehensive resource model: Effective therapeutic techniques for the healing of complex trauma. London: Routledge.

Steele, K., Boon, S., & Van der Hart, O. (2017). Treating trauma-related dissociation: A practical, integrative approach. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Van der Hart, O., Nijenhuis, E., & Steele, K. (2006). The haunted self: Structural dissociation and the treatment of chronic traumatization. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

van der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York: Penguin Random House.

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Emotional/Physical/Sexual Abuse/Harassment/Violence / MOVED: Things I experienced in psych wards

« on: May 21, 2020, 04:50:25 PM »

This topic has been moved to Emotional Abuse.

https://cptsd.org/forum/index.php?topic=13419.0

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United States / US - RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

« on: May 20, 2020, 04:37:31 PM »

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

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Canada / Information for Partners of Survivors with CPTSD

« on: May 18, 2020, 04:01:24 PM »

Heather Tuba has articles (and a podcast) for partners of trauma survivors with Complex PTSD - https://heathertuba.com/articles/. (Please note I have no firsthand knowledge of the trauma coaching offered, but I have read through the articles and recommend them.)

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Research & Advocacy / ISSTS CT SIG Bibliography for Complex PTSD in the Works

« on: May 17, 2020, 06:05:25 PM »

We (the ISTSS Complex Trauma Special Interest Group) were given the go ahead recently to include a bibliography of books and journal articles relating to CPTSD/CT on our web page.  I'm working on this right now and once the first batch is posted (in a month or so - tedious work), I'll hand it off (hopefully) to a volunteer to keep adding to it.

What this does is gather in one place all the research/academic knowledge/data about CPTSD/CT which serves to legitimatize it. It has been an uphill battle to make the diagnosis 'official' and the subject of a lot of debate in trauma circles so this will be a substantial body of knowledge/ evidence/ data those professionals in favour of the diagnosis can point to (e.g., writing up the proposal for the APA DSM as they have to substantiate why it should be included & that will mean referencing a lot of studies).

I will include the bibliography at OOTS too as it's something we can steer service providers to (insurers, physicians, therapist, etc).

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Research & Advocacy / Including Complex PTSD in the ISTSS Searchable Database for Therapists

« on: May 17, 2020, 05:42:09 PM »

I noticed a few weeks back that the ISTSS database only has a category for PTSD, but not one for Complex PTSD. There are relational trauma categories for the causes of CPTSD (Physical/Emotional Abuse, Sexual Abuse/Assault/Harassment In Childhood Or Adulthood, Domestic Violence) but nothing for the specific problem we are all dealing with - CPTSD. 

So I asked one of the graduate student Co-Chairs of the Complex Trauma Special Interest Group at ISTSS (I'm a Co-Chair) to look into this and see if we can get this changed. She did and the person in charge of the database is going to bring this to the ISTSS leadership for approval.

Will post if/when I hear something - fingers crossed! 

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Research & Advocacy / Investing Globally in Mental Health: The Return on the Individual Report

« on: May 05, 2020, 05:22:27 PM »

Return on the Individual from Speak Your Mind which sponsored "a global campaign of civil society campaigners for better mental health across 20 countries, have worked together with global experts to explore the wider case for investing in mental health in their new report: The Return on the Individual. The report shows how investing in mental health creates a ripple of positive effects that include, but go beyond the financial, to the individual and the social."

The report puts the individual at the centre of the case to dramatically increase investment in mental health and highlights the benefits that can’t easily be quantified in monetary terms. Investing in good mental health brings a huge return: it includes the financial return - it is well established that for every US$1 invested, US$4 are returned.  On top of this, improvement in mental health and wellbeing has its own value - it brings a return in itself for the individual that far exceeds any return that we can count in financial terms.

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SOT - Sense of Threat (eg Hypervigilance) / MOVED: Outer critic

« on: May 04, 2020, 05:06:05 PM »

This topic has been moved to NSC - Negative Self-Concept (eg Inner Critic, Shame, Perfectionism).

https://cptsd.org/forum/index.php?topic=13373.0

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Mother's/Father's Day / Resources for Mothers & Fathers Day

« on: May 02, 2020, 04:33:06 PM »

I Hate Fathers Day, by Lilly Hope Lucario, Sept 2017

When Mothers Day Hurts: Cultural expectations about motherhood can open up wounds,  by Karyl McBride, May 2013

Mother’s Day … Again, by Elisabeth, May 2016

A Message of Care this Mothers' Day,  Beauty after Bruises, May 2017

A Message for Survivors on Fathers' Day,  Beauty after Bruises, June 2017

What Father’s Day Means to a Sexual Abuse Survivor, Emily Stroia, June 2019

My Mother was Abusive: 5 Ways to be more Peaceful this Mother’s Day, Donna Yates Kling, May 2017

Dear Dad, by Elisabeth, June 2018

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Mother's/Father's Day / Mother's Day 2020

« on: May 02, 2020, 04:11:12 PM »

So one of my least fav days of the year is approaching again.  I wish I could enjoy it more because my son & H make it special, but it is also fraught with emotions relating to my own NPD M.  She is 90 and I don't want to clash with her at this late stage in life nor cut her off completely so I am LC (vs NC).  MD raises issues about how I balance the compassion and care I feel because she is a human being though and a lot of other feelings related to her being an abusive M.

Every year I stand in the card aisle looking for the least syrupy card. I used to want to cry but that's gone thankfully, no deep aching for what could/should have been, just an awkwardness and a degree of irritation/anger about what to say/do based on very mixed feelings and the lack of understanding/recognition that not all mothers are Hallmark mothers. 

Anyway, I do feel a degree of pride I have worked on recovery enough that the day doesn't take me to my knees anymore.  I'll hold onto that and keep on being realistic about the relationship I had and didn't have with my M versus stuffing it as it seems to have made a difference. 

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International (English Speaking) / Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress

« on: May 02, 2020, 02:59:44 PM »

Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress consists of researchers and clinicians from around the world representing traumatic stress societies worldwide.

Aims: To identify objectives, facilitate development, coordinate activities of global importance, develop collaborations, and ultimately structures, that would enable an optimal response to trauma by means of international collaboration.

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International (English Speaking) / The International Trauma Consortium

« on: May 02, 2020, 02:49:58 PM »

The International Trauma Consortium is a collaboration of researchers and clinicians working in the field of traumatic stress studies.  Their goal is to advance the science and practice of psychotraumatology in order to improve the lives of people affected by trauma. Their aims include:

Develop valid and reliable methods of assessing trauma and trauma-related disorders, and make these tools freely available.

Gather systematic data from around the world on the prevalence of trauma and trauma-related distress.

Identify important risk- and protective factors associated with trauma-related distress across the lifespan and in various cultural contexts.

Develop preventative strategies to minimize the impact of trauma across the lifespan and in various cultural contexts.

Develop efficacious and cost-effective treatments for Complex PTSD that are relevant across the lifespan and in various cultural contexts.

Disseminate and communicate our discoveries to the scientific community and the general public.