cPTSD is not a mental illness (??)

[NarcKiddo]

I agree with the feelings expressed by others. In particular that it is a normal response to abnormal and damaging treatment.

For me, I think part of what took me so long to realise a problem exists at all, far less what that problem is or how it arose, is that my abuse has happened for as long as I can remember - probably since I was born. And generational trauma comes into the mix, too. So for me (and for many of us) there is no concept of "BC" (Before CPTSD) as opposed to "AD" (After the Damage). I have no experiential goal to strive for. In that sense, CPTSD is me - until I recognise it, repudiate it and start doing something about changing it.

[Blueberry]

I just watched Trauma Affects Hormones on the Trauma Conference. It underscored for me how much trauma is a BRAIN INJURY.

Repair to some degree or other is attainable. But it is an injury, and in lots of our cases on here it was done to us. Not that we were hit on the head necessarily but the constant stress, especially for those of us where it happened in early childhood meant that our system got hard-wired to fight-or-flight (which we all kind of know but there is a real medical term for this).

Thanks to past forum member Three Roses who reminded us of: it's a brain injury not a mental illness

From what I understand of the Trauma/Hormone session, some of the results of cptsd which most of us know so well could be termed mental illness and usually are, but underneath that it's physiological. This is the "normal response to abnormal events".

For anybody registered for the Trauma Superconference which ends today at midnight in your time zone, I can really recommend the Trauma/Hormone session.

[str_grl]

I love how it separates cPTSD from who we are because sometimes it can be hard to remember this. Thank you for sharing!

[Chart]

Something incredibly hard for me is dealing with this constant and profound fear of others, particularly work situations. There are just so many things that my trauma totally limits me from doing. And the guilt is unbearable, I feel trapped and terrified, it's horrible. Thank you everyone for this thread, it has been very helpful. I'm listening to the Caroline Spring podcasts they are really great. The trauma conference looks interesting too but I don't know how to get access to it. But will try again next weekend as apparently it will be re-posted.