The Trauma continuum

On the continuum of traumatic stress disorders, there's something called **Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)**.

Imagine you’ve been in a car accident. You were shaken up, and while your car was badly damaged, you didn’t feel like your life was in danger. In the following weeks, you might experience a range of psychological and physical symptoms. Emotionally, you could feel sad, confused, anxious, irritable, or even angry and hopeless at times.

Physically, you might notice:

- Sweating

- A rapid heart rate

- Nausea

- Shaking or dizziness

You may even feel like you’ll *never* want to drive again. But these reactions are completely normal—they're part of Acute Stress Disorder. Typically, these symptoms last for about 3 to 6 weeks before you begin to feel like yourself again. Having support from those around you, along with compassion and the space to heal, can help you recover more smoothly.Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD

Imagine that car accident was much worse because you feared for your life, and your ability to cope was completely overwhelmed. Perhaps you didn’t have the support of loved ones to lean on afterward. The physical and emotional toll of this intense stress may not only linger but could also grow worse over time. You might experience symptoms such as:

- Reliving the event through intrusive thoughts, vivid images, nightmares, flashbacks, or even physical sensations.

- Avoiding anything that reminds you of the accident—perhaps you don’t want to drive, avoid the street where it happened, or struggle to talk about it. You might even engage in excessive behaviors to block out the thoughts or avoid sleep to escape the dreams.

- Feeling a constant sense of danger, as if the accident could happen again at any moment.

- Overwhelming emotions, chronic pain, or distressing physical sensations.

These symptoms could indicate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

C-PTSD, or complex post-traumatic stress disorder, can be difficult to recognize. When I ask clients about their childhood, many initially say, "I had a great childhood." But as we dive deeper, hidden stressors often emerge, revealing signs of C-PTSD. Trauma exists on a spectrum—it might include sexual or physical abuse, growing up with parents struggling with mental illness or addiction, unmet emotional needs, witnessing domestic violence, or facing challenges like divorce, poverty, racism, homophobia, immigration, or incarceration. These experiences are known as Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) or Adverse Life Events (ALEs), and they can happen during any stage of life.

C-PTSD shares many of the same symptoms as PTSD but goes deeper, with three additional areas of impact:

Affect dysregulation: Your nervous system becomes chronically unbalanced, leading to issues like irregular heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing. Managing emotions also becomes more challenging.

Negative self-concept: Long-term or repeated trauma can leave you feeling a deep sense of shame, guilt, and worthlessness, impacting how you see yourself.

Interpersonal difficulties: Building trust and forming healthy relationships can become a struggle, with fears of abandonment, betrayal, or further harm leading to patterns of avoidance or co-dependence.

If you believe you may have C-PTSD, it’s important to seek a professional assessment.

Keep in mind: Not everyone who experiences ACEs, ALEs, or other trauma will develop PTSD or C-PTSD. Many factors influence whether these conditions manifest.More to come….