Therapy for Complex Trauma
Existing in Survival Mode
Trauma leaves a lasting impact, affecting the nervous system, sense of safety, and overall well-being. I work with individuals who have experienced complex trauma and struggle with a sense of urgency, discomfort in relationships, and have trouble identifying their needs.
Complex Trauma Therapy in Akron, Ohio
You might recognize yourself in some of these patterns…
You’re always waiting for something to go wrong.
You may find yourself constantly scanning for problems, anticipating other people's reactions, or having difficulty relaxing even when things are going well.
You have a hard time knowing what you need.
You may be so accustomed to adapting to other people that your own needs, preferences, or boundaries can be difficult to identify until you're already overwhelmed.
You shut down when things feel too much.
Conflict, strong emotions, or stressful situations may leave you feeling numb, disconnected, frozen, or unable to find the words you want to say.
You’ve learned to function, but you don't feel fully present in your life.
You may be successful, capable, and outwardly "fine" while feeling exhausted, disconnected, or stuck in survival mode underneath it all.
How therapy can help
Understand the patterns that once helped you survive.
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Your perfectionism, people-pleasing, hyper-independence, emotional avoidance, or constant need to stay in control may not be random personality traits. They may be ways you learned to protect yourself. Therapy can help you understand where these patterns came from and begin finding ways of coping that don't leave you depleted or disconnected.
Feel safer in yourself and your relationships.
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Trauma can affect how you experience your body, emotions, boundaries, intimacy, and connection with other people. Therapy can help you develop greater awareness of what's happening internally, communicate your needs more clearly, and build relationships where you feel more secure and connected.
Make space for emotions without being overwhelmed by them.
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You don't have to eliminate difficult emotions to feel better. We can work on developing the capacity to notice, tolerate, and move through emotions rather than automatically avoiding, suppressing, or being consumed by them.
Trauma shaped how you relate to yourself, your body, and other people. Those patterns can change.
You learned how to survive.
Therapy can help you learn how to live.
Understanding Complex Trauma
You may have heard the terms PTSD and complex PTSD and wondered what the difference is. While they overlap in important ways, they can affect people differently. Here's a closer look at the differences.
Complex PTSD
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Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) can develop after experiencing prolonged or repeated trauma, particularly when the trauma is ongoing or difficult to escape. Unlike, PTSD, which can develop after a single traumatic event, complex PTSD can affect not only how you respond to reminders of trauma, but also how you understand yourself, regulate your emotions, and related to other people.
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Complex PTSD is recognized as a distinct diagnosis in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11. In the United States, however, Complex PTSD is not currently a separate diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR.
A diagnosis isn’t necessary to recognize that trauma is affecting your life or to seek trauma-informed therapy.
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Treatment for complex trauma often involves more than processing memories or what happened. Therapy may begin by building a sense of safety and stability, developing greater awareness of your emotional and nervous system responses, and understanding the patterns you developed to survive. Over time, therapy can also involve processing traumatic experiences and developing new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Because complex trauma can affect relationships, self-worth, emotional regulation, and your senses of safety, the therapeutic relationship itself can be an important part of healing.
PTSD
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after experiencing or witnessing an extremely frightening or threatening event or series of events. PTSD can cause unwanted memories or nightmares, avoidance of reminders of what happened, and a persistent sense that danger is still present even when you are currently safe.
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PTSD is a recognized diagnosis in both the DSM-5-TR, used my mental health professionals in the United States and the ICD-11. Diagnosis involves looking at a pattern of symptoms including re-experiencing, avoidance, and a persistent sense of current threat that causes significant distress or disruption in daily life.
You don’t have to experience every possible symptom of trauma to benefit from talking to a therapist.
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PTSD is highly treatable. Therapy can help you understand and process what happened, reduce the intensity of trauma responses, and develop a greater sense of safety in your present life. Depending on your needs and goals, treatment may involve approaches that help you process traumatic memories, work with your body’s responses to trauma, and develop new ways of responding to triggers and difficult emotions.
Treatment does not require retelling every detail of what happened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a diagnosis to come to trauma therapy?
No. You don't need a formal PTSD or complex PTSD diagnosis to explore how past experiences may be affecting your emotions, relationships, or sense of safety.
Do I have to talk about everything that happened to me?
No. Trauma therapy doesn't require you to recount every detail of your past. We can focus on what feels manageable and meaningful to you, at a pace that feels safe.
What if I don't remember all of my trauma?
That's okay. You don't need a complete or perfectly detailed memory of what happened for therapy to be helpful. We can focus on the patterns, emotions, and responses you're experiencing today.
Can therapy help if I don't know whether my struggles are related to trauma?
Absolutely. You don't need to know exactly what's causing your struggles before you begin. Therapy can help you understand your experiences and recognize patterns that may be contributing to how you feel now.
You don’t have to stay in survival mode.
Carley Irwin, LPC
Learn more about me HERE
The first step is to book a free 15 minute virtual consultation. We will talk about what you’re looking for, answer any questions that you have, and see if we are a good fit.