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Complex PTSD Symptoms
Triggers
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Sections:
What Is a Trigger?
Common CPTSD Triggers
Signs & Symptoms
Managing Triggers
What Is a Trigger?
People who have PTSD or complex PTSD can react to different life situations as if they are reliving their trauma.
The particular situation that triggers a person can be random and varies depending on their specific trauma history. A person can be triggered by situations, images, smells, conversations with others, and more.
This triggering can manifest as a fight-or-flight response triggered by the amygdala, responsible for processing emotions in the brain.
When this happens, a person's brain can perceive that they are in danger, even if they are not. This is known as an amygdala hijack and can also result in things like flashbacks, nightmares, or being easily startled.
If you live with C-PTSD, you might find that certain emotions or situations can bring on intense symptoms related to your trauma.
What triggers this response for you will probably look different than what triggers it for someone else. This is largely because a trauma trigger is related in some way to the original trauma.
For example, it could be something you picked up with one of your five senses when the trauma was taking place.
Common CPTSD Triggers
- specific physical sensations or pain
- intense emotions like fear, sadness, or anger
- a breakup or divorce
- specific smells, sounds, or tastes
- a month, date, or time of year
- reading a book or watching a movie that makes you think of the trauma
- specific places
- any situation resembling the original trauma
Signs & Symptoms
Managing Triggers
SOURCES:
CPTSD
Workbook, Arielle Schwartz PhD/ CPTSD Treatment Manual__CPTSD: From Surviving
to Thriving, Pete
Walker__www.verywellmind.com/what-is-complex-ptsd__psychcentral.com/ptsd/complex-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-symptoms#common-triggers__goodtherapy.org/dissociation-c-ptsd-role-of-detachment-in-complex-trauma___crappychilhoodfairy.com/cptsd-behaviors-like-narcissism__Crittenden,
P. M., Heller, M. B. (2017). The roots of chronic posttraumatic stress
disorder: Childhood trauma, information processing, and self-protective
strategies. Chronic Stress, 1, 1-13
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2470547016682965__Kessler, R. C.,
& Bromet, E. J. (2013). The epidemiology of depression across cultures.
Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 119–138. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031912-114409__Lawson,
D. M. Treating adults with complex trauma: An evidence-based case study.
Journal of Counseling and Development,
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcad.12143 Sar, V. (2011, March
7)__Developmental trauma, complex PTSD, and the current proposal of
DSM-5__European Journal of Psychotraumatology,
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/ejpt.v2i0.5622__Tarocchi, A.,
Aschieri, F., Fantini, F., & Smith, J. D. Therapeutic assessment of complex
trauma: A single-case time-series study. Clinical Case Studies, 12, 228–245. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1534650113479442__https://www.verywellmind.com/agoraphobia-101-2584235__Avoidance
Behavior, Written by Silvi Saxena MBA, MSW, LSW, CCTP, OSW-C/Reviewed by Raiy Abulhosn
MD__ https://psychcentral.com/pro/complex-ptsd-and-the-realm-of-dissociation
SOURCES:
CPTSD
Workbook, Arielle Schwartz PhD/ CPTSD Treatment Manual__CPTSD: From Surviving
to Thriving, Pete
Walker__www.verywellmind.com/what-is-complex-ptsd__psychcentral.com/ptsd/complex-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-symptoms#common-triggers__goodtherapy.org/dissociation-c-ptsd-role-of-detachment-in-complex-trauma___crappychilhoodfairy.com/cptsd-behaviors-like-narcissism__Crittenden,
P. M., Heller, M. B. (2017). The roots of chronic posttraumatic stress
disorder: Childhood trauma, information processing, and self-protective
strategies. Chronic Stress, 1, 1-13
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2470547016682965__Kessler, R. C.,
& Bromet, E. J. (2013). The epidemiology of depression across cultures.
Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 119–138. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031912-114409__Lawson,
D. M. Treating adults with complex trauma: An evidence-based case study.
Journal of Counseling and Development,
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcad.12143 Sar, V. (2011, March
7)__Developmental trauma, complex PTSD, and the current proposal of
DSM-5__European Journal of Psychotraumatology,
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/ejpt.v2i0.5622__Tarocchi, A.,
Aschieri, F., Fantini, F., & Smith, J. D. Therapeutic assessment of complex
trauma: A single-case time-series study. Clinical Case Studies, 12, 228–245. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1534650113479442__https://www.verywellmind.com/agoraphobia-101-2584235__Avoidance
Behavior, Written by Silvi Saxena MBA, MSW, LSW, CCTP, OSW-C/Reviewed by Raiy Abulhosn
MD__ https://psychcentral.com/pro/complex-ptsd-and-the-realm-of-dissociation