What is Complex PTSD?

Complex PTSD results from prolonged trauma, meaning trauma that persists for months or even years. Under these conditions, people adapt to the traumatic situation as best they can, and shape themselves in ways they wouldn’t ordinarily. It can go so many different ways from there. 

With all the countless intrinsic and extrinsic factors that interact to create a personality, there is no typical presentation or symptom constellation. But the crucial distinction is this: in uncomplicated PTSD, an aberrant event intrudes upon an established identity, whereas in complex PTSD, trauma is foundational. It is incorporated into the sense of self.