Complex trauma: what it is, symptoms, criteria and treatment

During childhood, there are certain moments that leave memories that last throughout life. Sometimes, we are confronted with unpleasant situations that generate nervousness, anxiety, anguish and / or discomfort. However, it is possible that these feelings reappear later in life through different situations that we go through. When this happens to us, we say that we have a complex trauma.

Complex traumas can affect our bonds with other people, influence work performance or affect our routine of life. They come before us at unexpected times and cause us great difficulties. Do you want to know what a complex trauma is, what are its symptoms, the criteria for diagnosing them and the guidelines for dealing with them? We invite you to continue reading this Psychology-Online article.

Index

1. What is complex trauma
2. Types of trauma
3. Symptoms of complex trauma
4. Diagnostic criteria for complex trauma
5. How to treat complex trauma

Let's look at the difference between simple trauma and complex trauma:

• We are talking about a simple trauma when we refer to a specific event that has produced an unpleasant emotion that caused us discomfort at the time it happened. These situations can happen to us at different times in life and the impact they produce is of great importance since the same emotions that we have felt can reappear in the future. We can mention within the simple traumas accidents, physical injuries, robberies, death of loved ones, among others.
• When we talk about complex trauma we refer to an emotion linked to a memory that produced us distress or fear that has recurred over a prolonged period of time. They happen mostly in the childhood and the reasons can be diverse, such as family violence, abuse, mistreatment, own illnesses and / or loved ones, divorces, robberies, deaths, accidents, migration from one country to another, etc. These types of situations cause us a lot of suffering at the time they occur and are difficult to cope with. Traumas are present throughout our lives and their manifestations can occur in different ways.

In this article, you will find more information about what is a psychological trauma.

There are three groups of trauma: type 1, 2 and 3 trauma:

• Type 1 trauma are those specific situations in life in which events occurred that produced a great impact on us.
• Then we have type 2 trauma, which are several situations that occur in a short time and have a longer duration than type 1 trauma.
• Finally, type 3 trauma They consist of situations repeated in childhood for the person that have long-term effects. Type 3 traumas have the characteristic of being moments with a great burden of suffering for the person suffering.

When someone is exposed to a complex trauma, there are usually consequences that will be seen after a time in the person. Although it depends on the way each human being reacts to difficult situations, we can mention some general characteristics that appear in people who have suffered trauma complex. We will divide them into three large groups: psychosomatic symptoms, cognitive symptoms and emotional symptoms.

• Psychosomatic symptoms: are those sensations that happen in the body. Among them stand out insomnia, digestive problems, headaches, skin problems, nightmares, not being able to retain urine, among others.
• Cognitive symptoms: are those thoughts that appear after the complex trauma. Here we can mention certain difficulties in concentration and attention, little tolerance for frustration, low self-esteem, negative ideas about the person and about the world, school learning problems, among others.
• Behavioral symptoms: are those behaviors that appear after the complex trauma. In this group we can highlight aggressiveness, addictions, stuttering, risky behaviors, impulsiveness, constant crying, among others.

It is very important to know what are the symptoms that occur in a person who has been exposed to complex trauma. In this way, we will be able to know how to help her overcome these situations through a series of guidelines that we will see below.

There are some diagnostic criteria that serve to detect that we have gone through a complex trauma. Next, we will describe some that are of great importance:

• Difficulties in regulating emotions
• Loss of transitory memories
• Body aches
• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Difficulty trusting people
• Avoidance of social relationships
• Loss of life beliefs

In order to diagnose complex trauma, the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is usually used, which has information about the Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This disorder occurs when one or more traumas have occurred for a long time in a person's life.

As we've already mentioned, complex traumas are often related to earlier life events. It is important that we know the criteria to overcome these traumas. We will describe some of them below.

• Do therapy: therapy helps us to solve problems that cause us discomfort or anguish in life. A professional will guide us to the best way to deal with complex traumas and understand the meaning they have. Among the most indicated therapies to address these traumas, is therapy focused on emotions, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, group therapy, EMDR, systemic family therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, among others.
• Do meditation: meditation has great positive effects on us. This tool will give us inner tranquility and help calm the thoughts that come from those painful moments. Here you will find the effects of meditation on the body and mind.
• Thought record: this technique allows us to know which are the thoughts that appear to us in different daily situations of life that have their origin in complex traumas. You can take a sheet of paper and write down each day for a few weeks an emotion that you have felt in a certain situation. Next to it, write down the thought you had. Finally, see if this emotion repeats itself over several days. This will allow you to identify those thoughts and be able to replace them with others.
• Take responsibility for our actions: many times we are left blaming our parents or those who gave us an unpleasant moment during childhood. Here it is important to understand that we must take charge of how we react to many daily events since this will allow us to modify our behavior in the future.

In the following article, we explain how to overcome psychological trauma. Each particular case requires a treatment that adapts to what each person needs to be a little better. This article aims to provide information on the general characteristics of complex traumas. Faced with a similar problem, we suggest you go to a professional.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Complex trauma: what it is, symptoms, criteria and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (5th ed.). Washington DC.
• Bleichmar, H. (2000). Post-traumatic stress biology. Psychoanalytic Openings, 6. Retrieved from http: // www.aperturas.org/articulos.php? id = 141 & a = Biology-of-post-trauma-stress-disorder
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• Marín, J. L. (2014). Trauma and psychosomatic disorders. Spanish Society of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. Madrid College of Psychologists.