Some wounds go much deeper than flesh and leave behind marks that do not manifest as blemishes or scars but in the form of flashbacks, insomnia, nightmares, insomnia, and a cocktail of negative feelings that time alone cannot heal. Trauma in any form can be extremely painful, not only physically but also psychologically. It puts you through a harrowing event and forces you to re-experience in the form of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).
It can be hard to quantify trauma, especially when people around you use this term so casually. Nevertheless, this does not negate the fact that CPTSD exists and, irrespective of the taboo associated with it, requires help. Fortunately, many complex PTSD treatment centers, though limited in number, are working round the clock to ensure that clients with this mental issue are provided the help they need and deserve.
Inside the World’s Best Complex PTSD Treatment Centers
There are many ways to treat complex trauma, even though none guarantee that things will be as they were before CPTSD hit you. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to amount to one painful memory after another. With the help and care offered by a complex PTSD retreat, you can work alongside experts to get to a place where you can better cope with your traumatic past to the point where it doesn’t get in the way of living. To establish this, the highly trained therapists and psychiatrists work together in dedicated rehabs to figure out what hinders you the most and help you recover from it through the following:
- Individual and group therapy
- CognitiveBehavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotion-focused therapy
- DialecticalBehavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Sensorimotor psychotherapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
While the thought of getting these therapies may intimidate anyone, they are specifically designed to address the individual bits of a more significant problem. Some may work better in one client than others; hence, the right combination of therapies is carefully curated for each client during complex PTSD inpatient treatment programs. The goals on which these inpatient programs work are simple and concise and include:
- Safety
- Overcoming trauma
- Self-contemplation
- Emotional control
- Improving the ability to be happy
- Increasing relational engagements and social interactions
Sometimes, the goal of inpatient rehab is to allow you to undergo intensive care in an environment far away from the regular traumatic stressors. This gives you a better chance to rebuild your wall one brick at a time without any pressure or stress.
What to Expect at Complex PTSD Treatment Centers
When a client arrives at a complex PTSD rehab, the admissions team provides them with a tour around the campus for an up-close look at the facilities and accommodations. Different aspects of the programs, such as a brief overview, fee structure, schedules, etc., are discussed so that clients can develop a good understanding of what they are enrolling into. Experts usually conduct a short assessment at this point to determine if they are fit for admission. Suppose a client is deemed appropriate for commencing treatment. In that case, they sit with an expert through an interview and provide a primary profile which includes medical history, family contacts, psychological history, previous treatment history, and current living situation.
Once the admission process is complete, each client goes through a full day of orientation in which they meet their program director, operations staff, individual therapist, and other treatment providers. An appointment with the psychiatrist is also arranged within 24 hours of admission to get a clear picture of the medication regimen if required. If the client is staying in a supportive living, they are escorted by the staff to their room, where they spend some time acclimatizing themselves to the new environment. Each client is assigned a therapist as well as a program director for better care throughout their stay. A treatment plan is formulated after a psychological evaluation, keeping in mind all individual needs and requirements of the client. Sometimes, an estimated length of stay is also discussed, and treatment goals are outlined, so clients have a better idea of what to expect in the coming days.
FAQs
What is Complex PTSD?
Complex pos-traumatic stress disorder, often abbreviated as CPTSD, is a condition in which you develop the typical symptoms of PTSD along with the following additional issues:
- Difficulty in controlling emotions
- Avoiding relationships or friendships or finding them too difficult to maintain
- Regular suicidal feelings
- Physical symptoms, including chest pains, dizziness, stomach pain, etc.
- Dissociative symptoms, such as derealization or depersonalization
- A feeling that nobody understands what you have experienced
- A feeling like you are permanently damaged or completely different from others
- Feeling hopeless or hollow
- Increasing sadness, anger, and mistrust toward the world
If you have been experiencing the symptoms mentioned above for some time without any improvement, joining an inpatient program for complex PTSD is highly recommended.
What is the reason behind experiencing complex PTSD?
Just like PTSD, complex PTSD is also a consequence of traumatic events such as:
- Childhood neglect, abandonment, or abuse
- Torture, slavery, or kidnapping
- Being forced into prostitution
- Ongoing domestic abuse or violence
- Being a prisoner of war
How is Complex PTSD different from PTSD?
Both PTSD and CPTSD are a consequence of experiencing something deeply painful and traumatic. Symptoms like insomnia, nightmares, and flashbacks are common in both types, and both conditions can instill fright and a sense of insecurity in the sufferers. However, despite these similarities, PTSD and CPTSD share marked differences that help experts differentiate one from the other. The main differentiating factor between the two disorders is the frequency of trauma experienced by the victim. While a single traumatic event usually triggers PTSD, the main cause behind CPTSD is long-lasting trauma that may persist for months or even years.