Many people experience trauma at some point in their lives. A traumatic event is overwhelming, threatening, frightening, or out of our control. Traumas may involve a car accident, being a victim of violence, or witnessing violence toward another person. Some traumas arise from one event, while others may occur over time and repeated exposure.

Crisis comes from the Greek term krinein, which means “to decide.” Because crises can be life-changing, they ultimately involve decisions that alter the course of one’s life. According to the Chinese, crisis comes from two symbols that denote danger and opportunity. Therefore, crises are dangerous opportunities for new living (Wright, 2001). When one experiences a crisis, they may feel discomfort, high anxiety, mental confusion, sweating, gastric distress, depression, anger, catastrophic thinking, hopelessness, fear, and apathy. One may behave with poor judgment, even resorting to substance abuse or impulsive actions. A crisis usually reaches a critical point and can occur at any stage in one’s lifetime. A crisis creates a crossroads in life’s journey. Decisions must be made. A crisis may be divorce, death, disease, natural disaster, choosing a career, adjusting to school, the empty nest, or transitioning into a new environment.

Understanding PTSD:

It is normal to be affected by traumatic experiences. If you have been through a trauma you might feel shocked, scared, guilty, ashamed, mad, vulnerable, or numb. With time most people recover from their experiences, or find a way to live with them, without needing professional help (Psychology Tools). However, for many people the effects of trauma last for much longer and may develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Understanding Complex PTSD:

Since PTSD was first identified in the 1970’s, research has shown that the kinds of symptoms that survivors of trauma have can look a bit different depending on: 

How much trauma a person has experienced. A bigger ‘dose’ of trauma tends to result in more complex symptoms. 

The type of trauma. Interpersonal trauma – trauma deliberately inflicted by another human being – tends to have more complicated effects than trauma that occurs as the result of accidents. 

When it happened in a person’s life. Trauma that is experienced earlier in your life can have significant effects upon what happens to you later. 

People who have experienced a lot of trauma, have experienced trauma early in their lives, or have experienced trauma as a result of things that were done by their parents or caregivers often have extra symptoms in addition to PTSD: 

Severe problems in managing your emotions. Psychologists call this a problem of ‘affect regulation’ or ‘emotion regulation’. 

Strong beliefs about yourself as diminished, defeated, or worthless. These might be accompanied by deep feelings of shame, guilt, or failure related to your traumatic experiences. 

Difficulties in sustaining relationships and in feeling close to others. This makes sense if you have experienced trauma at the hands of others. 

Since PTSD was first identified in the 1970’s, research has shown that the kinds of symptoms that survivors of trauma have can look a bit different depending on: 

How much trauma a person has experienced. A bigger ‘dose’ of trauma tends to result in more complex symptoms. 

The type of trauma. Interpersonal trauma – trauma deliberately inflicted by another human being – tends to have more complicated effects than trauma that occurs as the result of accidents. 

When it happened in a person’s life. Trauma that is experienced earlier in your life can have significant effects upon what happens to you later. 

People who have experienced a lot of trauma, have experienced trauma early in their lives, or have experienced trauma as a result of things that were done by their parents or caregivers often have extra symptoms in addition to PTSD: 

Severe problems in managing your emotions. Psychologists call this a problem of ‘affect regulation’ or ‘emotion regulation’. 

Strong beliefs about yourself as diminished, defeated, or worthless. These might be accompanied by deep feelings of shame, guilt, or failure related to your traumatic experiences. 

Difficulties in sustaining relationships and in feeling close to others. This makes sense if you have experienced trauma at the hands of others. When people experience these symptoms as well as PTSD, mental health professionals might label it Complex PTSD (Psychology Tools).