Comments on: CPTSD in the Workplace: Overwhelmed

By: Cyndi Bennett

Cyndi Bennett — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:59:05 +0000

Susan, I am honored to be included in your resource toolkit. What you’ve shared makes complete sense, and I am hopeful that understanding flashbacks and how they show up in the workplace was helpful for you. I want you to understand that overcoming what you have to this point is a success story.

If you’d like more resources to put into your toolkit, you can check out my YouTube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ResilientCareerAcademy. I hope this helps.

By: Cyndi Bennett

Cyndi Bennett — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:54:27 +0000

In reply to Kristen. Kristen, I am so sorry that I missed your comment. What you've shared is absolutely understandable and so very relatable. Busyness, for us as trauma survivors, is a coping strategy, and sometimes we think, if we can keep moving, we will be able to outrun any danger...even from the danger of having others see us the same way we see ourselves. This is a trauma response that is meant to keep us safe. The first is noticing it, which you've already done, and then, asking what it is keeping you safe from. I hope this helps.

By: Susan Ashman

Susan Ashman — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:41:46 +0000

Hi I am new to this website but have been on my healing journey since I was a teenager, I am now 58 and self diagnosed CPTSD.. I have been in therapy and self therapy.. its been a journey..so much so I. am my favourite hobby..I am alway finding new content that puts my emotions, fear and overwhelm into words and understanding and you have just added to my resource toolkit by explaining that when you have a flashback you return to the age you were that triggered the flashback, my flashback were predominately physical and the shame that I felt was so intense and the visual that other people would get from me was so debilitating to me, they would comment on how red my face and chest was, I could not think straight, I lost my voice and yes this would happen at work, in front of customers, in meetings in front of the boss, I looked useless to them this was also in the 80’s and 90’s and there was no compassion in the work place, you were cut out for the job or not hence I have never experienced success in of work place only survival.. but now I realise that was success in my case.

I could write more but I will leave it here, thank you for posting your article it was beautifully articulated.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 18:10:51 +0000

I think I’ll save this article to keep reflecting on. I seem to get so overwhelmed and I don’t really know why. I thought I got all the coping skills that I needed from therapy because I felt really healed… but I’m coming to terms with that I feel healed in relation to coming to terms with what happened but I have not changed the core beliefs I have about myself. I get overwhelmed with any instance that could show the world how little value I actually have. Which I know logically is rubbish, but it creates a lot of fear in the workplace. Even though I’m good at what I do and like my job.. I just don’t seem to know how to allow myself to be human. If a mistake is made or a deadline is unable to be reached, I make it so personal. I can not keep up with my own expectations and therefore am constantly a “failure”. I hope this changes in the future. It is exhausting and taking up so much space in my jar.

By: Cyndi Bennett

Cyndi Bennett — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 12:51:15 +0000

In reply to Stacey.

Stacey, thank you so much for having the courage to reply to this article. It means a lot to me to know that something I’ve written has helped others to not feel so alone in the journey. I would like to invite you to join my FREE Resilient Career Academy Community, which is dedicated to trauma survivors who are working on overcoming the effects of trauma on their careers. Here is the link: https://rca.group.app/join_group/xhimgo3ME7LnzQvtPrS

By: Stacey

Stacey — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:15:08 +0000

This was really helpful, particularly the part where you explained about having all the necessary coping mechanisms but only have the ones that were available at the time during the moments of emotional flashbacks etc, I’ve never been able to verbalise that part of it before so thankyou. I’ve spent so many years and so much time learning so many different self help, understanding, coping mechanisms but they’re only useful sometime after the flashback etc and not really available to me at the time. And yes the embarrassment and general sadness that comes with feeling damaged is real no matter how many times you rationalise or add logic its lime a never ending circle of stuff.