The Brain and CPTSD | CPTSDfoundation.org

Trauma and Its Effect on the Brain

by Elizabeth Woods | Jun 22, 2026 | Brain Chemistry, The Brain and CPTSD

Have you ever been curious about why, and how trauma survivors react to events, and other situations differently from others? As a trauma survivor, I started questioning why I am the way I am in certain situations. I have noticed all my life that most people...

How Trauma Turns Us Into Controllers—and How We Finally Learn to Let Go

by Dr. Mozelle Martin | Apr 7, 2026 | Brain Chemistry, Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, The Brain and CPTSD

People don’t become controlling because they enjoy it. They become controlling because trauma taught them that unpredictability is dangerous. When life blindsides you enough times, your nervous system starts operating like a private security detail—monitoring,...

The Body Keeps the Score – Looking into the Brain

by Julie Faruba | Jul 4, 2023 | Brain Chemistry, Core Beliefs, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Dissociation and CPTSD, Guest Contributor, PTSD, The Brain and CPTSD, Trauma

In a little over a week, I and the (mental) health director of the Jeffry Stijn Foundation for Mental Health and Patient Advocacy, will be attending the 34th Annual Boston International Trauma Conference virtually. A few days ago I decided to read Bessel van der...

Rewriting a Trauma Memory – A Survivor’s Story

by Elizabeth Woods | May 30, 2023 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Sexual Abuse, The Brain and CPTSD

TRIGGER WARNING – THIS POST DISCUSSES SEXUAL ABUSE My name is Elizabeth and I am a survivor of sexual abuse. I suffered the worst abuse during my first years if you can call any sexual abuse worse than any other. I think the fact that I was so young made the...

Internal Family Systems: Panic at the Park- Discovering Trailheads to Heal Trauma

by Jamie Donmoyer | Dec 6, 2022 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame, Healing Self-Shame, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Shame, Symptoms of CPTSD, The Brain and CPTSD, Trauma, Trauma-Informed

Perched on a stone wall between Starbucks and a fancy purse boutique, I peer over my phone. The Hollywood Tower of Terror glows in the distance as determined parents push strollers filled with exhausted toddlers, bubble machines, and sippy cups. They can’t leave...

Courage, Self-Love and Complex Trauma (CPTSD)

by Sunny Lynn, OMC | Jun 7, 2022 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Dissociation and CPTSD, Emotional Flashbacks, First Responders and CPTSD, Pain, Post Traumatic Growth, Recovery, Self Care, Self-Acceptance, The Brain and CPTSD, Trauma-Informed, Treatment for CPTSD, What is CPTSD

Complex trauma is an amalgamation of long-term abuse and neglect, and therefore when trying to understand a traumatic past from an adult perspective it reveals itself as a confusing mosaic of multi-layered events, scattered along our timeline from the non-verbal stage...

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