The LGBTQIA+ Community Complex Trauma, PTSD, and CPTSD

With all the trauma the LGBTQIA+ community faces nowadays, we must discuss how complex trauma from your past has shaped who you are today. No, I don’t mean that childhood trauma caused you to be gay; you were born that way. However, there are many ways that maltreatment might affect you as an adult.

This piece will discuss how complex trauma, CPTSD, and PTSD affect you today. We will also discover together that, despite these three diagnoses, you can overcome them while maintaining and possibly gaining more respect for yourself.

What is Complex Trauma?

Complex or relational trauma is experienced as a child or an adult. First named in the 1990s by Judith Lewis Herman, Ph.D., complex trauma has much in common with post-traumatic stress disorder sharing some symptoms.

However, complex trauma has added symptoms, such as:

 

 

Emotional symptoms

Disbelief, shock, denial
Difficulty concentrating
Confusion
Anger
Mood swings
Irritability
Anxiety
Fear
Guilt and shame
Feeling hopeless
Being numb

Physical symptoms

Fatigue
Racing heartbeat
Unexplained aches and pains
Insomnia
Nightmares
Startling easily
Muscle tension

Complex trauma forms from exposure to an incident or series of life-threatening experiences with no hope of escape. At the same time, there are as many traumatic events as there are people on earth, some of the most severe are listed below.

Childhood neglect
Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
Having a family member who is mentally ill
Having a family member who abuses drugs or alcohol
Living in poverty
A sudden separation from a loved one
Racism, oppression
Violence in the neighborhood, war, or terrorism

Although anyone may experience complex trauma at any age, children are more likely to experience it than adults. It has long-term effects on their health and developing brains. These events are more commonly called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and can be measured with questions about adverse events suffered as a child. The higher the ACE score, the more likely adults will be affected by complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

Members of the LGBTQIA+ population are at high risk of having a high ACE score and suffering from the mental and physical problems associated with it.

The LGBTQIA+ Community and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder forms when a person experiences overwhelming trauma and feels hopeless to escape. The most common types of trauma are abuses of all types, including narcissistic abuse.

CPTSD is a response to chronic traumatization that occurs over months or even years (Herman, 1992). Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is more often found in children and adults who have experienced multiple instances of abuse. Such adults who are held captive or in fear for their lives from those in society who would harm them also form CPTSD.

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder has all the symptoms of complex trauma plus the following:

Losing memories of trauma or reliving them
Difficulty regulating emotions that often manifest as rage
Depression
Suicidal thoughts or actions
Sudden mood swings
Feeling detached from oneself
Feeling different from others
Feeling ashamed
Feeling guilty

CPTSD has more symptoms than listed.

CPTSD also has the symptoms of PTSD. However, there is a distinct difference between the two, as PTSD occurs in adulthood and does not include the above symptoms.

The LGBTQIA+ Community and PTSD

The LGBTQIA+ community experiences a range of stressors in their adult lives, including bullying, intimate partner violence, harassment, and physical and sexual abuse. This complex trauma causes distress and can harm and predispose individuals to stress-related disorders.

One such disorder is post-traumatic stress disorder, a problem that inhibits the person’s ability to handle everyday living.

Unfortunately, the LGBTQIA+ community is at high risk of developing PTSD, with a prevalence of 48% of LGB people and 42% of transgender and gender-diverse folks.

One review found that 54% of men that identify as gay and 85% of women who identify as lesbian or bisexual experienced sexual assault (complex trauma).

Symptoms of PTSD can include:

Problems with trust
Feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt
Problems controlling emotions
Difficulty feeling connected to others
Relationship problems
Having trouble keeping friends and partners
Being startled or frightened easily
Being on guard for danger
Self-destructive behavior
Trouble sleeping
Trouble concentrating
Irritability
Angry outbursts
Guilt or shame
Vivid flashbacks

Post-traumatic stress disorder, like the others, while the symptoms are distressing, is a normal response to overwhelming trauma but treatment is available that can help.

Treatment for Complex Trauma, PTSD, and CPTSD

Suppose you are experiencing the overwhelming symptoms of complex trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, or complex post-traumatic stress disorder. In that case, you will need someone to help you navigate yourself to health.

Psychotherapy is recommended because of the deep hard-to-heal scars that complex trauma brings. Finding a therapist is difficult for everyone, but especially hard for someone who is queer. Be upfront with whomever you interview to be your therapist. Tell them you are a member of the LBGTQIA+ community and judge their response to decide if you should hire them.

You learn so much about yourself in therapy, such as who you are and what you want from life. You also learn to face your shortcomings and find good qualities you hadn’t considered before.

Once you enter therapy, you will begin to walk down the road less taken to healing, and because complex trauma leaves deep scars, the journey may take longer than you want, but not as long as you fear.

You also face your past head-on, and that is painful.

Helping Yourself to Heal

You can do many things to lessen the effects of trauma on your life.

Advocate for yourself. It is okay to ask for what you want because you deserve the best life offers. You must never give up on your dreams and work hard to achieve them. Tell yourself every day that you are worthwhile. Look in the mirror each morning and tell yourself that you are enough.

Set healthy boundaries with others. Set these boundaries in all your relationships. You have the right to define your limits as far as what you allow others to do. You also have the right to say NO; use it if you need to without fear or reservation.

Leave the past in the past. This step is crucial for you to feel whole and well. Yes, your history was horrid, but you live here and now, plus your future is bright if you fight for it.

Don’t listen to hate. There is so much hatred in our society in the United States right now toward the LGBTQIA+ community that it turns my stomach. Hatred in any form is vile, and those who perpetrate it should be ashamed. Close your ears to hateful words and seek people who will accept you just as you are and give you enough love to cancel the hate.

Ending Our Time Together

The point of this piece was to alert my friends in the LGBTQIA+ community to disorders they may not fully understand but may have in their lives. I wanted to help with a better understanding of complex trauma, PTSD, and CPTSD.

I failed to mention in the article that you can have all three disorders simultaneously; I know this from personal experience.

Whoever you are who is reading this, remember that you are not your history. You are not your diagnosis. You are not what the haters say you are.

You are the only you in the entire universe, and we need your voice to make life better for everyone. Use your voice for good and spread love and pride.

“Give voice to what you know to be true, and do not fear being disliked or exiled. I think that’s the hard work of standing up for what you see.” – Eve Ensler

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” – Malala Yousafzai

“Speak up and speak clearly. I want to hear what you have to say because it matters. Let’s listen to each other and respect one another’s opinions.” – Felicia Johnson

References

Herman, J. L. (1992). Complex PTSD: A syndrome in survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma. Journal of traumatic stress, 5(3), 377-391.