First and foremost, it's important to know that prologued trauma can cause CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder), and this is not the same as PTSD. Symptoms are different, and where PTSD is caused by one single event, CPTSD is caused by prolonged trauma.
What Google says about CPTSD
- People might struggle with managing their emotions.
- Memory repression of the abuse, which can be later recalled after an event that triggered a memory or when the brain is ready to process the trauma.
- May experience flashbacks or disassociation.Feelings of helplessness, shame and/or guilt
- Having a sense of not belonging anywhere or with anyone. Might become preoccupied with the relationship with the abuser. An example would be thoughts of revenge
- Isolating oneself or not trusting others
More depth on CPTSD that I learned from my own experience and other people's experiences
- It is not recommended to start processing trauma while living with abusers
- Some people with CPTSD still have relationships with their parents
- They might put a lot of effort into looking as plain as possible
- Isolating oneself is tempting and hard to resist, but will only be harmful
- Wondering if they were abused at all
- Having a very strong sense of not belonging anywhereFeeling guilty for being abused because the abuser made them feel ashamed about it
- Being really mature as a child, and being told you're really mature, but when you hit adulthood, you realize you're not that mature anymore
- Being a really hard worker at a really young age
- People tell victims of abuse to forgive their abuser
- Craving intimacy (this does not mean sex) but not knowing how to get it and feeling a strong urge to isolate yourself instead
- Fragmented memories of their childhood
- Not being believed
- Emotional abuse is very real and does count as abuse
- Emotional, or psychological abuse, can be just as damaging as physical abuse
- Abuse does not always come with bruises
- Some will never forgive their abuser
- Some will forgive their abuser
- Fight or flight are not the only types of response to adrenaline. Fawn and freeze are very real and very problematic
- Not knowing how to create boundaries
Writing the parents
- They will make their child feel guilty for being abused. They do this by rationalizing their behaviour and putting the blame on the child.
- When confronted on their behaviour, they will most likely deny that were abusive and will probably believe this to be true, especially if there was no physical violence involved. And yes, it is possible to be abused without any bodily harm.
- On the contrary, some abusers know exactly what they're doing, when they did it, how they did it, and why they did it. These people just don't care.
- They'll act like good parents outside of the house
- They might buy something for the kid, then complain about how it was expensive and they shouldn't have had to buy it, making the kid feel guilty and ashamed that they needed/wanted the thing in the first place
- They'll shame their kid for crying, getting angry, or showing any emotion that the parent doesn't want to deal with
- They'll deny their kid basic needsNote: Not everyone has the same symptoms, and you should always do your own research before writing about abuse
