Complex PTSD
EMOTIONAL ABUSE CAN HURT - FOR A LONG TIME
Anytime you start to get close to someone, you get anxious. It's when you start to really trust people - THAT'S when you get hurt. So you've got to keep everyone at arm's length. You wish you'd be able to really trust, but it's the people who are supposed to love you the most that are the ones that actually hurt you the most.
When you were little, you never knew what they would be like when they came home from work. Would they be in a good mood? Would they be angry and take it out on you? Most of the time they'd call you names or criticize the things you did (or didn't) do. Nothing was good enough. After awhile you'd find yourself calling yourself names in your head. You find that you're the hardest on yourself now and the emotional abuse from the past has become ever present - because their voice is in your head. Always. Except you CAN get rid of that nasty voice in your head. And I can help.
PUT A STOP TO THE DAMAGING CYCLE OF PHYSICAL ABUSE
Anytime someone begins to get angry, you get scared. Because that simmering anger can explode any minute and anyone nearby is collateral damage. Growing up, you always got the belt. It didn't matter if you did anything wrong or not. Sometimes they'd get really angry and you had to make up stories about how you got the bruises. Or the gash that required stitches. Or the cigarette burns. You find yourself struggling now too. You don't want to do to your kids what they did to you. You want to overcome your past. You want to be a better parent. You want to end the cycle.
GET HEALING FROM THE PAIN OF SEXUAL TRAUMA
You blame yourself for the abuse. Because you didn't stop it (never mind the fact that you were a kid and they had 150 pounds on you). You tell yourself you should have tried harder to get away. But sometimes you felt frozen. You feel disgusted that sometimes there were parts of it that felt sort of good - you don't tell anyone about that. Because that makes you bad. You feel damaged and you deserve every bad thing that happens to you. Except logically you know these things aren't true. You know that you aren't responsible, but you don't feel it. You know that you don't deserve every bad thing that happens, but you don't feel it. You know you aren't disgusting, but you don't feel it. Sexual abuse can infiltrate every part of your life - but it doesn't have to anymore. You can heal the past. You can move forward.
complex ptsd is . . . complex
. . . for lack of a better word! Many people can have PTSD from a single event - such as an earthquake or a car accident. For those who survived years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse, the treatment plan for EMDR Therapy is more complicated due to the history of overlapping and enduring abuse. If you believe you have Complex PTSD, you’ll want an experienced EMDR therapist who is able to navigate the nuances that may occur during EMDR Therapy.
If you’d like to understand how we would approach your treatment for Complex PTSD, book a free video consultation for Online EMDR Therapy and Trauma Counseling in California by clicking here.
Online EMDR Therapy and Trauma Counseling in California and Carlsbad, CA.