Increasing awareness of physiological symptoms of C-PTSD: A qualitative analysis
Ključne riječi:
C-PTSD, trauma in the body , physiological symptoms, embodied experienceSažetak
Complex trauma has unique impact on survivors, distinct from what is commonly seen in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), has established diagnostic criteria in addition to what is seen in PTSD, as well as implications for impact to the physical self. This study uses secondary data analysis to further increase awareness of the physiological symptom presentation of C-PTSD. The data analysis shows physical symptoms as result of complex trauma are equally present as other diagnostic criteria in a sample of 187 individuals who completed a survey exploring symptoms. Qualitative analysis further examines the phenomenon of physiological symptoms from a sample of 12 survivors of complex trauma. Themes identified in qualitative analysis include: elevated stress response, pain, disconnection and disregard for the physical self. Results of this study highlight the importance of integrating presence of physiological symptoms into therapeutic approaches to ensure best clinical practice.
Reference
Amsalem, D., Haim-Nachum, S., Lazarov, A. et al. (2025). The effects of war-related experiences on mental health symptoms of individuals living in conflict zones: a longitudinal study. Sci Rep 15, 889. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84410-3
Begemann MJH, Schutte MJL, van Dellen E, Abramovic L, Boks MP, van Haren NEM, Mandl RCW, Vinkers CH, Bohlken MM, Sommer IEC. Childhood trauma is associated with reduced frontal gray matter volume: a large transdiagnostic structural MRI study. Psychol Med. 53(3):741-749. doi: 10.1017/S0033291721002087. Epub 2021 Jun 3. PMID: 34078485; PMCID: PMC9975993.
Bracha, B. H. S. (2004). Freeze, flight, fight, fright, faint: Adaptationist perspectives on the acute stress response spectrum. CNS Spectrums 9(9), 679–685.
Cénat JM. (2023). Complex Racial Trauma: Evidence, Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. Perspect Psychol Sci. 18(3):675-687. doi: 10.1177/17456916221120428.
Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents: White Paper from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Complex Trauma Task Force https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/complex_trauma_in_children_and_adolescents.pdf
Cloitre, M., Shevlin M., Brewin, C.R., Bisson, J.I., Roberts, N.P., Maercker, A., Karatzias, T., Hyland, P. (2018). The International Trauma Questionnaire: Development of a self-report measure of ICD-11 PTSD and Complex PTSD. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 138(6), 536–546. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.12956
Cloitre, M. (2021) Complex PTSD: assessment and treatment, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12:sup1, 1866423, DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2020.1866423
Craig, A.D. (Bud), (2003). Interoception: the sense of the physiological condition of the body. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 13(4), 500-505, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4388(03)00090-4
Damasio, A. (2000). The Feeling Of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness. Mariner Books.
Emerson, D. (2015). Trauma-sensitive yoga in therapy: bringing the body into treatment. W.W. Norton & Company.
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (2019). Reprint of: Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(6), 774–786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.04.001
Gray, A. E. L. (2017). Polyvagal-Informed Dance/Movement Therapy for Trauma: A Global Perspective. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 39(1), 43–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10465-017-9254-4
Hull, A.M., (2002). Neuroimaging findings in post-traumatic stress disorder. Systematic review. British Journal of Psychiatry, Aug:181, 102-10.
Kelly, U., Haywood, T., Segell, E., & Higgins, M. (2021). Trauma-Sensitive Yoga for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in women veterans who experienced military sexual trauma: Interim results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 27(S1), S45–S59. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0417
Kira, I., Hanaa, S., Bujold-Bugeaud, M. (2015). Gender Discrimination (GD): A conceptual trauma-based framework for GD and the development of Gender Discrimination Inventory. Psychology. 6(16). http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2015.616201
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic.
Niles, B. L., Mori, D. A. L., Polizzi, C., Pless Kaiser, A., Weinstein, E. S., Gershkovich, M., & Wang, C. (2018). A systematic review of randomized trials of mind-body interventions for PTSD. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(9), 1485–1508. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22634
Nowakowski-Sims, E., Rooney. M., Vigue. D., Woods. S. (2023). A grounded theory of weight lifting as a healing strategy for trauma. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100521
Price, M., Spinazzola, J., Musicaro, R., Turner, J., Suvak, M., Emerson, D., & Van der Kolk, B. (2017). Effectiveness of an extended yoga treatment for women with chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 23(4), 300–309. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2015.0266
Reinhardt, K.M., Zerubavel, N., Young, A.S., Gallo, M., Ramakrishnan, N., Henry, A., Zucker, N.L., (2020). A multi-method assessment of interoception among sexual trauma survivors. Physiology & Behavior, 226(1), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113108
Schaan, V. K., Schulz, A., Rubel, J. A., Bernstein, M., Domes, G., Schächinger, H., & Vögele, C. (2019). Childhood trauma affects stress-related interoceptive accuracy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00750
Shin, L.M, McNally, R.J., Kosslyn, S.M., Thompson, W.L., Rauch, S.L., Metzger, L.J., Lasko, N.B., Pitman, R.K., (1999). Regional cerebral blood flow during script-driven imagery in childhood sexual abuse-related PTSD: A PET investigation. American Journal of Psychiatry, Apr;156(4):575-84. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.156.4.575
Sullivan, M. B., Erb, M., Schmalzl, L., Moonaz, S., Taylor, J. N., & Porges, S. W. (2018). Yoga therapy and polyvagal theory: The convergence of traditional wisdom and contemporary neuroscience for self-regulation and resilience. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12(February), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00067
Tyagi, A., Cohen, M., Reece, J., Telles, S., & Jones, L. (2016). Heart rate variability, flow, mood and mental stress during yoga practices in yoga practitioners, non-yoga practitioners and people with metabolic syndrome. Applied Psychophysiology Biofeedback, 41(4), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-016-9340-2
Van Der Kolk, B. A. (2006). Clinical implications of neuroscience research in PTSD. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1364.022
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2015). The body keeps the score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma. Penguin Books.
World Health Organization. (2022). 6B41 Complex post traumatic stress disorder. ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/585833559