Online Childhood Trauma Treatment in Chicago and across Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida
Childhood Trauma (CPTSD)
also referred to as "inner child" work, reparenting your "inner child," relational trauma, or developmental trauma.
What Is CPTSD?
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is a response to prolonged, repeated exposure to traumatic experiences—often in childhood. This type of trauma, sometimes called inner child work, reparenting your inner child, relational trauma, or developmental trauma, impacts emotional and psychological well-being in deep and lasting ways.
Unlike PTSD, which often results from a single traumatic event, CPTSD develops over time through repeated exposure to neglect, abuse, or emotional abandonment. These experiences shape how we view ourselves, others, and the world, often leading to struggles with self-esteem, relationships, and emotional regulation.
Common Causes of CPTSD
CPTSD is often rooted in childhood experiences such as:
Chronic emotional neglect – Feeling unseen, unheard, or unimportant.
Inconsistent or unsafe caregivers – Growing up with unpredictable or emotionally unavailable parents.
Physical or emotional abuse – Experiencing control, manipulation, or verbal criticism.
Abandonment or betrayal – Losing trust in caregivers due to repeated disappointments.
CPTSD develops when a child’s nervous system is constantly in survival mode—feeling stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. This long-term state of hypervigilance or numbness becomes the "normal" way of functioning.
Children who experience CPTSD often lack a secure adult to help them process overwhelming feelings. This absence of emotional support leads to feelings of worthlessness, deep shame, and a persistent sense of being 'not good enough.'
Common Signs of CPTSD:
1. Chronic Overwhelm:
Even small tasks feel impossible, leading to avoidance and procrastination.
You often feel like you’re “too much” or “not enough” for others.
2. Dissociation:
Spacing out or feeling disconnected from your surroundings.
As a child, this might have looked like daydreaming or having imaginary friends.
3. Mood Swings:
Frequent emotional ups and downs, often triggered by minor events.
You might feel overly reliant on others to stabilize your mood.
4. Gaps in Memory:
You struggle to recall much of your childhood, as your brain blocked out overwhelming experiences.
5. Trouble with Authority Figures:
You might resist structure or struggle with following rules, especially if past authority figures were controlling or punitive.
6. Struggles with Identity:
You may wear a "mask" in social situations, feeling disconnected from your true self.
People with CPTSD often adapt to their environments by becoming people-pleasers.
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Why It’s Hard to Recognize CPTSD
Many people don’t realize they have CPTSD because:
- They believe their childhood was “normal” and minimize their experiences.
- Their coping strategies—like perfectionism, overworking, or avoiding emotions—feel like personality traits rather than survival mechanisms.
- Society often overlooks emotional neglect and relational trauma compared to more visible forms of abuse.
If you feel like you don’t belong anywhere or struggle with a persistent sense of being "different," this may be a sign of unresolved relational trauma.
Healing starts with awareness—recognizing the patterns that were once survival strategies but now keep you stuck.
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How CPTSD Affects Relationships
Childhood trauma has a profound impact on relationships, often creating patterns of:
- Fear of abandonment: Avoiding closeness or clinging too tightly to others.
- People-pleasing tendencies: Suppressing your needs to keep others happy.
- Difficulty expressing emotions: Feeling awkward or ashamed when talking about feelings.
- Control issues: Trying to micromanage situations to feel safe.
Many people with CPTSD report feeling like they have to "earn" love or constantly prove their worth in relationships.
If you often find yourself over-giving in relationships and feeling resentful, it might be rooted in the belief that your needs are less important than others'.
Healing from CPTSD
Healing from complex trauma isn’t about "fixing" yourself—it's about learning to support and care for yourself in ways you may not have received as a child. There’s no quick fix, but small, intentional steps can help you reclaim a sense of safety, trust, and connection.
Steps Toward Healing:
Develop Emotional Awareness
Recognize emotional triggers and responses without judgment.
Practice Self-Compassion
Shift from self-criticism to self-kindness, reminding yourself that healing takes time.
Set Boundaries
Learn to honor your needs and say no without guilt.
Mind-Body Practices
Use grounding techniques, deep breathing, and mindfulness to soothe your nervous system.
Seek Support
Therapy, support groups, and self-help resources can provide structure and encouragement.
Over time, healing involves learning how to sit with discomfort without avoiding it. Small daily practices like mindful breathing, journaling, and checking in with your emotions can help create a sense of inner safety.
Therapy for CPTSD
Therapeutic approaches for CPTSD often focus on building safety, processing past experiences, and developing new ways of relating to yourself and others. Some evidence-based methods include:
“Inner Child” Work: A practice that nurtures and heals wounded parts of yourself.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) - developing skills/tools for dealing with highly emotional situations
Internal Family Systems (IFS) - based on the idea that our parts (sub-personalities) function as a system and react to other systems
You Deserve Healing
If you're struggling with the effects of childhood trauma, it's important to know that healing is not only possible—it's within your reach. With the right tools, support, and self-awareness, you can begin to rebuild a sense of safety, trust, and self-worth.
Ready to take the next step? Contact me today to explore personalized therapy options and resources to support your healing journey. Schedule your free 20-minute video consultation today.