Creating an Effective Complex Trauma Treatment Plan

CPTSD Treatment Planning and Structuring Effective Support for Complex Trauma

Mental health professionals sometimes explain treating complex trauma like peeling back the layers of an onion. Healing C-PTSD symptoms doesn’t happen all at one time; we address it gradually, one layer at a time, with each revealing a different aspect of the client’s trauma. The layers may represent adverse childhood experiences, emotional responses, or negative beliefs about oneself.

Icarus Behavioral Health New Mexico is a trusted, accredited facility specializing in both substance use disorders and complex trauma, which often go hand-in-hand.

We understand that reaching the deepest layers of trauma can be painful to uncover; just like peeling an onion, it can bring tears. With professional emotional support and a complex trauma treatment plan specific to your needs, you will be able to reduce Complex PTSD symptoms and enjoy better physical and mental health again.

Keep reading if you want information on complex trauma and to learn how our complex PTSD treatment planning can help jumpstart the treatment process.

What is Complex Trauma All About?

Complex trauma results from repeated or prolonged exposure to traumatic events. These sometimes start in childhood and among family members. Events may include persistent neglect, childhood sexual abuse, or other physical abuse.

Instead of a single event, complex PTSD means accumulating layers of harm that eventually disrupt a person’s emotional regulation, sense of safety, or ability to develop healthy relationships. People with this condition express feelings of dissociation, shame, and worthlessness.

The Diagnostic Criteria for C-PTSD

The American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) gives healthcare providers a specific list of criteria to look for in someone who has experienced complex trauma, including:

• Directly experiencing or witnessing the traumatic event
• Learning that traumatic stress has impacted a loved one
• Experienced trauma repeatedly or over an extended time
• Involuntary, recurrent, distressing memories
• Recurring dreams about the trauma
• Dissociative symptoms, which may include flashbacks or nightmares
• Prolonged distress at the memory of a childhood trauma
• Physical reactions as well as emotional responses to remembering trauma
• Avoiding situations that lead to emotional distress because of the trauma
• Distorted blaming of self or others about the event
• Less interest in once-enjoyable hobbies or activities
• Emotional volatility, including angry outbursts
• Unable to fully recall or explain traumatic experiences

These are a few common behaviors that psychology professionals will look for in making an accurate diagnosis. No two people have the same experiences with trauma, so it takes a skilled professional to dig deep enough to uncover all the behavioral signs and identify them correctly.

Complex PTSD Symptoms and Creating an Effective Complex Trauma Treatment Plan

Do you suspect complex posttraumatic stress disorder in yourself or a loved one? Here are the signs to watch for at home:

• Nightmares or distressing dreams
• Flashbacks or feeling the traumatic event is going to happen again
• Intrusive thoughts or memories
• Physical or emotional distress due to the traumatic stress
• Avoiding reminders of the traumatic memories
• Feeling detached from loved ones
• Won’t discuss the trauma
• Manages symptoms by self-medicating with drugs or alcohol
• Rocky relationships
• Unable to feel positive emotions
• Jumpy, with an exaggerated startle response
• Feeling guilty, shameful, or angry
• Difficulty with focus or concentration

These evaluation criteria can point to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD. You must find a licensed professional to help process traumatic memories and be well again. The World Health Organization’s diagnostic system, the International Classification of Diseases, or ICD-11, lists the same behavioral symptoms.

Differential Diagnosis in Complex PTSD

Mental health specialists take great care to distinguish Complex PTSD from mental health disorders with overlapping symptoms. C-PTSD can sometimes look like other conditions. Clinicians will rule out or differentiate C-PTSD from these other conditions:

• Borderline personality disorder
• Major depressive disorder
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Dissociative disorders
• Standard PTSD
• Other stress-related disorders

This step ensures the client the most accurate diagnosis and a custom-suited, effective treatment plan.

Complex Trauma Experiences That Can Become a Mental Disorder

Experiences that occur repeatedly or over a long period can contribute layer upon layer of trauma in some individuals. Some of the events that can add to this complex disorder are the following:

• Domestic violence (witnessing it as a child or experiencing it as an adult)
• Sexual assault or abuse
• Suffering injuries, accidents, or illnesses that have long-term harm
• Extreme poverty and lack of basic resources, including food, water, shelter, and clothing
• Childhood neglect or trauma
• Living in a war zone or in the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster
• Military service, especially during combat or war
• Long history of abusive interpersonal relationships with partners or family members

These are just a few of the possible traumatic experiences that can lead to developing complex PTSD symptoms. Many people express more than one of these events, as they connect closely.

Ella’s Childhood Abuse Led to Her Mental Health Conditions

‘Ella’ was 45 when she came to Icarus New Mexico for help. In childhood, Ella had faced physical and emotional abuse from both parents, who raised her in an unstable, fearful environment and fought constantly. Her father once beat her so severely that her mother removed her from school for a week to avoid reports to state authorities.

Ella appeared okay to the world, held a steady job, and had raised two healthy adult children. She had shielded her kids from her upbringing, leaving them sometimes confronting her about her secretive nature. Despite the caring nature of her children, Ella was often overcome with anxiety and felt unworthy of receiving love. She hid her negative self-concept behind substance abuse and pretended to be too independent to rely on others.

But she could no longer manage anxiety alone and had a mental breakdown. Lacking a sound support system because she’d pushed away her loved ones, Ella came to Icarus New Mexico for guidance. An assessment of her complex trauma history showed that she had C-PTSD. For the first time, she understood that her complex mental health condition was the cause of her internal chaos.

Ella worked hard through cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and skills training. She mastered affective and interpersonal regulation. Now in long-term recovery, Ella continues weekly counseling and has opened up to her kids about her past. Ella understands that healing is a lifelong process and now faces her decades of painful memories with a newfound sense of peace.

Our Clinical Practice Offers a Comprehensive PTSD Treatment Plan

Each PTSD client at Icarus New Mexico will receive a customized trauma-focused treatment plan. The therapeutic modalities are evidence-based and designed to overcome emotional dysregulation resulting from the trauma.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, EMDR, helps clients process their trauma by pairing eye movements with guided recall of the event. It’s helpful for trauma processing for both standard and complex PTSD symptoms.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

CPT that helps in treating PTSD by helping clients identify, challenge, and change their beliefs about the traumatic events that have influenced their lives. Clients learn to identify “stuck points,” or unhelpful thoughts that hold them back from healing, and replace them with more balanced beliefs and thoughts. This treatment method is especially beneficial for survivors of childhood abuse, sexual assault, and combat-related PTSD.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

PE is often included in a C-PTSD treatment plan. Exposure therapy provides gradual exposure to the trauma in a safe, supportive environment. Over time, the gradual exposure reduces PTSD symptoms, including fear and anxiety, by imagining exposure without placing clients in physical harm. The exposure helps the person explore the traumatic event and break the cycle of avoidance.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT helps C-PTSD clients who struggle with emotional upheaval or engage in self-destructive behaviors. Through DBT, they develop coping strategies, including building distress tolerance and emotion regulation. The therapy also helps set them on a path toward improving interpersonal relationships.

Stress Management Skills Training

No PTSD treatment plan is complete without helping clients learn how to manage symptoms of daily stress, which can worsen PTSD and other stressor-related disorders. Our clients learn the skills that reduce the overwhelming reactions to stress as part of their programs. Some techniques many explore include:

• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Guided imagery
• Mindfulness meditation
• Journal writing
• Yoga or gentle stretching moves

These techniques, and others, can help clients achieve balance and better mental health.

Medication Management in PTSD Treatment

Medication management can be a reasonable part of complex PTSD treatment and is most effective when combined with trauma therapies. A prescribing doctor will prescribe FDA-approved medications based on the client’s symptoms, medical necessity, and co-occurring disorders like substance use or depression.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

SSRIs are common in PTSD treatment. They help to regulate mood, decrease anxiety, and improve symptoms. They are generally safe for long-term use under medical supervision.

Anti-anxiety Medications

Some doctors will prescribe short-term use of anxiety disorder medications to ease acute distress, especially at the start of treatment when stabilizing clients. However, they can impair therapy and are usually only offered for a short time.

Paying for Your Mental Health Treatment Plan

If you’re ready to start that therapeutic relationship and find the root of your trauma and pain, you may also wonder about finding the resources to cover the costs of treatment.

Icarus New Mexico accepts self-pay clients and works with the best-known insurance companies as well as some forms of Medicaid and Turquoise Care. If you’re using your mental health benefits to pay for treatment, we will even help you get started.

Just call the admissions department in our Albuquerque treatment facilities to discuss your needs. We’ll ask for some data from your insurance card and call the insurance plan administrators to learn about your benefits and obtain any pre-authorizations you may need.

Call Icarus New Mexico Today for Help With Complex Trauma

Complex PTSD can lead to a host of problems, destroying relationships, causing declines in mental health, and even causing job loss and depleted resources. Your problems may seem big – or even insurmountable. But Icarus New Mexico can restore your hope and give you the tools you will need to face your trauma and find peace again.

Call our admissions team today – speaking with us about your needs is always free and confidential.