PTSD vs. CPTSD: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters in Healing

The word trauma comes from a 17th-century Greek word meaning wound and I believe we all carry wounds. It’s impossible to grow up without being touched by some form of wounding. There’s a quote by Gabor Maté that I often return to:

“Trauma is not what happened to you. It’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”

Each of us is so uniquely wired. There is no universal list of what counts as traumatic—because it’s not about the event itself, but about how our nervous system responds to it.

PTSD: Trauma from a Single or Prolonged Event

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is typically associated with one significant traumatic event. This might be physical, sexual, or emotional in nature. It could be a one-off incident like a car accident, assault, or natural disaster, or something more prolonged—such as being deployed in a war zone.

But trauma isn’t always physical. It could also stem from emotionally distressing situations: the sudden death of a loved one, infidelity, or chronic stress at work. Imagine being a social worker or therapist constantly holding space for people in pain—this, too, is a form of trauma.

Remember: It’s not the event that causes the trauma. It’s what happens inside you as a result.

PTSD often stems from events beyond our control, which is why global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic have had such a profound impact on mental health.

Healing from PTSD takes time. It involves understanding, processing, and ultimately releasing the emotional charge around a single (or defined) traumatic experience.

CPTSD: The Complexity of Early, Ongoing Trauma

CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), or complex trauma, tends to originate in childhood. It involves multiple, overlapping forms of trauma—physical, sexual, emotional—that occur repeatedly over time.

This is why it’s called complex.

It’s not about one big event, but about the daily, repeated wounding over months or years.

As children, we rely on our caregivers for food, shelter, and—most importantly—love.

When our basic emotional needs are not met or when harm comes from those meant to protect us, the body-mind system finds complex and adaptive ways to survive.

During these formative years, we’re like sponges, absorbing the world through our environments and relationships.

Our minds and nervous systems begin to organise around safety and survival. Like programming a computer, we receive “software” based on lived experiences—not just mentally, but physically and emotionally, too.

This is why a certain sound or smell can bring up intense emotions, even when we don’t consciously remember the original event.

The Effects of Complex Trauma

Trauma changes the brain. It alters neural pathways that regulate emotions, posture, relational ability—even how we experience safety in our own bodies.

Some common effects of CPTSD include:

• Dissociation

A disconnection from thoughts, feelings, memories—even from your own body. You may feel numb, spacey, or like you’re watching yourself from outside.

Everyone dissociates occasionally (like when you “zone out” while driving), but for trauma survivors, this can become a default state.

• Emotional dysregulation

Overreactions to small triggers, frequent emotional flooding, or numbness. You may experience rage, uncontrollable crying, or harsh self-criticism—and have little understanding of your emotional world.

• Somatic (Body) Distress

The mind-body system is deeply interconnected. Trauma can manifest physically through posture changes, digestive issues, chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, or allergies.

The vagus nerve—our body’s main communication highway—connects most of our major organs and even runs through our vocal cords. Trauma can disrupt its functioning, leading to a host of physical symptoms.

• Relational and Spiritual Alienation

To form healthy connections, we need openness and vulnerability. But trauma teaches us to guard ourselves. Many people unknowingly use spiritual bypassing—escaping into the spiritual realm as a way to dissociate from embodied emotions.

It looks wise and evolved, but often, it’s just another form of disconnection.

Shifting the Question: From “What’s Wrong With You?” to “What Happened to You?”

To understand mental health struggles, dissociation, chronic illness, or addiction, we must move beyond surface-level symptoms.

We need to ask:

What happened to you?

Because when trauma occurs—especially in childhood—it shapes how we relate to stress, connection, and even ourselves.

It changes our body’s ability to regulate, to rest, and to recover.

When these survival patterns carry into adulthood, they can get triggered in everyday life, often in relationships.

We find ourselves repeating the same wounds again and again—stuck in loops we don’t even recognize.

Healing means working with the body, mind, and spirit—not as separate parts, but as a unified whole.

This is the essence of yoga philosophy.

And why trauma-sensitive yoga has become such a powerful, embodied approach to supporting those living with complex trauma.

Trauma Is Not a Memory—It’s a Pattern

Trauma isn’t simply remembered like a story in your mind.

It is repeated, relived, and reenacted in your body and nervous system, moment by moment.

But with compassion, presence, and somatic support, these patterns can be rewired.

The body can learn that it’s safe again.

And slowly, we return home to ourselves.

If you’re navigating the effects of trauma or feeling disconnected from your body, I offer 1:1 trauma-sensitive yoga sessions that gently support nervous system repair, embodiment, and emotional regulation. These sessions are a space to come home to yourself—slowly, safely, and at your own pace.

You can learn more or book a session [here].