PTSD and Complex PTSD: Healing From the Inside Out

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) isn’t just about flashbacks or war zones. Trauma can stem from any experience that overwhelms your nervous system and leaves you feeling unsafe, unseen, or out of control.

At Sea to Summit Psychiatry, we understand that healing from trauma isn’t about “just getting over it.” It’s about restoring your connection to yourself, your body, and your sense of agency—slowly, safely, and with expert support.

What Is PTSD?

PTSD can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as violence, assault, serious injury, natural disaster, or other life-threatening situations. It's your brain and body’s way of staying on high alert—long after the danger has passed.

Common symptoms include:

  • Intrusive memories or nightmares

  • Avoidance of reminders

  • Hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response

  • Emotional numbness or detachment

  • Trouble sleeping or concentrating

You may have heard of the 17 symptoms of PTSD, which come from a widely used checklist used in research and clinical settings. These symptoms fall into four major clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, negative changes in thoughts and mood, and arousal/reactivity.

Knowing the full range of symptoms can help people realize they’re not “crazy”—they’re responding to overwhelming experiences in human, understandable ways.

What Is Complex PTSD?

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is a newer diagnosis that recognizes the impact of chronic or repeated trauma, especially during childhood or in relationships where escape wasn’t possible. Examples include emotional neglect, abuse, coercive control, and long-term betrayal.

Symptoms of Complex PTSD often include:

  • The core symptoms of PTSD (above), plus

  • Persistent feelings of shame or guilt

  • Difficulty trusting others or forming safe relationships

  • Deep emotional dysregulation (feeling too much or nothing at all)

  • A fragmented or unstable sense of identity

  • Dissociation or memory gaps

C-PTSD is less about one big traumatic event and more about what happens when safety and connection are absent for a long time. It can feel like your whole personality has been shaped by survival.

PTSD Therapy That Works With the Nervous System

At Sea to Summit Psychiatry, we offer trauma-informed care that honors your story, your pace, and your wisdom. We know that pushing through isn’t healing—and that talk therapy alone isn’t always enough.

Effective PTSD therapy often includes:

  • Somatic therapy, which helps you reconnect with your body and restore a sense of safety

  • Parts work (IFS-inspired) to untangle inner conflicts and meet protective or wounded parts with compassion

  • Insight-oriented therapy to make sense of what happened and how it’s shaped your beliefs

  • Medication management for anxiety, depression, or sleep difficulties that often accompany trauma

  • Ketamine-assisted therapy, when appropriate, to access deeper healing and nervous system reset

Whether you’re dealing with recent trauma or the long shadow of childhood wounds, we work with you—not on you. There’s no one-size-fits-all plan here.

Complex PTSD and Life Expectancy: The Hidden Cost of Survival

You may have come across the phrase “complex PTSD life expectancy”—a haunting but important topic. While trauma itself doesn’t shorten life directly, untreated C-PTSD is associated with chronic stress, inflammation, autoimmune issues, substance use, and poor sleep, all of which can impact long-term health. Research also shows that adverse childhood experiences—a common root of C-PTSD—are linked to higher rates of many leading causes of death later in life.¹

But it’s not a life sentence. With the right support, people with C-PTSD can dramatically improve their emotional and physical well-being, form secure relationships, and reclaim a life of meaning and purpose. Healing changes everything.

Ready to Reclaim Your Story?

You are not broken. You are someone who adapted to a world that didn’t always keep you safe. And it’s possible to build something new—not by forgetting what happened, but by learning how to live with it differently.

If you’re looking for PTSD therapy that’s deeply personalized, trauma-informed, and rooted in your values, we’re here for you.

Book a free consultation today to see how Sea to Summit Psychiatry can support your healing journey.

References

  1. Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS. 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. 1998;14(4):245-258.