What is Complex PTSD?
"Severe and persistent beliefs about oneself as diminished, defeated or worthless..."
World Health Organization · ICD-11, code 6B41
What it is
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) describes trauma from prolonged or repeated harm, more so than from one singular event. It is its own recognized diagnosis under the World Health Organization's ICD-11[1].
If you’ve read the standard checklist and thought, that’s not quite me, and then concluded nothing was really wrong, despite actual feelings of guilt, shame or worse, read on.
What you’re describing has a name.
Complex PTSD describes what can follow prolonged or repeated trauma: the core PTSD pattern, plus three things that tend to outlast the events themselves — trouble regulating emotion, a corroded sense of your own worth, and difficulty feeling close to people.
It describes what can follow prolonged or repeated trauma: the core PTSD pattern, plus three things that tend to outlast the events themselves — trouble regulating emotion, a corroded sense of your own worth, and difficulty feeling close to people.
EMDR and CPT have shown consistent reduction of symptoms of PTSD with completion of 12–16, 60 minute weekly sessions
How we can help
"Considerable research has been done on the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy[3] (CBT)" and its subset, cognitive processing therapy (CPT), in treating PTSD, with generally positive outcomes reported, especially with the trauma-informed approach taken here at Bloom Integrated Health.
We believe recovery begins with safety, and the research agrees. Multiple studies indicate high success rates and "broad applicability[3] [of trauma-informed CBT] among individuals with diverse patterns of clinical characteristics and co-morbidities."
EMDR is another structured way we get there — a phase-based approach named among first-line options by the World Health Organization and the VA/DoD. Learn more about EMDR treatments for PTSD.
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Frequently asked
Is C-PTSD a real diagnosis?
Yes, in the WHO’s ICD-11 (code 6B41). It is not a separate diagnosis in the U.S. DSM-5-TR, so recognition varies by clinician and setting.
How is complex PTSD different from PTSD?
ICD-11 describes PTSD as re-experiencing, avoidance, and a heightened sense of current threat. Complex PTSD adds three lasting patterns: difficulty regulating emotion, a diminished sense of self-worth, and trouble sustaining closeness.
Will therapy help?
Trauma-informed therapy is built around exactly this kind of prolonged trauma. We describe what the work is and go at your pace; we don’t promise an outcome.
Sources
- [1] WHO ICD-11, code 6B41 (Complex PTSD) — an ICD-11 diagnosis; not in the DSM-5-TR. Herman, J.L. (1992), Trauma and Recovery. ↩
- [2] Gottschalk, Kuck, Dyer et al "Effectiveness in routine care: trauma-focused treatment for PTSD" ↩
- [3] Kar, "Cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a review" ↩