PTSD & Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

Unresolved trauma—whether from one life-altering event or years of ongoing harm—can quietly shape a person’s life for decades. Many survivors have been misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or treated in ways that never reached the root of their pain. Over time, this can lead to shame, self-blame, hopelessness, or the belief that something inside them is permanently “broken”.

People cope the best way they can: by shutting down, numbing out, disconnecting from their emotions, or pushing through life in survival mode. These responses aren’t failures. They are the brain and body’s way of protecting you.

PTSD typically develops after a single traumatic event, such as an accident, assault, natural disaster, medical trauma, or witnessing violence.

C-PTSD develops from chronic, repeated, or relational trauma. It often begins in childhood, especially when the trauma comes from the very people who were supposed to provide safety.

Both conditions are real, valid, and treatable. And both deserve compassionate, expert care.

What is PTSD?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs after a person experiences or witnesses a frightening, life-threatening, or overwhelming event. Symptoms often include:

• Intrusive memories or flashbacks

• Nightmares

• Hypervigilance or feeling “on edge”

• Avoidance of reminders

• Emotional numbing

• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating

PTSD can develop from events such as accidents, assaults, natural disasters, combat, medical trauma, birth trauma, or unexpected losses.

What is Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)?

Complex PTSD results from ongoing, repeated, or chronic trauma, particularly interpersonal trauma such as:

• Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse

• Childhood neglect

• Domestic violence

• Living in chaotic, unstable, or unsafe environments

• Repeated betrayal by trusted adults or caregivers

Unlike single-incident PTSD, C-PTSD is formed over years, especially during childhood when the brain and identity are still developing.

Neuroscience and clinical research show that prolonged interpersonal trauma can profoundly reshape:

• Brain development and neurochemistry

• The nervous system’s stress response

• Emotional regulation

• Identity and self-perception

• Attachment and relational patterns

• Core beliefs about safety, worthiness, and trust

• Behavioral coping strategies

These patterns are not signs of weakness—they are the brain’s adaptive survival strategies, created to help a child endure what was overwhelming or unsafe.

How PTSD and C-PTSD Affect Adulthood

Survivors of PTSD or C-PTSD may experience:

• Chronic anxiety, depression, or emotional instability

• Intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks

• Dissociation or emotional numbness

• Difficulty trusting others

• Fear of abandonment or rejection

• People-pleasing, fawning, or codependency

• Explosive anger, emotional reactivity, or shutdown

• Negative self-image or identity confusion

• Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or self-destructive behaviors

• Trouble concentrating or maintaining routines

• Career instability or burnout

• Challenges in relationships or choosing unsafe partners

• Physical symptoms related to long-term stress

Many trauma survivors have felt overlooked or dismissed, even in therapy, because their symptoms don’t always fit neatly into a single diagnostic box. You deserve care that sees the full picture.

Healing is possible — and you don’t have to do it alone

Our therapists specialize in treating both PTSD and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) using evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches such as:

• EMDR

• Schema Therapy

• IFS-informed work

• Attachment repair

• Somatic and nervous-system regulation

• Cognitive and behavioral approaches tailored to trauma recovery

Together, we help you:

• Understand why your brain and body respond the way they do

• Break survival patterns that no longer serve you

• Heal younger or wounded parts of yourself

• Build emotional safety, stability, and resilience

• Strengthen your sense of identity and self-worth

• Form healthier, more secure relationships

• Move from survival mode to a life grounded in connection and peace

Healing trauma takes time, patience, and care—but with the right support, it absolutely happens.

Whether it’s PTSD from a single traumatic event or C-PTSD from childhood or repeated trauma, we work with clients in the Lake Norman and Charlotte, NC area to help them heal their traumatic wounds.

If you’re ready to feel safer, more grounded, and more understood, our therapists are ready to walk with you at your pace, with compassion and evidence-based care every step of the way.