In part one of this two-part essay on C-PTSD recovery, I established that the healing journey from C-PTSD is more like an arduous long-haul trek through Mordor than an easy stroll. Because of this, people often wonder whether it is even possible to fully recover from C-PTSD. In other words, does the long "hike" even end?
The answer to that question is highly subjective. Recovering from C-PTSD takes time. Even with extensive treatment over time, some individuals may continue to face lifelong challenges due to the complex nature of the diagnosis, necessitating ongoing symptom management. Conversely, for others on C-PTSD healing journeys, studies indicate that long-term trauma-focused therapies can significantly reduce symptoms.
So, if you're someone with C-PTSD, is it possible to ever fully recover? Whether this will be the case for you, I can't answer. No one can ethically answer that for you without intimate knowledge of you clinically. It’s highly subjective what "done" and "the end" will look like for you.
Some of us may feel like the "proverbial hike" is accomplished when we're able to live functional, responsible, full adult lives without the symptoms ruling us (but still living with occasional triggers from time to time). Still others may feel like the journey has "ended" when a decade of memories are reclaimed and there's an ability to get out of bed each day despite the lack of leading as full a life as we would like.
What and how we define "fully recovered" will be different for all of us; it depends on how you define recovery for yourself, what's possible within the scope of your symptoms, and what work you do to alleviate them.
Professionally, I've found that the complexity of the disorder naturally leads to a need for a comprehensive treatment approach, and as a trauma therapist, I hinge my work with clients on the three-phase framework of traumatology (pioneered by psychologist Pierre Janet) followed by an integrative treatment plan.
In other words, the work happens in stages, and it happens with a wide range of tools. The three stages of C-PTSD recovery according to the three-phase framework of traumatology are:
Across these phases (which are not always fully linear), trauma therapists will often rely on an integrative treatment plan that includes:
Think of progress signs in C-PTSD recovery as being like those paint blotches on trees or those stone piles that tell you that you're still on the path, that you're not going in circles, and that, indeed, you've made progress. Some of those varied progress signs might include:
Emotional and Mental Transformations
Physical and Behavioral Changes
And that's just a handful of progress markers.
Whatever and however your own biopsychosocial progress markers will look like, it's important that you and your trauma therapist take the time to define what progress markers will look like for you on your proverbial hike so that you can both feel less overwhelmed by the seemingly unending nature of the recovery journey and also see concrete evidence of your progress.
Hopefully, after reading this essay, you realize how complex and completely subjective the answer to this question is.
And I hope, too, that you see the agency and self-determination you have to work with your therapist to define what "the end of the hike" will look like for you and what progress markers you need and want to see on the way to ensure that you're making progress.
To find a therapist near you, consult the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
References
“Continual Developmental Neurosimulation Using Embodied Computational Agents.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7473266/
Is It Possible to Fully Recover From Complex PTSD?
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09.04.2024
In part one of this two-part essay on C-PTSD recovery, I established that the healing journey from C-PTSD is more like an arduous long-haul trek through Mordor than an easy stroll. Because of this, people often wonder whether it is even possible to fully recover from C-PTSD. In other words, does the long "hike" even end?
The answer to that question is highly subjective. Recovering from C-PTSD takes time. Even with extensive treatment over time, some individuals may continue to face lifelong challenges due to the complex nature of the diagnosis, necessitating ongoing symptom management. Conversely, for others on C-PTSD healing journeys, studies indicate that long-term trauma-focused therapies can significantly reduce symptoms.
So, if you're someone with C-PTSD, is it possible to ever fully recover? Whether this will be the case for you, I can't answer. No one can ethically answer that for you without intimate........
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