CPTSD vs PTSD: shame, trust, meaning

[HannahOne]

This came up on "CPTSD explained" online and I thought it was really valuable to consider given our experiences. I relate hard!

"CPTSD and PTSD diverge most significantly in what researchers call the self organizing symptoms and this category is almost entirely absent from standard PTSD.

Self organizing symptoms include three specific areas that CPTSD produces and PTSD typically does not. First, disturbances in self perception. The chronic shame, the feeling of being permanently damaged, the belief that you are fundamentally different from other people in a way that cannot be fixed. Second, disturbances in relational patterns. The difficulty trusting, the push pull of intimacy, the tendency to repeat dynamics from the original trauma in new relationships. Third, disturbances in systems of meaning. The loss of faith, the inability to feel hope, the sense that the future is foreclosed or unreal. Judith Herman identified these clusters decades ago."

[Alexandra]

Hello ; Thank you for the informative post, what you post is true, it does apply to me.My thoughts, PTSD occurs to fully formed adults, adults who have a normal life before combat  ,combat is not normal,it has a meaning  ,to defend your country  it is known as abnormal ,combat has a limited duration ,in combat the violence is impersonal ,Whereas C-PTSD, occurs in a developing child, with adults who are supposed to be trusted,  care ,protect and love ,what happened to me has no meaning ,it feels to me as if life is random and chaotic, the is no certainty  life has no given meaning ,for example  Mother is such a basic thing, maybe it has meaning and maybe not. Yes I feel that I am different from other people, I did not get to develop, normally,I can not fix that, I can not turn back the clock and have a normal childhood, nor fix how my brain as effected by all the abuse violence and neglect  , I know how to act ,so that I fit in with people who have led normal lives, even though I have not had any of their experiences, I do my very best to mange my systems. Frankly, I think it is not true that you can heal , Fromm C-PTSD , I have learned to live with it, to the best of my ability.

[NarcKiddo]

Yes. One of the things that actually bothers me about the CPTSD official diagnosis criteria is that you have to fit the standard PTSD criteria before they move on to see if you also fit the others.

From AI (for my speed of reference)
Key Diagnostic Criteria Differences (ICD-11):
PTSD Core Criteria (All must be present):
Re-experiencing: Intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks.
Avoidance: Avoiding thoughts, feelings, places, or people related to the trauma.
Hyperarousal: Hypervigilance, being easily startled, irritability, or difficulty concentrating.

CPTSD Additional Criteria (DSO - All must be present):
Emotional Dysregulation: Difficulty controlling emotions, including explosive anger, depression, or suicidal thoughts.
Negative Self-Concept: Beliefs about oneself as diminished, defeated, or worthless, along with deep shame or guilt.
Relational Difficulties: Inability to trust, maintain relationships, or feel close to others.

Now that I know more about it, I realise I do actually fit all the criteria. But at the beginning of this discovery journey I did not know about emotional flashbacks, which is the form my re-experiencing takes. EFs are not exactly obvious as flashbacks. I also did not realise that my dissociation was avoidance. Heck, I had no idea I even did that! The only thing I could fully embrace was hyper vigilance. So if I had gone to see someone, I would have failed 2 out of the 3 PTSD hurdles unless they were a very skilled questioner, and that would have been that.

Fortunately I do not need or want a formal diagnosis.