CPTSD is caused by ongoing relational trauma which involves “…intentional, irreparably injurious, intimate, intrusive, invasive acts [which] violate the survivor’s physical, psychological, and spiritual integrity and boundaries” (Ford & Courtois, p. 7).
Fire can warm or consume, water can quench or drown, wind can caress or cut. And so it is with human relationships; we can both create and destroy, nurture and terrorize, traumatize and heal each other. (Perry, p. xxvii)
What Causes CPTSD/RTR?
According to Dr. Christine Courtois (n.d.), CPTSD is a form of Complex Trauma that often develops when traumatic events/experiences:
are repetitive, prolonged, or cumulative;
are most often interpersonal, involving direct harm, exploitation, and maltreatment including neglect/abandonment/antipathy by primary caregivers or other ostensibly responsible adults; and
occur at developmentally vulnerable times in the victim's life, especially in early childhood or adolescence, but can also occur later in life and in conditions of vulnerability associated with disability, disempowerment, dependency, age, infirmity, etc.
Although there are a number of types of Complex Trauma (e.g., natural disasters, community or group trauma such as racism), the focus here at OOTS is on relational trauma including neglect and all forms of ongoing emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
References
Courtois. C. (n.d.). Understanding complex trauma, complex reactions, and treatment approaches.
Ford, J. & Courtois, C. (Eds.) (2020). Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders in adults: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Perry, B. (2017). The boy who was raised as a dog. New York, NY; Basic Books.
