Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) symptoms may appear at any point in a person's life, usually following exposure to continuous and recurring traumatic events or victimization that lasts for months or even years. C-PTSD symptoms are typically more severe and long-lasting compared to those of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Experiencing repeated traumatic events, particularly during early development, increases the likelihood of developing C-PTSD rather than PTSD (World Health Organization, 2019).

Treatment

Current treatment approaches to C-PTSD are similar to the treatment of PTSD, and the triphasic (3-phase) approach to treatment is advised. As discussed in Module 3, the first phase is stabilization and skills strengthening, which aims to ensure safety, reduce symptoms, and build basic psychosocial skills. The second phase is trauma processing and integration, while the third phase involves transitioning treatment gains to everyday life, such as social relationships and work or education (Oehen & Gasser, 2022). As we have previously covered in this course, during psychedelic-assisted therapy, all three phases may be encountered across the arc of preparation through to integration of Medicine Sessions. This is in part owing to the likelihood of psychedelic medicines to surface repressed emotions and memories. It may be more challenging for the health professional to pace phase two during a Medicine Session. For this reason, we recommend a low threshold for recommending additional preparation time for people with C-PTSD, who may benefit from additional stabilization and skills strengthening prior to dosing sessions.