" Understanding CPTSD Through Its Many Disguises "
CPTSD is a Battle Over the Soul
The crusade is diabolical in that the enemy attack is relentless and administered to the defenseless. The scheme of the invasion is cowardice, but effective. The objective is to forbid the injured party to ever come into contact with their true identity. The strategy is incognizant in that it is to deprive the victim into ever developing a strong, moral character. The plan is to defeat integrity. For we wrestle, not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities (Ephesians 6:12).
​
CPTSD can be summarized as a legitimate or normal response to the conditions that were normalized by what they have been subjected to. We get a pretty clear view of this when it becomes nearly a predictable outcome to prolonged trauma.
​
Carnal View of CPTSD
Most Commonly in a carnal view CPTSD is linked to dissociative disorders brought on by trauma. The DSM IV identifies dissociative disorders as a disruption of the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of a person. It is symptomized by subjective numbing and detachment.
​
Some of the signs of CPTSD
1. Deceiving or masking truth
2. Self Centered
3. Indecision
4. Trust issues
5. Controlling
6. Combative
7. Self righteous
8. Arrogant and prideful
9. Envious and jealous
10. Boastful
11. Angry
12. Blame and justification
Envious, Jealous, Boastful, prideful, Arrogant, Self Seeking, Angry
If a child is not shown love then he or she becomes what love is not. 1st Corinthians 13 declares what love is not. Love does not envy nor is it jealous. It does not boast. It is not proud or arrogant. It is not self seeking. It is not angry. We can see a pictorial view of our CPTSD relationship.
Deceiving or Masking Truth
When a child is taught to hide their bruises, cuts, and scrapes they are also taught to hide their emotions. There is such an inconsistency to their development that they often hide behind layers and layers of masks. This is one of the simplest reasons why CPTSD is so often diagnosed as multiple personality disorder. The more they have to hide behind these masks the more pronounced the persona connected to the mask becomes and the more difficult it becomes to unlock the deceptions. Those masks are there to keep their identity safe. They are there to keep their emotions safe and until they feel safe, they will never expose themselves. They become quite skillful at hiding. They will hide behind those masks into adulthood. They will continue to add masks anytime they feel insecure.
Self Centered
When the trauma occurs is a key element in understanding the symptoms of CPTSD. If the trauma occurs in early development stages it stunts the emotional development to that period. For instance, a child abused at ages three to seven years of age will remain with cognitions of a perception of how the world relates to them. Normal development in this stage might be conceptualized by the following questions. "Do you have a brother?" "Yes, Tommy's my brother." " Does Tommy have a brother?" "No." They may not be able to comprehend that out of self view.
Indecisive, Lack of Trust, Combative, Blame, Keeping Record of Wrongs
As these are the years that they are heavily dependent on parental guidance when that guidance causes them to be self dependent they may be unsure of their decision making abilities. They may appear to be very indecisive. The lack of trust is a forerunner in the crusade. Often times the injury is caused by someone that they have placed trust in or that they trusted to protect them. This leads them to be very confrontational. They will disagree just to disagree because they don't trust anything.
Controlling, Combative, Manipulative, Defeated, Angry
Where abuse exists the child may try to think there way out. They will try to manipulate the assailant or the situation in different ways to avoid "getting into trouble." The inability to control the situation leaves them seeking situations that they can control. The inability to control the scene will leave them feeling defeated, frustrated, then angry. In adulthood, when they feel at a loss of control that will trigger an unmerited response. It is in a way a flashback to the inciting incident although it is not necessarily a memory flashback but more like the feelings come back with intensity. That is when the anger surfaces and they become combative.
Prideful, Arrogant, Self Righteous, Combative, Manipulative, and Angry
As trauma is prevalent in teenage years they will carry that teenage mentality into adulthood. They will be strong willed and know that every one else is wrong. This is that internal conflict trying to escape the realm from within. Their cognitions are the only "right" way to think, even when it is inconsistent. They will defend there way as if being right is more important than anything else. It is more important than their relationships. It is their protection. They become manipulative in battle and everything is a battle. A level of supremacy or self righteousness will guide their path that is justified as common sense. This "common sense" will be their determination of how everyone else should cater to their intelligence that is superior and justified as only "common sense".
Anger
Anger is at the heart of it all but anger is a secondary emotion brought out from pain and discouragement. The anger will manifest in its frustration. That frustration will rise to anger when it is backed into a corner that redefines their truth!
​
Combat
As we said the battle is over the soul. Scripture defines in many regards the soul as our thoughts, emotions and our will. The soul with its three parts is just as elaborate as the body but when it is damaged it is only visible through the will. When someone behaves irrationally we don't give very much investment into the cause of their behavior. We make judgments and cast them away. It is this overall attentiveness to those that suffer with CPTSD that can make one recognize that this is a battle for the soul. The bloodshed of combat is nothing short of the killing fields at Choeung Ek. I am not trying to minimize the genocide that laid a million people lifeless. I am just trying to reconnect us with our compassion for the millions that fill our prisons, that wander our streets homeless, and that spread the infection further.
When the infection is not being spread by the abused becoming the abuser, it is spread through the immature mindsets of manipulation, bitterness, and restlessness. The hopelessness and vagueness of the understanding of morality that sprouts up from the unanswered pleas of the inner child results in lawlessness. This perpetuates the circumstances. It is estimated that sixty-eight percent of the adult male felons experienced childhood trauma/ victimization. When I look at this with a different attitude I may think, wow, they are incarcerated for being violated. That may prove to be a misguided view but nevertheless the correlation speaks very loudly as to where we need to put our efforts if we want to make an impact on crime.
There are many deplorable actions that object to the improvement of positive reasoning from the gray matter in the cranium of the defeated warrior. That is to say that mental conditioning is a strong hold that prevents the assertion of positivity in the mind of the abused. Scrutinize over the development of cognition when a six year old child is preoccupied with danger in every movement and every breath. That augmentation compared to normal development is worth the gander.
The armor of God and our weapons of compassion, love, and understanding are the elements needed to to beat the dragon and win back the heart.
Not Crazy
The geometric equations that produce the forecast that shadows the CPTSD victim and renders them hopeless is as insane as the development of this sentence. The anthem of diagnosis of CPTSD is multiple personality disorder. The thoughts, emotions, and will of a person traumatized can be scattered to the edges of the box they have been placed in and the demons that enter through the trauma are at variance and inconsistent but there is a connotation of multiple personality disorder that screams crazy. CPTSD can be summarized as a legitimate or normal response to the conditions that were normalized by what they have been subjected to, not crazy. CPTSD can be difficult to diagnose because of the inconsistency but inconsistent variables are the backbone to the troubles. So their inconsistent behaviors are the result of the consistent trauma delivered in inconsistent peculiarity.
This is not just informational scribble, lives hang in the balance. It is a call to action. We need your help. What we propose will change our society. It will set many captives free from the tyranny of their conditioned past. In completing this objective it will make for a safer more stable society. Please join us in this fight. Don't let the enemy position one more pawn on the board before you help!
​