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cPTSD - Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop in individuals who have experienced long-term or repeated trauma. Particularly in situations where they have had no control over the events occurring. It is often referred to as a more severe form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The symptoms of cPTSD can be debilitating and can have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to function in daily life.

cPTSD is not currently recognized as an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, it is widely recognized within the mental health community and is often used as a descriptive term to differentiate from PTSD. The DSM-5 includes PTSD as a diagnosis and characterizes it as a response to a single traumatic event, whereas cPTSD refers to prolonged exposure to trauma and often involves a pattern of abuse and neglect.

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma is an emotional response to an event or experience that is overwhelming and often life-threatening. Traumatic events can include physical or emotional abuse, sexual assault, natural disasters, war, and witnessing violence. PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop in individuals who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD can include flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behaviors, hypervigilance, and heightened emotional responses.

PTSD is classified as an anxiety disorder and is characterized by three main types of symptoms: re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyperarousal symptoms. Re-experiencing symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts. Avoidance symptoms can include avoiding triggers that remind the individual of the traumatic event, emotional numbing, and withdrawal from activities that were once enjoyed. Hyperarousal symptoms can include being easily startled, hypervigilance, and a heightened state of arousal.

cPTSD and Its Symptoms

cPTSD, on the other hand, is a type of PTSD that is often associated with prolonged or repeated exposure to traumatic events. Individuals with cPTSD may have experienced abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences over an extended period, such as childhood or domestic abuse. As a result, the symptoms of cPTSD can be more severe and can last longer than those of PTSD.

The symptoms of cPTSD can be broken down into four main categories: re-experiencing, avoidance, emotional dysregulation, and interpersonal problems. The re-experiencing symptoms of cPTSD are similar to those of PTSD and can include flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts. However, in individuals with cPTSD, these symptoms can be more frequent and intense.

The avoidance symptoms of cPTSD can include avoiding people, places, or situations that remind the individual of the traumatic event. This can lead to social isolation, emotional numbness, and withdrawal from activities that were once enjoyable.

Emotional dysregulation is a common symptom of cPTSD and can include difficulty regulating emotions, intense feelings of shame, guilt, or self-blame, and difficulty with trust and intimacy. Individuals with cPTSD may also experience mood swings, emotional outbursts, and have a heightened sensitivity to criticism or rejection.

Interpersonal problems are another common symptom of cPTSD and can include difficulty forming and maintaining relationships, a fear of abandonment, and a tendency to isolate oneself from others. Individuals with cPTSD may also have difficulty with boundaries, struggle with assertiveness, and have a tendency to be overly accommodating to others.

Causes and Risk Factors

cPTSD can develop in individuals who have experienced long-term or repeated trauma, particularly in situations where they have had no control over the events occurring. This can include childhood abuse, neglect, or exposure to domestic violence. Other risk factors for developing cPTSD

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Family Therapy for Separated Parents

Sometimes married couples breakup or divorce, resulting in co-parenting in different homes. Because over 50% with marriages end in a separation of some sort a lot of youngsters are co-parented by separated mothers and fathers. Additional mothers and fathers who failed to marry are also co-parenting following splitting up. Psychological security and healthful direction supplied kids in these homes is partly determined by the co-parenting skills and the high quality from the romantic relationship between the mothers and fathers and eventually, most of the time, step-parents. The outcomes for the youngsters are widely diverse, with some mothers and fathers doing a very good job with modifying to be able to breakup or even splitting up as well as others requiring direction through specialists and/or the tennis courts. A number of aspects can result in confusion and emotional unrest in these homes. Conflicting psychological health problems with mothers and fathers or even step-parents, which includes alcoholic beverages and other substance abuse issues may also be detrimental to the emotional security of children.

Physical Therapy

If you are experiencing ongoing pain that affects your ability to move around with ease, or your ability to perform everyday tasks without experiencing discomfort, your doctor may refer you to be treated by a physical therapist. Often, a person’s range of motion is limited due to an injury (such as from a motor vehicle accident), disability (possibly do to arthritis or the aging process) or a physically debilitating illness (e.g., fibromyalgia, symptoms from a stroke or Parkinson’s).

A physical therapist is a licensed health professional who works with patients who are experiencing problems relating to physical movement and normal bodily function. Limitations to movement can be caused by any number of reasons including age, existing health conditions, traumatic injury resulting from an accident or injuries incurred while playing sports.

Occupational Therapy

What is occupational therapy?

Occupational therapy is a patient-centered therapy that aims to improve the health and well-being of an individual be able to conduct his or her “occupation.” In other words, this therapy is designed to assist the person needing help to get through his or her day-to-day activities. While many medical patients recovering from trauma or surgery are referred to occupational therapy providers by medical doctors, the main goal of occupational therapy is to help people achieve his or recovery or physical exertion goals to assist them in getting the most out of their lives.

Theraputic Natural Remedies

What are natural remedies?

Natural remedies, sometimes known as home remedies, are treatments made from naturally-occurring plants and other natural sources that are targeted to prevent, treat or cure common illnesses and minor injuries. The efficacy of natural remedies for treating health problems is debatable, as many remain unproven scientifically. Some may be harmful to you. Many people opt to use natural remedies along with conventional medical treatment and believe in the ability of these natural remedies to heal the body and to enhance good health.

Many natural remedies have been passed down through the years by laypeople. Some have a basis in traditional or habitual use. However, some natural remedies have been put under scientific scrutiny and found to have recognizable medicinal properties, especially when it comes to treating ailments such as colds, fever, headaches, toothache, cuts and sprains.

Nutrition for Therapy

Natural cures refers to a type of therapy involving the use of foods or products containing naturally-sourced ingredients that people buy, harvest or create for themselves. Generally, the purpose of using natural cures is to heal or mitigate symptoms of a wide range of health conditions. Please note that the term ‘natural cures’ can be misleading, inasmuch as many natural products are not able to cure health conditions.

With that said, many people resort to natural cures and natural remedies as a self-help alternative to recognized medical practices. Natural cures typically include a gentle or gradual form of treatment for a variety of ailments and illnesses. Natural cures, usually containing plant-based ingredients, are found in various cultures from around the world. Many natural cures have been passed down from generation to generation by laypeople, and many cultures have a history that describes natural medicine men and women - from the so-called witches of Western Europe who used herbal remedies to treat illnesses and injuries, to the Australian Aborigines who still practice natural medicine to this day.

Mental Illness

What is mental illness?

Mental illness is the term used to describe a number of mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, addictive behaviors, eating and anxiety disorders. The common denominator for all of these conditions is that they affect the way in which a person with mental illness feels, thinks and behaves on a daily basis.

Many people experience troubling periods in their lives that negatively affect the way they think and feel. If this condition or symptoms associated with this condition persist for a long time or become so overwhelming that a person is unable to function, a mental illness of some kind may be diagnosed.

Massage Therapy

What is massage therapy?

Massage therapy is the term used to describe any of the hands-on treatments where a trained therapist manipulates the muscles and soft tissues of the body, in order to ease pain, relieve muscle tension and improve the overall health and well-being of an individual.

While massage therapy focuses on the body as a whole, the main systems of the body being targeted for relief are the musculoskeletal, circulatory, nervous and lymphatic systems. Massage therapy is also a relaxing form of therapy that is beneficial for people who are suffering from stress, anxiety or depression, or for those who simply want to take time out to relax.

Massage therapy is practiced in a number of settings including private massage practices, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, businesses, offices and sports venues.

Marital Counselors

What do marital counselors do?

Marital counselors are professional, licensed therapists that help people who experience difficulties within their intimate relationships. Marriage counseling, sometimes known as couples therapy or counseling, can help couples to resolve conflict, understand the other person better and improve the relationship in general. Marital counselors provide couples with the tools to communicate in more productive and positive ways, and show them how to negotiate their problems in a way that is healthy for the relationship.

Although the term may suggest that marital counselors only help people that are in legally recognized relationships, marital counselors work with people in all kinds of relationships - whether heterosexual or same-sex relationships or whether the couple is legally married, co-habiting or in a relationship where neither partner lives with the other. Sometimes marital counselors work with only one partner in the relationship if the other partner is unwilling, or unable, to attend the therapy sessions.