Understanding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) & complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and the differences between them. Trauma doesn't only affect what we remember, it can influence how we see ourselves, relate to others, manage emotions, and move through everyday life. Trauma can show up through emotional overwhelm or shutdown, difficulty trusting others, guilt and shame, hypervigilance, people-pleasing, difficulty prioritizing yourself, and rigid rules or routines.

Childhood developmental trauma can influence far more than our memories of childhood. Experiences that occur while a child's brain, nervous system, emotional regulation skills, identity, and understanding of relationships are still developing can shape the ways that person learns to protect themselves, connect with others, express emotions, establish boundaries, and understand their own worth.