What is Complex Trauma? Signs, Symptoms & Trauma Therapy in Colorado Springs
You’ve likely heard of PTSD or the word trauma more often in recent years. But what about complex trauma? How is it different, and why does it matter for healing?
In this post, we’ll explore:
What complex trauma is
How it differs from PTSD
Why it matters to understand complex trauma
Common signs of complex trauma
How trauma therapy can help you begin to heal
Understanding Complex Trauma
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) usually develops after experiencing or witnessing a single traumatic event, such as an accident, natural disaster, assault, or another life-threatening situation. The symptoms often involve re-experiencing the event through flashbacks, nightmares, or intense emotional and physical reactions.
Complex trauma (sometimes referred to as Complex PTSD or C-PTSD) is different. It develops from chronic, long-term exposure to trauma, often during critical periods of development such as childhood. Instead of being linked to a single event, C-PTSD emerges when someone has had to adapt to an ongoing environment of fear, neglect, or instability.
Examples of complex trauma include:
Childhood emotional or physical neglect
Ongoing emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Witnessing or experiencing violence in the home
Growing up in a high-stress or unsafe environment
Long-term exposure to toxic or controlling relationships
When safety and support are missing over long periods of time, the nervous system adapts in ways that help you survive in the moment, but those same adaptations can cause struggles later in life.
How Complex Trauma Differs from PTSD
While PTSD is often tied to one event, complex trauma affects the whole sense of self. Instead of just triggering memories of the past, C-PTSD can impact how you see yourself, your relationships, and the world around you. These symptoms often show up not just as flashbacks or nightmares, but in everyday patterns of thinking, relating, and coping.
People with complex trauma may experience:
Chronic anxiety, depression, or irritability
Persistent feelings of guilt, shame, or worthlessness
Difficulty trusting others
Intense fear of abandonment or rejection
Struggles with identity or self-worth
Core beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” or “Something is wrong with me”
Why Understanding Complex Trauma Matters
Understanding complex trauma is important for a few reasons:
Validation: Many people blame themselves for their struggles. Understanding complex trauma can help you see that your symptoms are a natural response to what you’ve lived through, not a personal failing.
Direction: It explains why traditional “talk therapy” might not have felt like enough, and why approaches like EMDR and IFS can be more effective for deeper healing.
Hope: Naming the problem is often the first step toward finding solutions. Complex trauma may shape your story, but it doesn’t have to define your future.
Signs You Might Benefit from Trauma Therapy
You don’t need to have experienced what most people label as “major trauma” for your nervous system to carry the impact. The effects of complex trauma can be subtle but persistent. You may benefit from trauma therapy if you notice:
Frequent emotional overwhelm or difficulty regulating feelings
Perfectionism, self-criticism, or feeling like nothing you do is ever enough
Constant hypervigilance (always feeling on edge or braced for something bad)
Relationship challenges, such as avoiding closeness or repeating painful dynamics
Physical symptoms like muscle tension, insomnia, or fatigue with no clear medical cause
Feeling “stuck,” even if you’ve tried therapy before
These can be signs that your body and mind are still holding on to past experiences. With trauma-informed therapy and the right support, healing is possible.
How Trauma Therapy Can Help
Healing from complex trauma often takes more than surface-level coping strategies. Trauma therapy provides a safe, structured space to process your experiences, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with your sense of worth and self.
At Spruce View Therapy in Colorado Springs, I specialize in helping women heal from complex trauma. I use trauma-informed approaches including:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): A research-backed therapy that helps your brain reprocess painful memories so they lose their emotional intensity without needing to relive them in detail.
Internal Family Systems (IFS): An evidence-based approach that helps you explore and heal the different “parts” of yourself that carry pain, fear, or protective roles.
Together, these approaches can help you move beyond survival mode and create real, lasting change. Instead of just managing symptoms, trauma therapy can help you build self-compassion, strengthen relationships, and feel more grounded in your everyday life.
Taking the Next Step
If you recognize yourself in these signs of complex trauma, know that you don’t have to keep carrying the weight alone. Healing is possible, and it often begins with reaching out for support.
If you’re ready to explore trauma therapy in Colorado Springs, I’d be honored to walk alongside you. Together, we can move beyond coping and toward lasting healing. Schedule a free consultation to get started today.
Michaela Zoppa is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She supports women and teen girls navigating anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, and burnout. She uses evidence-based, trauma-informed modalities, including EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.
