What is Complex Trauma?

During my graduate studies in social work, I was particularly drawn to attachment theory, which played a pivotal role in shaping my career path toward working with adolescents and family systems. I have always believed that transgenerational patterns and trauma affect parenting, relationships and overall functioning. Prior to learning  about complex trauma, I had only understood trauma in general terms and as shock trauma. Gaining insight into these distinctions has greatly enhanced my ability to support the clients and families I work with.

Trauma is a broad term used to describe a person’s response to a distressing event in their life. It overwhelms our capacity to process and cope with the experience. Shock trauma, or acute trauma, typically refers to a singular, intense event, such as a car accident or a natural disaster. Complex trauma is different. It results from repeated and prolonged exposure to traumatic events, often interpersonal and during childhood. In such environments, children have no choice but to develop strategies to cope and survive when their developmental and emotional needs are not met. These relational and protective patterns persist throughout life, particularly within close and intimate relationships. Early experiences of complex trauma continue to impact mental health, emotional regulation and self-esteem.

Based on this definition, we all have some level of complex trauma. Regardless of how supportive and nurturing a caregiver, culture or environment is, they can never meet all of our developmental needs. As children, we develop strategies to stay connected with our caregivers because we rely on them for everything. This often means rejecting parts of ourselves to align with caregivers, which is an adaptive strategy for survival. How severe these strategies are depends on a child’s temperament, personality, and the level of disconnection in their environment. These strategies can cause significant impairments in future mental health and relationships or may be more subtle. Usually, these are the reasons people seek therapy. Behaviors that helped them survive as children now cause distress and suffering in their current lives. Examples might include avoiding conflict, not trusting others, disconnecting from oneself, overworking or caretaking.