CPTSD - Finding Yourself | Loving Yourself

Terms List & Definitions

*Sources posted after this page*

Hyper vigilance - "Hypervigilance is a state of increased alertness. If you're in a state of hypervigilance, you're extremely sensitive to your surroundings. It can make you feel like you're alert to any hidden dangers, whether from other people or the environment. Often, though, these dangers are not real."

Emotional flashback - "An emotional flashback can be triggered by a situation, a circumstance or an event that reminds you exactly what happened to you in childhood. You can feel transported back to those feelings of helplessness and despair, with no safe parental figure around to make it all better."

Freeze - "The freeze response, also known as the camouflage response, often triggers the individual into hiding, isolating and eschewing human contact as much as possible."

Fawn - "In a nutshell, "fawning" is the use of people-pleasing to diffuse conflict, feel more secure in relationships, and earn the approval of others. It's a maladaptive way of creating safety in our connections with others by essentially mirroring the imagined expectations and desires of other people."

Fight - "Fight types are unconsciously driven by the belief that power and control can create safety, assuage abandonment and secure love."

Flight - "Flight types appear as if their starter button is stuck in the "on" position. They are obsessively and compulsively driven by the unconscious belief that perfection will make them safe and loveable."

Avoidance - "Avoidance: Marked internal avoidance of thoughts and memories or external avoidance of activities or situations reminiscent of the traumatic event(s). Inability to recall important parts of the trauma; feelings of detachment towards others and numbness."

Depression - "Depression is a chronic mood disorder. It's more intense and lasts longer than just a day of sadness or "the blues." Indeed, depression can have a significant impact on both your health and your well-being."

Boundaries - "Without a boundary, you will be more likely to give in to others. With too rigid of a boundary, you risk feeling isolated. Having clear boundaries helps you adapt the level of emotional or physical intimacy in the moment. Healthy boundaries help with decision making and allow you to take responsibility for your actions and thoughts."

Perfectionism - "It is often unrecognized because an individual driven to perfectionism typically believes they can never be good enough to live up to the expectations of others."

Shame - "Shame; the feeling that you have done something wrong that goes against your core values. Shame is a normal and natural human emotion that is not harmful."

Addiction - "Addiction is a psychological and physical inability to stop consuming a chemical, drug, activity, or substance, even though it is causing psychological and physical harm."

Low self esteem - "Negative thought patterns and a poor self-image makes it difficult to maintain relationships and leads to depression and feelings of worthlessness."

Panic attacks - "A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you're losing control, having a heart attack or even dying."

Agoraphobia -" (ag-uh-ruh-FOE-be-uh) is a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed."

EMDR - "Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a fairly new, nontraditional type of psychotherapy. It's growing in popularity, particularly for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD often occurs after experiences such as military combat, physical assault, rape, or car accidents."