[Ryz25]

I was wondering how common this is for people with CPTSD.

I experienced intense trauma from a very early age onward. I didn't have a safe space, so I invented one in my head when I was around 12 years old. It was clinically delusional. I believed I had special powers and that I was needed for the balance of the universe to be preserved. As I got older and got away from the toxic environment, they slowly started to fade. Sometimes I still have thoughts like that when I feel really powerless and afraid.


In my 20s, I survived a life or death situation. I'm 31 now, but for the few years after it occurred, the analogy I thought of was like I died back then. And it felt like this was all a purgatory dream. Or that I was just the reanimated corpse of whoever I (he) used to be. Something left behind. The remnants of what was left. To be clear, I didn't actually believe I was in purgatory or that I was a zombie. It was a feeling that I put into words.

How common is this?

[Open Eyes]

It's actually very common. Imagining you have special powers and can be a hero of somekind is very common for young children to embrace as a coping method to help them deal with their childhood trauma. As we grow into adult hood and learn more skills to cope these often fade. For some however, they may still need to embrace the "I have these special powers" delusions. This can activate the same area of the brain that lights up when engaging in religious prayers or ceremonies and can be seen in the brains of individuals with different religious beliefs too.

Unfortunately, what they are slowly seeing in the brains of individuals that struggle with ptsd is how the brain itself changes from trauma. This is why a person often talks about not feeling the same as they used to feel. Often individuals will say "Why can't I Just like I used to?". This is due to how the brain was affected and changed, it's NOT a decision at all.

Sadly, for those who struggle, they often receive comments from others who really have no clue what PTSD means, is "Just ignore, Just don't allow, Just avoid and the worst, just let it go, and you better just snap out if it. None of that is helpful at all.

Each person is a little different as some are more severe than others. Also, a lot depends on the kind of trauma a person experienced too. What one considers traumatic may not be something another person considers all that traumatic.

I cannot stress enough that it's important to work with a therapist that specializes in "trauma therapy". It's best to find one that keeps up with all that is being learned about ptsd and affective treatments too.

[Ryz25]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

It's actually very common. Imagining you have special powers and can be a hero of somekind is very common for young children to embrace as a coping method to help them deal with their childhood trauma. As we grow into adult hood and learn more skills to cope these often fade. For some however, they may still need to embrace the "I have these special powers" delusions. This can activate the same area of the brain that lights up when engaging in religious prayers or ceremonies and can be seen in the brains of individuals with different religious beliefs too.

Unfortunately, what they are slowly seeing in the brains of individuals that struggle with ptsd is how the brain itself changes from trauma. This is why a person often talks about not feeling the same as they used to feel. Often individuals will say "Why can't I Just like I used to?". This is due to how the brain was affected and changed, it's NOT a decision at all.

Sadly, for those who struggle, they often receive comments from others who really have no clue what PTSD means, is "Just ignore, Just don't allow, Just avoid and the worst, just let it go, and you better just snap out if it. None of that is helpful at all.

Each person is a little different as some are more severe than others. Also, a lot depends on the kind of trauma a person experienced too. What one considers traumatic may not be something another person considers all that traumatic.

I cannot stress enough that it's important to work with a therapist that specializes in "trauma therapy". It's best to find one that keeps up with all that is being learned about ptsd and affective treatments too.

I know I need a specialist. I was advised that much last time I checked myself into the hospital for suicide in 2017 (I had a great doctor). Finding one has been a bit more difficult, especially the financial barriers.

[cptsdwhoa]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

It's actually very common. Imagining you have special powers and can be a hero of somekind is very common for young children to embrace as a coping method to help them deal with their childhood trauma. As we grow into adult hood and learn more skills to cope these often fade. For some however, they may still need to embrace the "I have these special powers" delusions. This can activate the same area of the brain that lights up when engaging in religious prayers or ceremonies and can be seen in the brains of individuals with different religious beliefs too.

Unfortunately, what they are slowly seeing in the brains of individuals that struggle with ptsd is how the brain itself changes from trauma. This is why a person often talks about not feeling the same as they used to feel. Often individuals will say "Why can't I Just like I used to?". This is due to how the brain was affected and changed, it's NOT a decision at all.

Sadly, for those who struggle, they often receive comments from others who really have no clue what PTSD means, is "Just ignore, Just don't allow, Just avoid and the worst, just let it go, and you better just snap out if it. None of that is helpful at all.

Each person is a little different as some are more severe than others. Also, a lot depends on the kind of trauma a person experienced too. What one considers traumatic may not be something another person considers all that traumatic.

I cannot stress enough that it's important to work with a therapist that specializes in "trauma therapy". It's best to find one that keeps up with all that is being learned about ptsd and affective treatments too.

I very much agree with this, and I thank you for posting it. I wonder if my second diagnosis is accurate very often because I've read about psychosis occurring due to trauma. I've noticed lessening of the Schizoaffective symptoms as I've gotten further along in my recovery journey.

I don't believe that my therapist will change the diagnosis officially, but it still helps to know that there is help for the CPTSD and it's calming the Schizoaffective symptoms (whether accurate or not). I'm grateful that she is trained in trauma. The tools I've learned are helpful.

She mentioned something that your comment brought to my memory. There are some that want PTSD renamed to Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI). She mentioned the things that you wrote here about how trauma affects the brain. It may not be as clearly understood as a disorder one could be born with, but more an injury that damages the brain (due to trauma). She encouraged me to view my recovery as someone learning to heal an injury.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Ryz25

I was wondering how common this is for people with CPTSD.

I experienced intense trauma from a very early age onward. I didn't have a safe space, so I invented one in my head when I was around 12 years old. It was clinically delusional. I believed I had special powers and that I was needed for the balance of the universe to be preserved. As I got older and got away from the toxic environment, they slowly started to fade. Sometimes I still have thoughts like that when I feel really powerless and afraid.


In my 20s, I survived a life or death situation. I'm 31 now, but for the few years after it occurred, the analogy I thought of was like I died back then. And it felt like this was all a purgatory dream. Or that I was just the reanimated corpse of whoever I (he) used to be. Something left behind. The remnants of what was left. To be clear, I didn't actually believe I was in purgatory or that I was a zombie. It was a feeling that I put into words.

How common is this?

how common is it to have dissociation that includes delusions or do you mean how common is it to be dual diagnosed (diagnosed with more than one disorder or problem at the same time)

if you mean the first one having dissociation that includes delusions in the dissociation diagnosis it is not common at all, in fact in 2013 new diagnostics for mental disorders happened. one of the diagnostics for dissociation problems is that reality remains intact (in other words no delusions, no hallucinations)

BUT a person can be diagnosed with two different disorders at the same time example...

one diagnosis dissociative disorders
the second diagnosis delusional disorders.

both in the same person.

the second situation is very common. most people who have dissociative disorders ………..also...……… have other disorders too

example some with dissociative disorders also are diagnosed with ptsd disorder. some people with dissociative disorders are also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorders and so on. theres no limit of how many disorder labels a person can have at the same time as having a dissociative disorder.

hope that has helped answer your question.

[Fuzzybear]