Complex trauma
The trace of repeated, long-lasting injuries — most often within relationships and in childhood.
How it shows up
It isn’t one event but an atmosphere that lasted years. The consequences are diffuse: difficulties with emotion regulation, with self-image and with relationships. That is exactly why it often isn’t recognised as trauma.
What we do with it in therapy
The work is long and takes place chiefly in the relationship — because that is where it began. There are no quick routes, and promises of them are a reason for caution.
See also
The therapeutic relationship
The relationship between you and your therapist, which isn't the frame for the work but the working tool itself.
Pattern
A sequence that repeats: cue, response, outcome — and then from the beginning again.
Empathy
The ability to understand another person's experience without merging with it.
