Healing Hidden Wounds: Developmental Trauma and Complex PTSD
Trauma isn’t always about catastrophic events or obvious harm. Often, it stems from subtle but repeated childhood experiences that, while seemingly “normal” or insignificant to an adult, left a deep imprint on a child’s developing nervous system. This is the nature of developmental trauma—and for many, it lays the foundation for what we now recognize as Complex PTSD (C-PTSD).
As children, we may have grown up with emotional neglect, inconsistent caregivers, chronic criticism, feeling unseen, or being placed in roles we weren’t equipped to handle. These moments may not have seemed traumatic at the time, and maybe they still don’t on the surface, but to a child’s brain, they felt unsafe, overwhelming, and confusing. Over time, they shaped how we see ourselves and relate to others.
How Trauma Is Processed in a Child’s Brain
The developing brain processes distress very differently than an adult’s. In early childhood, the prefrontal cortex—the part responsible for reasoning, emotional regulation, and meaning-making—is still under construction. Instead, a child relies heavily on the amygdala and brainstem, which are wired for survival, not logical understanding.
When overwhelming events occur, these primitive brain areas record trauma not as stories or memories, but as raw emotional states. The child’s system may respond with fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—and if the distress is ongoing, their nervous system may stay stuck in survival mode. The nervous system cues for danger and safety get criss-crossed. This leads to maladaptive protective patterns like hypervigilance, emotional shutdown, people-pleasing, or deep self-doubt. This can also be why an email from your boss might feel like a tiger is coming to attack you!
These responses often become hardwired into adulthood, showing up in relationships, emotional triggers, and inner narratives, long after the original experiences are forgotten or minimized.
Recognizing Complex PTSD and Its Patterns
Many adults with Complex PTSD don’t recognize their symptoms as trauma responses. You might feel emotionally numb, easily overwhelmed, disconnected from your body, or stuck in painful relationship patterns. You might believe you’re “too much” or “not enough,” even though you can’t pinpoint why.
It’s important to note that not everyone who experiences ongoing adversity in childhood will develop Complex PTSD. However, most—if not all—of us form negative core beliefs that subtly shape how we think, feel, and relate to the world around us.
These symptoms aren’t personality flaws. They’re protective adaptations—parts of your nervous system still trying to keep you safe based on old, unresolved wounds.
Healing From the Inside Out
Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to “move on” or “get over it”. It’s about working with your nervous system and unconscious protective parts, the parts that learned to disconnect, guard, or overcompensate just to survive.
Through trauma-informed therapy modalities like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), EFT and polyvagal-informed approaches, we gently revisit and reprocess the past—not to relive it, but to help your brain and body finally understand: you’re safe now.
Together, we bring awareness to the unconscious beliefs and patterns keeping you stuck. We make space for your inner parts to feel seen, supported, and integrated. We rebuild your connection to self-trust, safety, and regulation, one step at a time.
You’re not broken. You’ve been adapting. And healing is possible.
