When Victims of Abuse Are Misdiagnosed

In today's videos (English & Castellano) you'll find specific indicators that will help you clarify how Borderline Personality Disorder and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( or Response) differ.

When these two diagnoses get confused clients suffer. Getting the right treatment is key and for that you'll need the correct diagnosis.

If you are on the fence please find a Clinical Psychologist, or a Psychiatrist, and ask them for a formal diagnosis. Second opinions are always a good idea as well.

If you know you have BPD my recommendation is to find a DBT therapist. Dialectical Behavior Therapy's focus on behaviors, the balance between acceptance and change, skill building, mindfulness, and the regulation of emotions has proven to be the most effective therapy to treat DBT.

On the other hand, having symptoms of C-PTSD and being diagnosed with BPD can be just as damaging. These are very different disorders and should be treated as such. Although, like DBT, mindfulness, and the regulation of emotions are also part of the work to overcome C-PTSD the need for the whole DBT package becomes clear when dealing with a DBT client.

I hope this wasn't too specific but I got this question many times so I felt I needed to clarify!

See you next week!

Healing CPTSD

There are different components that are involved in healing from narcissistic abuse and trauma.

There's the scientific part.
The unconditional regard of a therapist.
The spiritual part.
The art aspect of therapy.
The determination of the client.

In today's video ( English & Spanish ) I give you some tips to help you start that journey. 

Hope

I wrote this Instagram Post the other day inspired by questions like the following:

"Will I ever feel like myself again?" "Can you actually overcome CPTSD?"

One of the many symptoms of C-PTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is feelings of hopelessness. (Blog post on CPTSD here!)

Believe it or not. You will feel content again, or maybe even for the first time. 

Keep working for it. It's like everything else in life. Where you put the effort and attention that's where you will see positive changes. 

Do not expect this to happen faster than it should. We all have different things to work through and it takes time. 

Know that you will overcome it but be warned, once you heal and evolve you become a 2.0 version of yourself. Which is pretty cool if you ask me.

New videos about "Guilt and Hoovering" below in English and in Spanish.

What Happens to Victims of Narcissistic Abuse After It's Over ?

Most survivors of abuse feel inadequate and weird because they are experiencing feelings that are completely foreign to the person they used to be. 

They also seek to understand what has happened to them and what they are experiencing after the abuser is gone.

In today's video 

• What is CPTSD? 
• What are Flashbacks?
• What are Triggers?
• What is Dissociation? 
• What are the symptoms?

Complex PTSD is what can happen to victims of Narcissistic Abuse after enduring abuse and gaslighting from their partners or family during a long period of time. Survivors of cults and prisoners of war are included in this category of PTSD.

It usually involves continuous reliving of the traumatic events through Flashbacks that can last minutes, hours or days.

CPTSD happens as a consequence of enduring psychological trauma that is chronic and repeated in time and that is inescapable for the victim.