What is Complex Trauma?

Complex trauma happens when someone goes through repeated or long-term painful experiences—often in childhood—like neglect, abuse, or growing up in an unpredictable environment. Instead of a single traumatic event, it’s more like a pattern of stress and survival that shapes how you see yourself, others, and the world.

If you’re living with Complex Trauma, you might:

  • Struggle with big emotions that feel overwhelming or hard to control.

  • Feel like you're "too much" or "not enough"—even when that's not true.

  • Have a hard time trusting others or letting people in.

  • Experience intrusive memories, nightmares, or body reactions that pull you back into the past.

  • Feel like you're always on high alert, waiting for something to go wrong.

  • Lose time, feel disconnected from your body, or struggle to remember parts of your past.

  • Find relationships challenging—either by avoiding closeness or feeling deeply afraid of being left.

Complex Trauma and Shame

For people who have experienced complex trauma, shame is often a familiar companion. So often, what we call “shame” is actually a survival strategy we developed in response to early, overwhelming experiences. Making ourselves small, belittling ourselves, or disconnecting from who we are can create a felt sense of safety or protection. Shame isn’t who we are—it’s something we learned in order to stay connected and safe in relationships that may not have been able to fully see or support us. Complex trauma tends to entangle our sense of self with this shame, leaving us feeling stuck or broken. But as we begin to gently untangle those patterns, we make space for more curiosity, compassion, and ultimately, aliveness.

Trauma Isn’t A Life Sentence

Complex trauma isn’t just something that happened to you—it’s something your nervous system had to adapt to in order to survive, which requires a body-focused therapy. Healing is possible! NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) was designed to be a body and mind approach to finding post-traumatic growth, a life after trauma. You can feel safe in your own skin, trust yourself, and have a fulfilling life after trauma.

You’re not broken. You’re healing. And you don’t have to do it alone.