Somatic Therapy & Trauma Healing Blog

Dissociation is a sense of disconnection from your thoughts, emotions, body, memories, identity, or surroundings. It can feel like watching yourself from outside your body, moving through a dream, losing time, or becoming emotionally numb. Brief dissociation can happen during intense stress, exhaustion, or overwhelming experiences. When it becomes frequent, distressing, or disruptive, it may

An emotional flashback is a sudden, intense emotional or physical state that appears connected to an earlier traumatic experience. Unlike a typical flashback, it may not include a clear image, sound, or memory of what happened. Instead, you might suddenly feel terrified, ashamed, powerless, abandoned, or emotionally small—even when the present situation does not fully

PTSD and complex PTSD are both responses to trauma. They share symptoms such as flashbacks, avoidance, and feeling persistently unsafe. The main difference is that complex PTSD also involves lasting difficulties with emotional regulation, self-worth, and relationships. C-PTSD is often associated with prolonged or repeated trauma, especially when escape or support was limited. However, the

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder, or C-PTSD, is a trauma-related condition that can develop after experiences that were prolonged, repeated, or difficult to escape. C-PTSD includes the core symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder—such as reliving trauma, avoiding reminders, and feeling persistently unsafe—along with deeper difficulties involving emotions, self-worth, and relationships. These symptoms are not character flaws.