Understanding Progress with Complex PTSD: A Personal Journey

Progress with Complex PTSD is not what most people expect. It is not about feeling better all the time, staying calm every day, or functioning as though nothing ever happened. Those expectations fundamentally misunderstand how survival works and what recovery truly requires.

Awareness Itself is Progress

Sometimes, progress shows up quietly as awareness. You might notice that you are dysregulated a bit sooner than before. Perhaps you suddenly understand why something that seems small to others feels impossibly hard for you. You start recognising patterns in your responses instead of defaulting to self-blame. This shift in understanding, or being able to see what is happening rather than being completely inside it, is itself a form of healing.

Less Intensity, Not Absence of Intensity

Triggers may still happen. That is part of having a nervous system shaped by trauma. But progress might mean those triggers last a little less time, feel slightly less overwhelming, or become easier to recover from. The intensity reduces, even if it does not disappear. That absolutely counts as progress, even when it does not feel like enough.

Behavioural Shifts Matter, Even Without Confidence

Progress often appears in what you do, not necessarily how you feel while doing it. You might set a boundary while your heart is racing with fear. You might choose rest even when guilt is screaming at you. You might prioritise safety over old patterns of self-punishment. You do not have to feel confident or comfortable for these actions to be meaningful progress. Sometimes, doing the thing despite the fear is exactly what healing looks like.

The Mess is Part of the Process

Recovery from CPTSD is rarely linear or tidy. Progress can include steps forward and steps back. Old symptoms may resurface when you thought you had moved past them, or you might need more support rather than less. This does not mean you are failing or doing it wrong. It means you are actively processing trauma that your system has held for a long time. The mess is often a sign of deep work happening.

Our Experience

For us, progress has not looked impressive or obvious. It has shown up in catching spirals earlier before they completely take over. It has meant being gentler with our body when it is struggling. Gradually, we have come to understand that survival shaped us in specific ways, and those adaptations made sense in context. That shift in self-understanding has mattered more than we expected.

Nervous System Work is the Foundation

Progress is not about becoming a different person or erasing what happened. It is about building moments of safety in your body. It involves slowly reducing the constant sense of threat and helping your nervous system learn that it does not have to stay on high alert forever. This is slow work. Slow change is still meaningful change.

If your healing does not look impressive, polished, or linear, you are not doing it wrong. You are healing Complex PTSD, and that work takes time. It takes as long as it takes.

Seeking Support

If you are navigating Complex PTSD or trauma and would like trauma-informed support, I am here. You can learn more or get in touch at www.behavourialedgepsychology.com. Remember, you are not alone in this journey.

Inspired by a post from @Healing.the.mosaic