C-PTSD

C-PTSD

MORE ABOUT C-PTSD

Complex posttraumatic stress disorder

Support for Healing from Prolonged, Repeated, or Developmental Trauma

If you’ve lived through ongoing trauma, especially in childhood, relationships, or environments where safety wasn’t consistent, you may carry wounds that are hard to explain, even to yourself. You might struggle with trust, emotional regulation, or a persistent sense that something is “wrong” with you.

This could be Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and you’re not alone.

At Four Wings Psychology, we offer trauma-informed therapy for Complex PTSD in Nepean and online across Ontario. We help you unpack the layers of pain, reconnect with your body and self-worth, and begin to feel safe: sometimes for the first time.

What Is Complex PTSD?

Complex PTSD results from chronic or repeated trauma, often beginning in early life. Unlike single-event trauma, C-PTSD tends to involve long-term exposure to harmful relationships, neglect, abuse, or environments where emotional or physical safety was unavailable.

Common sources of complex trauma include:

  • Childhood abuse or neglect
  • Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse over time
  • Growing up with a caregiver who was abusive, absent, or mentally unwell
  • Domestic violence or coercive relationships
  • Institutional, systemic, or intergenerational trauma
  • Long-term bullying, exploitation, or chronic invalidation
     

Symptoms of Complex PTSD

C-PTSD can impact how you think, feel, relate to others, and see yourself. Symptoms may include:

  • Emotional flashbacks or sudden waves of panic/shame
  • Chronic self-criticism, guilt, or a sense of worthlessness
  • Difficulty trusting others or maintaining relationships
  • Emotional numbing, dissociation, or shutdown
  • Trouble regulating anger, fear, or sadness
  • Persistent anxiety, depression, or inner chaos
  • Hypervigilance and difficulty relaxing
  • Deep identity confusion or difficulty feeling “real”

C-PTSD often gets overlooked or misdiagnosed. Therapy can help you name what’s happening and begin the process of gentle, grounded healing.

How We Help at Four Wings Psychology

Our therapists provide safe, client-paced, and deeply validating support. We don’t push you to retell every detail — instead, we focus on helping you feel more stable, self-connected, and in control of your healing journey.

Our approach may include:

  • Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) (available with select therapists)
  • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) to process and release long-held pain
  • Narrative Therapy to re-author your story and reclaim agency
  • Somatic and grounding tools to help you feel safe in your body
  • Attachment-focused work to support relational healing

We move slowly, respectfully, and collaboratively — always centering safety, consent, and empowerment.

Why Choose Four Wings Psychology?

  • Therapists trained in complex trauma, attachment wounds, and dissociation
  • Non-pathologizing, strength-based support
  • LGBTQ2S+ affirming and culturally responsive
  • In-person therapy in Nepean and secure virtual sessions across Ontario
  • Trauma-informed care that recognizes the survival wisdom behind your symptoms
     

You Aren't Too Much: You Were Just Asked to Carry Too Much Alone

C-PTSD therapy isn’t about “fixing” you, it’s about helping you reconnect with the parts of you that never stopped trying to survive. You deserve support that understands the depth of what you’ve lived through.

GET HELP WITH C-PTSD

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