Editing Religious trauma syndrome (section)

=== Complex PTSD ===
Complex PTSD is a closely related disorder that refers to repeated trauma over months or years, rather than a one-time event. Any type of long-term trauma can lead to C-PTSD. The term ''C-PTSD'' was originated by [[Judith Herman]],<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|author=Herman, Judith Lewis|title=Trauma and recovery|date=1997|publisher=BasicBooks|isbn=0-465-08730-2|edition=Rev.|location=New York|oclc=36543539}}</ref> who outlines the history of trauma as a concept in the psychological world along with a three-stage approach for recovery (safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection). Herman outlines the importance of naming and diagnosing trauma to aid recovery, further legitimizing the need for defining RTS as resulting from specifically religious experiences.<ref name=":6" /> Herman also describes C-PTSD with the traumatic complications of surviving captivity. This is a diagnosis comparable to RTS, in which RTS occurs in response to perceived captivity (see [[#How RTS develops]]) rather than physical reality.

The symptoms of C-PTSD include those of PTSD plus lack of [[emotional regulation]], disassociation, negative [[Self-perception theory|self-perception]], relationship issues, and loss of meaning comparable to RTS. Traumatologist [[Pete Walker (traumatologist)|Pete Walker]] sees [[attachment disorder]] as one of the key symptoms of Complex PTSD.  He describes it as the result of growing up with primary caretakers who were regularly experienced as dangerous. He explains that recurring [[Child abuse|abuse]] and [[Child neglect|neglect]] habituates children to living in fear and sympathetic nervous system arousal.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|author=Walker, Pete|title=Complex PTSD : from surviving to thriving : a guide and map for recovering from childhood trauma|date=13 December 2013|isbn=978-1-4928-7184-2|edition=First|publisher=Azure Coyote |location=[Lafayette, CA]|oclc=871177210}}</ref>