Some people who have Complex PTSD often do not know that they have it because so much of their emotional life and bodily sensations have been suppressed.

Here are some subtle clues that might point to CPTSD:

Body

You may find yourself holding your breath a lot

There may be a lot of muscle tension – especially in the shoulders and neck

The brow may often be furrowed

The lips may often be pursed

Shoulders may often be hunched

Thoughts

Refer to the self as ‘We’

General thoughts of wanting to escape and run away

Thoughts of something being wrong but not knowing what it is

Extreme thinking patterns involving words such as ‘always’ and ‘never.’

You might find it hard to answer the question – What do you do for fun?

There may be a lot of internal conflict – finding it hard to make a decision or feelings of different parts of you wanting conflicting things

Feelings

A sense of guilt when doing something for the self

A feeling of being more comfortable alone than with other people

Wanting to be alone a lot

There may often be a sense of being bored

A vague sense of being agitated, irritated or uncomfortable

Strong feelings may often overtake you – you are not sure where they came from and you cannot shake them

A feeling that you can’t trust anyone or you are waiting to be betrayed in some way

You may feel uncomfortable when things are going well and be waiting for something to go wrong

A sense of not being able to relax, of always needing to be prepared, on guard or ready

Feeling of something being missing

A feeling of not knowing who you are

More symptoms of CPTSD and how it can be treated here.