Complex PTSD therapy in Denver
Complex PTSD therapy at My Denver Therapy treats the aftermath of prolonged or repeated trauma: childhood abuse or neglect, years in a controlling relationship, captivity, or sustained exposure to harm you could not escape.
We help teens and adults with complex PTSD
Our therapists are certified in EMDR and trained in Brainspotting, Internal Family Systems, and somatic therapy, which together address the three things standard PTSD treatment often misses: emotional dysregulation, a damaged sense of self, and difficulty trusting anyone. We see clients in Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada, and online across Colorado.
You have probably considered therapy before. Maybe more than once. You know your childhood was hard, or that the relationship was abusive, and you have done the work of naming it. What has not changed is how you feel in your own body: braced, flooded, numb, or some rotation of all three. You react to small things in ways that embarrass you later. You keep people at a distance and then feel abandoned. You have been told you have anxiety, depression, maybe borderline personality disorder, and none of the labels explained why you feel fundamentally different from other people.
What is complex PTSD?
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is the result of trauma that was repeated, prolonged, and usually inflicted by someone you depended on or could not get away from. It is recognized as a distinct diagnosis in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11. Alongside the core PTSD symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, and hypervigilance, C-PTSD involves three additional problems:
Emotional dysregulation. Feelings arrive fast and large, or shut off entirely. Anger, shame, and despair can take over with little warning.
A negative sense of self. A persistent belief that you are worthless, damaged, or to blame, often accompanied by deep shame.
Relationship disruption. Difficulty feeling close to others, trusting them, or keeping relationships stable, even when you want them badly.
People with C-PTSD often also experience dissociation, chronic physical symptoms, and a sense that the trauma never fully ended.
How is complex PTSD different from PTSD?
PTSD typically follows a single event or a short series of events: an assault, a crash, a deployment. C-PTSD follows months or years of harm, most often beginning in childhood, where there was no “after.” The nervous system never got the chance to return to baseline, so it built itself around threat.
That difference matters for treatment. Exposure-based protocols designed for single-event PTSD can overwhelm someone whose entire development happened inside trauma. C-PTSD treatment has to build stability and self-trust first, process the trauma second, and rebuild relationships and identity throughout.
If your trauma was a single event, our PTSD therapy page describes that treatment. If it began in childhood, our childhood trauma page covers the roots. This page is for the adults living with what prolonged trauma did to their nervous system, their self-concept, and their relationships.
How we treat complex PTSD
C-PTSD treatment at My Denver Therapy follows a phased approach, and the phases overlap rather than march in order.
Stabilization and regulation. Before processing anything, you need tools to stay inside your window of tolerance. Somatic therapy and DBT skills teach your body to come down from activation and come up from shutdown. For many clients this phase alone changes daily life.
Working with parts. Internal Family Systems is one of our most requested approaches for complex trauma, because C-PTSD almost always involves internal division: a protector that keeps everyone away, a critic that sounds like the person who hurt you, a young part still waiting for safety. IFS lets you work with those parts instead of being run by them.
Processing the trauma. When you are ready, EMDR and Brainspotting resolve traumatic memory at the level of the nervous system. Our EMDR-certified therapists adapt the protocol for complex trauma, working with themes and clusters rather than single incidents, and pacing carefully.
Rebuilding self and relationships. Attachment-based therapy addresses the relational wounds directly. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes the place where trust gets rebuilt, slowly and on your terms.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. For clients whose C-PTSD has not responded to years of treatment, we offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, which can loosen entrenched patterns and make processing possible. Our clinical director’s work in this area has been featured on CBS Colorado.
Why choose My Denver Therapy for complex PTSD
Complex trauma requires a therapist who will not rush you, will not be frightened by what comes up, and has more than one tool. Our team of 20+ licensed clinicians includes EMDRIA-certified therapists and an EMDR consultant, Brainspotting-trained clinicians, IFS-trained therapists, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner for medication management when symptoms need pharmacological support.
Treatment for C-PTSD often takes longer than treatment for single-event trauma, and we are built for that. We are a therapist-owned practice with four offices and statewide telehealth, so continuity does not depend on your commute. New clients are usually seen within a week.
We are out-of-network and provide superbills, with sliding-scale rates available for clients who qualify. There are no intake or administrative fees.
Frequently asked questions
Is complex PTSD a real diagnosis?
Yes. Complex PTSD is a formal diagnosis in the WHO’s ICD-11. The DSM-5 does not list it separately, which is why many U.S. clients are diagnosed with PTSD plus depression, anxiety, or a personality disorder instead. Treatment at My Denver Therapy is based on the C-PTSD framework regardless of which code appears on paper.
Can complex PTSD be treated?
Yes. Phased treatment combining nervous system regulation, parts work, trauma processing with EMDR or Brainspotting, and attachment repair produces lasting change. Progress is measured in how you live, not just in symptom scores.
How long does complex PTSD therapy take?
Longer than single-event trauma treatment, usually many months to a few years depending on history and goals. Most clients notice meaningful changes in regulation and daily functioning within the first few months.
Is EMDR safe for complex trauma?
Yes, when it is adapted. Our EMDR-certified therapists build stabilization first, use modified protocols for complex trauma, and pace processing to your window of tolerance.
Could I have been misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder?
C-PTSD and BPD share features, including emotional intensity and relationship instability, and misdiagnosis in both directions is common. A careful assessment with a trauma-informed therapist clarifies which framework fits and what treatment follows.
Do you offer online therapy for complex PTSD in Colorado?
Yes. Our therapists treat C-PTSD via secure telehealth anywhere in Colorado, and many clients combine online and in-person sessions.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day.
Other Specialties
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
Victor Frankl
Meet our therapists
As a therapist-owned practice, we care about helping you heal, grow, and thrive. We take a client-focused approach to counseling and approach each session with a commitment to your progress and growth.
Availability
We’re always accepting new clients at our conveniently located offices in Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada. All of our therapists can meet with clients online.
We specialize in you
You are welcome here. Because we have a large team with a wide range of specialties and trainings, we work with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages.
We can match you with a male or female therapist who matches your goals, location, and schedule. If you have a preference for gender, age, religious background, or a person with a specific type of training or life experience, we can match you with a therapist you feel comfortable with.
Trained in effective therapy modalities
To support your mental health journey, our team is trained in some of the most effective forms of therapy available today, including EMDR, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, and IFS.
Whether you’re looking for help with anxiety, depression, trauma, or want to better understand your relationship and attachment styles, we can help.
Insurance information
We’re out of network with insurance and Tricare and are unable to take Medicaid or Medicare.
Unlike many Denver therapy practices, we don’t charge separate intake or administration fees or charge more for your first session or specialized therapy methods like EMDR.
Get matched with a therapist
Contact us today, and one of our therapists will reach out to you directly, usually the same day.