Judith Herman is one of the foundational thinkers behind how we understand Complex PTSD (CPTSD) today. Her work comes mainly from her 1992 book Trauma and Recovery, written long before CPTSD was formally recognized in diagnostic systems.
Here’s her take, clearly and simply.
Core idea: trauma as a relationship injury
Herman argued that the most damaging trauma is not a single terrifying event, but ongoing trauma that happens in conditions of captivity—where the person cannot escape and is under the control of someone else.
Examples she emphasized:
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Chronic childhood abuse or neglect
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Domestic violence
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Sexual exploitation
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Human trafficking
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Prisoners of war
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Cult involvement
The key ingredients are:
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Prolonged exposure
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Power imbalance
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Entrapment
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Betrayal by caregivers or authorities
This is what makes CPTSD different from “classic” PTSD.
How CPTSD differs from PTSD (per Herman)
Traditional PTSD (as originally defined) focused on:
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A single event
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Fear-based symptoms (flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance)
Herman observed that survivors of prolonged interpersonal trauma showed additional, deeper disruptions, especially to the self and relationships.
She identified three major areas of disturbance:
1. Emotional regulation
Survivors may experience:
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Intense emotional swings
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Chronic shame or guilt
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Emotional numbness
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Explosive anger or shutdown
The nervous system was shaped in an environment where emotions were dangerous or ignored.
2. Sense of self
This is central in Herman’s theory.
Common patterns:
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Persistent shame (“something is wrong with me”)
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Feeling permanently damaged or unworthy
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Identity confusion
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A harsh inner critic that mirrors the abuser
She saw CPTSD as an injury to identity, not just memory.
3. Relationships with others
Because trauma happened in relationships, it shows up there too:
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Difficulty trusting
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Fear of abandonment or engulfment
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Reenacting abusive dynamics
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Trouble setting boundaries
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Social withdrawal or dependency
The survivor learned distorted “rules” about safety, power, and love.
Trauma is political and social
A distinctive part of Herman’s work is that she explicitly tied trauma to power and oppression.
She argued:
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Trauma is often denied or minimized when it implicates people in power
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Survivors are pressured to stay silent to preserve social order
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Healing requires not just individual treatment, but social recognition and justice
This was radical at the time and remains influential.
Herman’s three-stage model of recovery
She proposed that healing follows phases, not a straight line:
1. Safety and stabilization
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Establish physical and emotional safety
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Learn grounding and emotion regulation
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Build trustworthy support
No trauma processing happens here yet.
2. Remembrance and mourning
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Telling the trauma story in a controlled, supported way
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Grieving losses (childhood, safety, relationships, self)
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Making meaning without self-blame
This is where memory work happens.
3. Reconnection
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Rebuilding identity beyond trauma
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Developing healthy relationships
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Reclaiming agency, pleasure, creativity, and purpose
The goal isn’t “forgetting” trauma—it’s no longer being organized around it.
Why her work still matters
Even though CPTSD wasn’t officially recognized until decades later (ICD-11), Herman:
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Described it accurately long before diagnostic manuals caught up
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Centered relational trauma, not just fear responses
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Framed recovery as empowerment, not symptom suppression
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Influenced modern trauma therapies (phase-based treatment, parts work, relational approaches)
In short: Judith Herman reframed trauma from “something that happened” to “something that shaped a person under conditions of powerlessness.”
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