r/cptsdcreatives

Hi dear fellow creatives :)

I hope you feel ok at the moment 🩶

actually I thought to post this just for myself first, I didn’t know if I‘m brave enough to really ask in a subreddit 🙈 But if it’s ok, I would ask in that lovely subreddit (?) 🙃

I’m personally affected by C-PTSD / complex PTSD, among other things, and I’ve recently been thinking about awareness ribbons.

Since many conditions and experiences have symbolic ribbons, I wanted to try creating a possible ribbon for C-PTSD — not as an “official” symbol, but as a personal design idea and for my room, where I do journaling and just think about many things and life.

My thought was to bring several layers together:

The deep teal / petrol color is inspired by PTSD awareness and represents the trauma…the things that are now a part of oneself.. and how traumatic experiences simply can continue to affect everyday life.

The light grey is inspired by awareness colors often associated with Borderline Personality Disorder / emotional instability. To me, this felt meaningful because some emotional or relational patterns can overlap - the patterns in one’s personality that are so painful for oneself and others.., and both can be connected to trauma, attachment wounds, or emotional overwhelm.

The black inner part of the ribbon represents grief, loss, depression, and also the loss of safety or innocence — the darker foundation and pain that can remain after severe experiences and a root of so many sorrows and sufferings. (Sorry, my English is not perfect)

The two visible sides of the ribbon are meant to reflect that C-PTSD can hold many layers at once: trauma, emotional injury, false patterns and struggling adaptation, survival strategies, and long-term traces.

I’d really like to ask, respectfully and openly:

How does this color combination and thought behind it feel to you? Does it feel fitting — or not? What where your ideas or do you wanna share your thoughts :)

This is only a personal concept and just a thought I wanted to visualize and share. I would really love to see or read what other people affected by C-PTSD think.

Thanks y‘all (oh I‘m such a hikikomori, I can’t talk with people even on the internet 😓 .. if my post or the images aren’t fitting here - just delete no problem 🙏 I hope my post is ok..)

S.