01/02/2026
The more you know
THE DIFFERENT “TYPES” OF PTSD (AND HOW YOU “CATCH” THEM)
By R. Trent Rose — The Writer
Let me break something down in a way people can actually feel.
PTSD isn’t just “one thing.”
It’s what happens when your nervous system learns a lesson the hard way:
“The world is not safe… stay ready.”
And depending on what you lived through, you can “catch” PTSD in different ways.
Not because you’re weak.
Because your alarm system did its job… and never turned off.
⸻
1) Single-Event PTSD
This is the one people think PTSD always is.
One major moment. One incident.
A wreck. A shooting. A robbery. An assault. A medical scare.
You “catch” it when your brain stamps that moment as:
LIFE THREAT. NEVER FORGET THIS.
Then you get:
• flashbacks
• nightmares
• jumpiness
• avoiding reminders
⸻
2) Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
This comes from repeated trauma, not one incident.
Years of:
• narcissistic abuse
• childhood chaos
• domestic violence
• coercive control
• emotional torture
• living in survival mode
You “catch” it when your nervous system never gets a real reset.
It learns:
Danger isn’t a moment… it’s a lifestyle.
Then you get:
• shame that feels like identity
• emotional swings or shutdown
• trust issues
• feeling “broken”
• difficulty bonding
• feeling like peace is unfamiliar
⸻
3) Fight/Flight PTSD (Hyperarousal)
This is the “wired” version.
Your body is always:
• ready to argue
• ready to run
• ready to react
• ready to defend
You “catch” this when you had to stay ready constantly.
Street life. Prison. War zones. Chaotic homes. Toxic relationships.
Your system learns:
If I relax, I get hurt.
Then you get:
• insomnia
• irritability
• racing heart
• panic attacks
• can’t sit still
• always scanning people
⸻
4) Freeze/Shut-Down PTSD (Hypoarousal)
This is the “numb” version.
You’re not panicking… you’re flat.
You “catch” this when fighting back didn’t work…
and escaping wasn’t possible.
Your system learns:
The safest move is to disappear inside myself.
Then you get:
• numbness
• exhaustion
• depression-like symptoms
• “I don’t feel real”
• disconnection from life
• low energy, low motivation
⸻
5) Dissociative PTSD
This is when you mentally “leave” your body during stress.
You “catch” it when the pain was too much to stay present for.
So your mind protects you by disconnecting.
Then you get:
• feeling outside your body
• time gaps
• “I watched it happen like a movie”
• things feel unreal
⸻
6) Relationship PTSD (Betrayal / Narcissistic Abuse PTSD)
This is the one people don’t take serious… but it can wreck your whole nervous system.
You “catch” it through:
• gaslighting
• hot/cold cycles
• cheating + lying
• silent treatment
• humiliation
• love bombing then devaluing
Your system learns:
The person I love is also the person who hurts me.
Then you get:
• voice tone triggers
• fear when the phone rings
• panic when they pull away
• trauma bond withdrawal
• paranoia and self-doubt
• walking on eggshells even after you leave
⸻
7) Secondary / Vicarious Trauma
This is trauma you absorb from being close to someone else’s trauma.
Caregivers. Nurses. Coaches. Therapists. Kids raised around chaos.
People who grew up with parents who were unstable.
You “catch” it by being near danger long enough that your body starts living like it’s yours.
⸻
The truth about “catching” PTSD
You don’t catch PTSD because you “couldn’t handle it.”
You catch it when:
• the danger felt real
• you felt powerless
• you didn’t get closure
• it lasted too long
• you didn’t have safety afterward
PTSD is your body remembering what your mouth stopped talking about.
⸻
The last thing I’m going to say
If you’re calm in real danger… but falling apart in quiet rooms…
That doesn’t mean you’re broken.
That means your nervous system knows how to survive chaos…
But it hasn’t learned safety yet.
And that can be healed.
Question for the comments:
Which one hits you the hardest — fight/flight, freeze/shutdown, or relationship PTSD?
R.Trent Rose- The Writer ✍🏾
If your spirit resonated with this message, go to the comments.
There’s something there that’ll sharpen your intuition and shift the way you see people. 🖤
👇 Check the comments
