CPTSD and Creativity: A perspective on the invisible wounds and murder of creativity

I have taken an accidental hiatus from writing this blog lately, and I hope this return post is not too disappointing, but I feel it is a good time to explore why it is just so hard to get anything out.

In my previous article PTSD and Inflammation: How our diety can help or hinder our healing, I have gone into detail about how trauma inflames our brains. This is an invisible wound that causes a lot of symptoms, such as trouble focusing, impulse control, irritability, and generally all of the intrusive symptoms that various forms of PTSD struggle with. In this article I look at CPTSD and Creativity.

According to a study published in 2020 (Kim, 2020), animal models and human brain imaging show a correlation with those suffering from PTSD and inflammation in the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. There is a lot that science is just beginning to understand, and the resources I have found are pretty fascinating if anyone wants to review them themselves. In summary, in cases of trauma, it appears that our body reacts as it would with any other sickness, and the immune system is triggered. Certain immune system mediators cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation to specific parts of our brain in charge of survival and attempt damage mitigation. The symptoms that are caused by our body's response to stressors are the invisible wounds that we carry with various forms of PTSD.

The Invisible Wounds of CPTSD and their impacts on relationships

Many people who have CPTSD or a similar disorder have a difficult time keeping meaningful personal relationships, and it is not only because we self-isolate. Sometimes we self-isolate because of the guilt and shame we feel that is both a part of our trauma, but also because of how CPTSD changes our bodies. It is easier to self-isolate than explain that our staring into space is not because we're not interested, or feel the shame that occurs after becoming snippy with a loved one because of anxiety and related CPTSD symptoms.

For many of us recovering from abusive relationships, part of the way we were abused was the control of our time. I could not do anything for myself without playing 20 questions as to what and why and all the details, while still getting the look of disapproval. For instance, I used to work early mornings doing stock and merchandising, and would take a nap at 2 pm or so when I got home, but my aunt would come home and get mad at me for being in pajamas. I was almost 30 at the time, paying her rent to live there, and there was no reason I should have had to explain myself. Unfortunately, years later, when those close to me ask innocently what I'm up to and so on, I am very triggered, and it has led to a lot of arguments. Part of the battle is always understanding where the trigger originated, but it is also important to remember that it is not the responsibility of others to tiptoe around another person's triggers.

It is difficult to find common ground at times in interpersonal relationships because many of the relationship issues start with the dysfunctions that CPTSD causes. Brain scans of those who suffer from PTSD find that there is a more active amygdala and smaller hippocampus, which shows up in PTSD as being jumpy/anxious/angry and having a bad memory. If I had a dollar for all of the times that my experiencing these symptoms causes trouble in relationships, I would have a lot of dollars.

The amygdala is responsible for our startle responses of fight, flight, or freeze, and a more active amygdala is the cause for the "hair trigger response" that shows itself in PTSD. With a smaller hypocampus which is where emotions and memories are processed, memories may be forgoten and there may be issues with short-term memories. The prefrontal cortex is another major area of the brain that shrinks when trauma is experienced because it is, in large part, responsible for rational thought. Because rational thought is constantly hijacked by the stress response in our amygdala, the brain is rewired to activate those pathways using the prefrontal cortex less, which causes it to shrink. There is a great explanation of this process in this Therapy in a Nutshell video.

These changes in the brain affect behavior, memory, emotional processing, and higher thinking, all while the person who suffers from them appears perfectly normal and capable on the outside. The feelings of guilt and shame that often accompany PTSD are both symptoms of the disorder and a symptom of constantly having to defend yourself due to the symptoms of the disorder, causing issues with your everyday functioning and interpersonal relationships.

CPTSD and Creativity: Why Creativity Might Be Stunted

I know that, for me as a person, I need to be creative to survive. When we are in adverse situations, and our brains begin to behave in survival mode, our creativity gets stunted. To be more creative, we need to be able to feel relaxed, and until our symptoms are under control, we will not be able to. The real kicker is that even after symptoms are mostly under control, a bad fight with a loved one can quickly bring back hypervigilance and depression for maybe days, and there goes all that time that was planned for whatever creative outlet one may have had planned.

A person's creativity is like a muscle that, if we don't use it, will atrophy. One cause of stunted creativity could be linked to the maladaptive need to squash feelings and memories that would otherwise drive creativity. To survive traumatic events, a person may attempt to lock thoughts and feelings away that bring those events back to the surface. This is tied to the avoidance that those who suffer from PTSD often demonstrate in one way or another, and in this case, it is avoiding the feelings. Since feelings often propel creativity, that is also avoided.

There may be many more reasons why creativity is hindered, and I don't think my experience with it is universal. Previously, I mentioned the effects of trauma on the brain structures, causing the hippocampus to shrink, the amygdala to be overactive, and the prefrontal cortex to shrink. While creativity itself is not focused on a specific region of the brain (Roy-Bornstein, 2025), it has been found that specific types of creativity, such as playing music, do originate in regions within the prefrontal cortex. (Drinko, 2026.) They hypocampus is responsible for short-term memory as well as other things, which would also affect a person's ability with remembering lyrics, notes, and a variety of other things. Of course, the hyperactive amygdala also makes it difficult to focus due to a heightened startle response (Therapy.., 2021). None of these conditions is conducive to creativity, and the guilt and shame felt when failing at things you used to be able to do also drive a person to avoid creativity.

Creativity Helps Heal Trauma

The fight to get creativity back is well worth it because there has been so much promise shown in the idea that creativity is important for trauma recovery. While it is true that trauma changes structures in the brain, that does not mean they are stuck that way. The brain is able to change and adapt for what it is used for, known as neuroplasticity. Creativity is one of the ways that we can retrain our brains and restore the functionality that we once had. There are many different versions of creativity, from journaling our feelings to creating art, and even using improv. Exercising our "creative muscle" helps to calm our nervous systems, tie us back to the present, and begin to process our emotions in a healthy way once again (Therapy, 2021).

Creativity alone does not heal trauma, but it is a key component in the treatment. Yoga, and various forms of therapy such as Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), CBT, and a few others may also help. The experience of everyone is different, but there is a lot of science behind these suggestions that have been recommended by Bessel Van Der Kolk in his book The Body Keeps the Score. For a complete and comprehensive understand on trauma and trauma healing, his book is the best place to start.

Advice to loved ones of someone with PTSD

Be kind to us. We have been through things that we would not wish on our worst enemies. We are struggling to recover and make ourselves fit into a cruel world. Blaming a loved one for their mental illness only feeds into the shame and guilt they already experience, and won't help them to recover. Creating a supportive and safe space for them can do wonders in helping them regulate their nervous system so they can begin to heal it. Therapy is not for everyone, but there are many different types of help available.

There are support groups for loved ones of disorders and diseases, the same as there are for the sufferers. If you love someone, but are still having trouble coping with their limitations and the effects of their illness, then consider a support group or another type of help. The VA has a list of resources for loved ones of those with PTSD here.

References:

Drinko, C. (2026, January 28). New research on the cognitive science of creativity. Psychology Today.   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-your-way-sane/202512/new-research-on-the-cognitive-science-of-creativity (psychologytoday.com)

Kim TD, Lee S, Yoon S. Inflammation in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Review of Potential Correlates of PTSD with a Neurological Perspective. Antioxidants. 2020; 9(2):107. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9020107

Roy-Bornstein, C. (2025, April 25). Where does creativity reside in the brain? Psychology Today.   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/last-stop-on-the-struggle-bus/202504/where-does-creativity-reside-in-the-brain (psychologytoday.com)

Therapy in a Nutshell. (2021). How trauma and PTSD change the brain [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdUR69J2u6c

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. (2025). Help for family and friends.   https://www.ptsd.va.gov/family/support_family_friends.asp

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

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The Diary Of A Flopping Fish and any posts or articles published on Diaryofafloppingfish.com are not reviewed by a therapist or medical or mental health professional. Resources are cited, and opinion is opinion. No advice or opinions in any articles replace professional advice from a doctor, therapist, or any other kind of health professional. The author is not a licensed professional of any kind.