I’m often triggered when my father or sister-in-law snaps at my niece or nephews. I ground myself with a couple deep breaths then go make a cup of tea. The warm mug in my hands helps me to stay present and calm.
I have many triggers, but especially when I'm being yelled at. My brain freezes and I can't think or process anything. I watched an online video of another therapist who suggested making a self- care kit that engage the 5 senses and help you focus on the moment. I keep my kit in my backpack that's rarely away from me. In it I have Altoids cinnamon and mint mints, a small soft plushie and a smooth stone, some nice smelling melting wax cubes and my favorite essential oil blend, I have some cards of my favorite artwork of my Savior and some uplifting quotes, and I have a playlist on my phone of my favorite music and a few guided meditations. The therapist also suggested kinetic things to keep your hands busy which can focus your mind. I have silly putty and a doodle journal. Maybe some if these ideas can help someone else.
You're not the only one with that kind of trigger since I get that a lot whenever arguments happen because it reminds me of when my dad would yell at me and my older sister. And while he doesn't do that now, it still affects me even when he's trying to teach me a lesson of some kind. What helps me is listening to music like you do, but also writing stories to cope, which is how I found my love of the fantasy genre and stories where the hero or Disney princess braves through their obstacles helps me with figuring out how I can do the same thing.
I have PTSD and adha from multiple events in my life. I was seeing an sw for therapy but I couldn't continue to cover the cost. so I've been watching your videos to help learn what I can do to help.
came here from the tony video, we have cptsd, bipolar, bpd, and did and the breathing thingy really helped. Thank you so much, its hard to find coping skills that actually calm us down
Whenever I start having a mental argument with my abusers, or those complacent in it, I put on my headphones and listen to Aurelio Voltaire. His music is fun and upbeat, but also dark and gothic. When I get to the point I am dancing to it, I know I'm okay to "return to the world." At the same time, if I become afraid or overwhelmed with powerlessness, I listen to the emo music of my adolescence and turn that fear into anger, raging along with the songs until I'm smiling, knowing how far i've come from that teenager in an abusive home.
I am triggered when someone gets into my personal space or tries to force anything (even their opinion) on me. It drags me back into the feeling of rape again. My other triggers include loud noises, fast movement and unfortunately the Hospital. I am an ER nurse and I love caring for people but I had to make a lot of tough calls and saw alot of death and heartbreak during this pandemic. I had to step away from nursing so I wouldn't end my life. I'm still working through these triggers. Thank you so much for these videos. They help more than you realize.
I am sorry that you have gone through the trauma that you have. I understand that choosing to leave your job requires a lot of though, but it sounds like you were very self-aware, and made a wise decision. Have you, or are you, seeing a therapist? Is that something you are comfortable with at the moment?
I’m highly sensitive and I’ve experienced a lot of subtle traumas over a long time and gas light my own experiences because I’ve always processed and experienced the world differently than my family or my friends or peers. I’m relearning “how to trust my friends”. I love how many different mindful-movement practices and mind-body disciplines exist in the world and I hope everyone can find a way to find peaceful movement in your own skin ❤️ I use rhythm and I often talk myself through moments through the 8-count rhythm to sync my movement to my breath. If I can’t move around with freedom (as often I have been told to just sit still) I like to stimulate both sides of my brain by doing cross hand rhythmic motions my favorite being: left first finger to right thumb, right first finger to left thumb, cycling between those states for a few turns, second fingers to thumbs, third fingers to thumbs, fourth fingers to thumbs, third to thumb, second to thumb, first to thumb, and so on. Rhythm is soothing. Thumb is an odd looking word now. --------- Thanks for all the hard work!
I had CPTSD from multiple traumas in childhood and adolescence, but the recent thing was being at ground zero for the 2016 Umbrian earthquake, October 30 (at 7:40 am, exactly). It was the Big One - 6.7, after which they evacuated the town I lived in, (after which I lost my home) but it was the culmination of literally tens of thousands of small earthquakes that were happening 24/7 from the first one (5.4) on August 24 (3:34am). So I had a house there and was very happy in this beautiful medieval Italian town, where I had finally landed after a lifetime of wandering and looking for "home". The earthquakes started and came multiple times a day, day or night, and we felt everything over about 3.0. With each one, you'd freeze. You'd hear the noise first, a huge subterranean rumbling coming toward you, and then you'd feel it, so you'd freeze and tense up and wait a few seconds to see if you had to run out of the house before your house collapsed on you. It was the first time in my life I ever thought about ceilings regularly. People in town were so traumatised by this constant threat of sudden death - that could come at any instant - they were sleeping in their cars even if their houses had escaped damage. And as the two months went on, the bigger ones got bigger, and closer, so there was no warning moment; just a bang like a truck driving into your house, and a big shake at the same time. And you'd dive under the table, and hold on until the house stopped swaying. A lot of people with intact houses left town during this period, but I wasn't about to give up something I'd looked for all my life, so I stayed. Every couple of days another house or church would succumb to the constant shaking (the Italian geological service said by the end of that year that we'd had 50,000+ tremors).That morning, that was a Sunday, I'd gone down to town on my bike because we were promised a Mass for the feast of Christ the King, though the churches were all closed by the bishop. It hit while I was in the morning room of a hotel where a lot of local people were being put up, getting a coffee and texting with a friend in the US. I heard the noise first, as usual because the epicentre was just about 2 km up on the mountain. So as usual we all froze waiting to see if this one was IT. And this time it was. The floor was like a trampoline with people jumping on it. It was impossible to run; I had to drag myself along by grabbing the furniture. There was an older lady who was paralysed with terror in the lobby, so I and another guy grabbed her and we dragged her out. When I was running to a friends house to see if they were OK, I saw that the town was horribly damaged. All the churches, were totally destroyed - huge house-sized blocks of masonry had fallen into the streets and crushed cars, the dust was like a thick yellow fog. When I got to the big piazza, I saw that the cocathedral and the Basilica of St. Benedict were totally collapsed. Destroyed. We spent about 6 hours in the piazza with more people being brought in by the firemen and police and army because it was the biggest open space that was mostly safe. No one could get down any of the streets because of the rubble everywhere. They had to bring a bulldozer over from Cascia on the damaged highway to dig us out. Then we were walked out of the town in groups of ten. I went first up to my house to see if it was still standing, and it was. I gathered my cats, passport and toothbrush and not much else, and we got in a car and fled. I spent 6 months - the worst winter of my life - in a rented holiday flat and then learned that I couldn't move back. Probably not ever. I go back now and then to visit friends, but I can't hack it. For the first 3 years they were still getting tremors and I'd scream and dive under the table, instantly and without thinking. But the first fwe months in Rome staying with friends was the worst. Every truck or bus that passed, every plane overhead, even a strong wind, and I'd be right back at the hotel dragging myself out of the building wondering if it was going to kill me. It took another 4 years to stop having Earthquake Freeze at every loud sound. But it still happens if there's a big truck that creates a vibration. When I visit, I always fall into a depression, very severe, where I can't sleep or eat and wake up screaming. it's better now that I've finally moved on and started knowing what I want in life again, but on top of all the childhood stuff, and cancer, I really do think it's never going to go away completely.
i was asked to edit an essay and felt extremely overwhelmed and started to cry, when i was younger i never got help with any class work and from the ages of 11-12 would be forced and yelled at to do my little sisters homework, now anytime someone in my family asks for help on anything like that “editing essays, math etc” i get anxious and loose my patience really quickly, ive worked on in but now i just break down sobbing, came here to calm myself down
I've been struggling with triggers for a while now, most notably from physical touch, though also from loud sounds, fast movements and the occasional flashbacks. Though I've been going to therapy for several years now, ever since I was twelve or so, I've not managed to deal with the triggers yet. I usually let them run their course until I can get myself fully "under control" again. I've tried breathing techniques, but they make me panic horridly, especially when there are other people nearby. I think it's because relaxing makes me feel vulnerable. It makes it trickier, though, as I'm not sure what I can do apart from that. Focussing on my senses is another issue, as I cannot remember a time I didn't - subconsciously? - mute them, and focussing just makes them extremely overwhelming. The video's informative, and I'll give it another go, but any advice would be very welcome.
I'm so sorry to hear of the challenges you are dealing with! You are not alone. Keep trying different thingstill you find what works for you! If the breathing technique isn't a fit for you, try rubbing your hand across a soft blanket, slowing drinking something, smelling a scent or essential oil that soothes you. What you are training to do is help your brain and body realize you aren't in the past experiencing a trauma, but in the preset moment and safe. Using one or multiple of your 5 senses helps with staying in the present moment. If you haven't seen it yet, watch our video Can Trauma be Stored in the Body? ruclips.net/video/TAsUBEw-YgM/видео.html It talks about how trauma effects us mentally, emotionally and physically. Keep showing up for yourself! You're worth it!!!
What you said about relaxing perhaps making you feel vulnerable got me thinking about those physical body and movement techniques, some akin to fighting and some used as fighting or defense, mentioned in the video. The state of body and mind when practicing these techniques is much like that of meditation as a state of focused calm, and I wonder if in practicing techniques like these you might find a state of calm where you also find strength in your focus on knowing you will be able to respond to whatever happens.
My Five? A warm shower... Music & Dancing... Going for a walk in nature, esp by a river... Cuddling with my body pillow or a stuffed animal... Closing my eyes & simply breathing with purpose as I concentrate on the feel of my entire body~ Triggers? Dreams... Narcissistic people & manipulative comments... Negative environments... Anger & aggression directed at me or others [At me? I clam.. then become furious. At others? I fly into a protective rage.] There may be more.. but these are ones I am well aware of..
What I usually do when dealing with flashbacks is counting up and down from 1-5 but without saying a number twice in a row. So like 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 I try to do it on certain beats to focus on it so I can bring myself back to reality
This is a really good effort. The box breathing technique is highly effective. jogging in the morning helps me clear my mind and stay focus in the present ( not sure it’s a recommended technique though). Thank you very much for these videos. They are really helpful:)
so whenever I feel triggered (which honestly seems to come out of nowhere most of the time) I try to observe myself, sort of step outside myself, because I've noticed sometimes its easier to process something if its happening to someone else. if its happening to me, I can deny it, avoid it or say its not that bad, but if I expand my view past my own emotions, I can see the bigger picture and try to find a healthy path forward. Sort of like being your own moderator, taking in your own concerns and explaining to yourself why i feel like this, remind yourself of those exercises and breathe
I am often triggered by my dad and my boyfriend. It’s hard and I often have the feeling that nobody understands or respect my needs in this situation. I used to manage triggers easier but I think it’s getting harder again and this is hard and frustrating. I felt understood and heard watching this video tho, so thank you.
1/ my plushie sharky 2/ hot chocolate 3/ Anjunadeep (it's a channel on here based on soulful EDM) 4/ My Little Pony (all generations, particularly collections of assorted colours) 5/ (if outside) walking round a forest/ on a beach where nobody else is *singing* These are a few of my favourite things!!!
Thank you for your hard work :) I could immediately feel how the box breathing technique helped me stay grounded. I’m still working at finding my triggers but breathing or running in place for 30 seconds are some techniques that help me ^^
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. - Wendell Berry
a big trigger for myself i recently descovered is seeing something i put a lot of time effort and care into just seem meaningless. Wether it be something small like studdying for a test or something personal that ive spent tens of hours, multiple days, it seemingly all has the same effect, a complete loss of self control and self abuse. As a cross country runner I've found going on a run has always been the best way to keep calm and stay in control, but when i've already lost control i don't feel safe alone, with my thoughts, on a run. Then my adorable little fur baby Frodo just pops his head up from behind the couch with such adorable happy little eyes. And for a moment I'm able to gain control of myself, and realize that just bringing him with me on my walk or run is the perfect anchor to keep me stable while i calm down with a run.
I find that crocheting helps me to focus on the present. When I'm stressed it forces me to slowdown and be mindful and count my stitches as I go, its such a weird coping mechanism for me but it works and I'm usually back to engaging in conversation with my family shortly after.
i was watching the hunger games video, i started feeling triggered and came to this video as soon as it was recommended because i could feel my emotions building up but this video really helped me. thank you
I dont know if I explcitly have PTSD..., but when I get a memory of my dad, and feel myself "slipping" into the thoughts of being with him, I usually have to notice it super quick, then I just repeat, "Not there not there not there" over and over till I'm calm. It works most of the time, and it works better when I focus on my forearms for some reason. (Maybe cause that's a part of myself I felt I had control over)
Dishes. Doing dishes used to cause flashbacks almost every time. I didn’t know why I hated dishes. I play music, take brakes, think of my reward (coffee and a RUclips video). My husband is so supportive, when I tell him I can’t handle the dishes he does them. I make myself do them. I have not had a flashback doing dishes for a year or so. It has taken 8 years. Each year better than the one before. If you do the work, it does get better.
Thank you for this video. I’ve been realizing that I haven’t let go of many of my past traumas from when I was a growing child/teenager. I was bullied pretty intensely when I was growing up, I was bigger than the other kids and I didn’t know how to defend myself. It may seem insignificant but having yourself exposed in front of a large group of people, getting belittled and publicly shamed daily, And emotionally manipulated only to realize that you are the butt of every single joke. It makes it hard in your adulthood to not think or overthink everything you do and say. Hoping you won’t get that invalidation or ostracization from your peers. Or in my case, feeling the betrayal and anger for losing something as sacred as my innocence. Moving on from these things isn’t easy, and not knowing the right exercises to ground yourself can make you lose your head. I appreciate everything you do for the community and these things are priceless. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart ♥️
I find that any type of work if I focus hard on it can put me into the present moment. Right now, I use my schooling to help me not think about my past trauma.
@@MendedLight I have been wanting to try jujitsu, boxing, and wrestling, so I may try these, and see if it helps. Maybe I can incorporate it into gym class. I’m home schooled, so I can take any class that they offer, and give credits for. I already try to control my breathing when I get panic attacks because it helps my hands, and feet from tightening seemingly uncontrollably. I am also getting myself more involved with the outside world by going to church as often as I can on Sundays, and going to the high school to work as a custodian. It’s almost hard for me to believe, but I can get 20 credits from work experience alone while courses like math, and science give me 5 credits each. I might, or might not ever become completely healed from the trauma that came with what happened, but I think I am getting better. I still get agitated, and get anxiety easy though. I just don’t get it as bad as the first day that I had a panic attack.
Sometimes I don't know what triggered me and sometimes I have to think about it for a while after to realize what triggered me. Certain smells are can be a big trigger for me. Especially the smell of certain kinds of colognes on certain people mixed with the smell of beer.
Thankyou for this. I use breathing (same but no box), and find mindfulness on chocolate helps, the smell, taste, and changing temperate and texture as it melts helps to calm me once I'm away from source of trigger (usually too many people, someone too close, or sudden noises)
My triggers are yelling, swearing, cars turning in front of me, seeing people jogging, my exhusband's name (unfortunately a common word in English so I see it a lot), people holding hands, TV news broadcasts, having someone say something I know isn't true, and more . I've been in therapy for 8 years and am _still_ working on my response. Sometimes I find myself frozen in place, sometimes I find myself running as much as I can without realizing why. I do the 5 senses exercise (taste is always hard!) and other grounding exercises. New habits are hard to form when you are trying to overcome decades of trauma!
Thank you so much for creating such content and making it easily accessible to people. Totally agree on the mainstream psychiatry aspect, after having seen a psychiatrist myself 16 years ago and now my own friend seeing one herself - it seems they are quick to prescribe medication to handle hyper arousal, almost like a quick fix. Hence knowing such techniques and gaining understanding on the topics of trauma and mental health issues is so helpful. (Got to know this channel from Cinema Therapy and have been sharing with my friends. Great job for both channels!) With love from Singapore.
I'm glad you're enjoying our channel. Understanding our trauma ensures we can actually work on eliminating the causes rather than simply gloss over the symptoms with medication. Each has it's own place in our healing journeys though!
This time of year.. June and July. I hate the sound of fireworks. I used to love the 4th of July and now I can't stand it. I focus on breathing, the things I have in my life to be grateful for, and I have certain mantras that I've collected from various books that I repeat whenever I feel like I'm dissociating or experiencing a trigger.
I have noticed that I have become a lot more irritable than I was before my trauma, and now I get a lot more anxiety. I thought that it was just the autism, but I did not have this much anxiety before the event.
my go to present moment or what I call grounding technique is usual going outside in bare feet and looking up in the sky. my fav though is beach,lake anything with water it really helps to bring me back.
Thanks for this! I once talked to a therapist that told me that sometimes he works in collaboration of psychiatrists sometimes because the people who come to him cannot even express themselves because they are so overwhelmed. And then they do and than can express themselves, and they work on healing. It doesn’t help that as Westerners our culture unhealthily promotes workaholism and finding balance seems like a daily fight (that must be won, by the way).
One of my biggest hurdles whenever I get triggered is that its slowly makes me hallucinate while forcing me to feel self aware of what is happening, its scary for me I see horrible things I want to do my younger self when I get triggered and recently it happened in school but thankfully I called my best friend in advance and she comforted me as I succumbed to crying and feeling paranoia, felt somewhat safe when they whispered to me. And I would love to use the box method whenever my episodes come thank you for this 💖
I still get triggers. I am so careful how I live. I only watch comedies and protect myself from anything that could cause a trigger. Sadly you can't protect your life 24/7 and something will come up and blindside me. I have used EMDR and helped some but not with triggers. Your box exercise was wonderful as well as examples of staying present.
I super struggle w/ dissociation + flashbacks (which feel like polar opposites) + the month of November is a HUGE trigger for me, so I’ve been having a really rough time lately. It’s felt like literally EVERYTHING is somehow a trigger for SOMETHING, + I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’ve done the box breathing in the past + it can be helpful. But for me, smells are the best things to ground myself w/, so I always carry a small tube of hand sanitizer or toothpaste w/ me (I’m allergic to most fragrances but mint + a few other smells are okay) which is super helpful when I’m triggering in public. Thank you for making this video! Box breathing can definitely be a v helpful technique, so thank you for reminding me that I can do that! 💕
You could try a mint essential oil maybe it would have a nice calming effect on you. Just remember not to use it directly on the skin (unless mixed with another oil that could be smelless). I had an oil that particularly used to calm me so I used it on a necklace, I'd drop the oil on the pendant and everytime I felt bad nervous or panicking I'd hold it close to my face and smell it.
I specifically have trauma to do with cats and dogs (specifically the action of them fighting/ hurting each other) but can usually handle being around them. But, the other day two of my cats started fighting and triggered me alot. To calm down, I instinctually grabbed my softest stuffed animal, hugged it, and rubbed it. I'm only finding out now that that was actually a very good calming mechanism! I'll definitely make sure to use some of these other ones if/when it happens again too. I've been struggling a lot with this due to not being able to get a therapist right now, so thank you a lot for making this video.
I dont know. I just get hit with mental thoughts that hurt so much. And they make me flinch, and whince, and my thoughts spin back to events in my life wrought with so much shame and self-hatred. And I have to vocally scream at myself to just 'STOP' 'STOP' And force myself to think of something else. Reciting a song, watching youtube videos, anything. I dont really have... present moments.
I'm becoming increasingly aware that I am frequently in a trigger response. It has been difficult to acknowledge because there are very few moments to compare it to, and it has made me come across as high functioning to multiple therapists despite being actually quite low functioning (for me). Because part of my trauma is being misheard and unseen, this further triggers my trauma response.
I'm actually struggling with triggers at the moment. It's different from my usual which is normally extreme panic. I've learn to be better with them over time and my husband knows how to help. But now I feel like I'm always on the edge of being triggered, like mini ones (if that makes sense). What's worse is, it's my toddler setting them off. His at a stage where his pinching, hitting, grabbing, but he only does it to me. I have enough struggles with being touched too much but pained ones are worse. His most common way to trigger me is he'll rest against me and start pushing his head into my chest and neck. I'm breast feeding my 4 month old so it hurts more than usual and his reduced me to tears. I don't even feel safe disaplining him cause what if instead of tapping his wrist cause he pinched I hit him hard cause I'm triggered and not noticing my strength? I'm thankful I found this video cause I'm gonna give these a try and maybe it'll help.
@@MendedLight so I've been trying some of these for about a month now. I had to change the box breathing a little cause I have trauma to do with strangulation so holding my breath is very hard. I've taken to lifting my hands palm up when breathing in and lowering them palms down when breathing out. My toddler sometimes copies. I also found the smell of pears oddly calming so I have a body wash, perfume, and defuser oil with pear in it and use one when needed. As for the disapplening issue, whilst triggered I cup my son's face and put my lips to his forehead and just focus on him. On how much I love him. Once I'm calm I tell him how he hurt me but I still love him. His stopped some of the behaviour but he doesn't realise when his pinching so that's still an issue. Thank you for the advice. I was really struggling to get through the day to day and was starting to fear it would effect my sons. I'm not 'cured' bit I'm feeling more grounded and it takes more to trigger me now instead of feeling like I'm constantly on the edge of a panic attack.
I'm mostly triggered at alcoholic beverage (seeing, smelling, drinking, seeing drunk people and sometimes on tv too) , some specific genres of songs, representations of nightclubs, weed smell !!, use of drugs in general (same as alcohol), sometimes pills (and I have to take medicine daily so that's not great). Electronic failure!!!!! Any contact with old objects, places, archives, and occasionally things that remind me those things (example: a doll similar to one I used to have as a child). My old house (HUGE TRIGGER). MY DAD. Christmas season. New Years. Anything associated with the bird I lost. Some sorts of voice tones (that sound aggressive to me), screams, when my mom or her husband give me an specific look with red big eyes and it seems like they're about to hit me. I'm also super triggered when people enter abruptly into my room, or climb to my bed without permission (while I'm on it) or whenever I'm showering and someone starts screaming or hitting the door or even trying to open it (or opening it/forcing in) for me to get out. Also literally anything sexually related. About the square breathing technique, my psychologist taught me that it has like 2 weeks or something??!! But I don't like it very much since I get all confused about doing the square and that ends up stressing me out. I usually get very disoriented whenever I get nervous, triggered or anxious because I very easily dissociate, so it's very hard for me to focus on doing physical tasks. I rather just focus mentally, even if it's about focusing on my body or the objects around me. I usually start my just breathing as slow and profoundly as I can diaphragmatic. If I have to focus on something different from the trauma or organize my minds I love to make lists, lists of movies I watched, favorite singers, favorite pop songs, all chocolate desserts I've eaten, (all flavors of popcorn haha), things like that. It helps me transit from an emotional state to a sort of a concrete world? If that makes sense. An intellectual one at least. I'm diagnosed as BPD with Depression and my psychologist said I'm a High Sensitivity Person, so it makes it a little difficult for me to sort out which are my 5 sensorial items. I could say that probably one of them is cold, or water, mostly cold water, but could be a cool breeze too. Because it slows down my emotions. As for the sound I think sometimes is the silence that actually helps me. Because often the trigger carries some sound attached to it, or there's a sound around me that is making difficult for me to ground. But the best sound would be the voice of someone I trust talking to me. And that's something I can't count on. If it's sunrise the birds singing help, but it has to be they singing, not a record of it. The smell is the most difficult to me I think, because I feel like every smell evokes an intense emotion from me, and when I'm at a crisis that's all I have to stay away from, because it never means the present it is often associated with trauma, fantasy or delusion, and capturing a smell that allows me to calm down without bringing me there is difficult. But I'll make tests. I think one of my bigger issues is that I for start don't even have a clear understanding of what now means. What is my life now, where am I, what am I. I have no anchor here. So I'm not sure where to come back to. I just know here does not have the things I did have in the past. But I'm not sure of what I have here. With food I'm not sure either because I'm a compulsive eater so food doesn't bring me much back when I'm nervous it just feels like... Maybe cinnamon tea. I had some problems with that tea but it's what works best so far. To see I'd probably go to my window. I love windows. It works cause I live on the first floor. Would be as much helpful if I was in a house at the 10th though. But if I were at a able physical state I could take my coloring book and that would help.
I have several triggers, but the one that makes life the most difficult is when I start "throwing PVCs" (Premature ventricular contractions). See, 6 years ago I came down with pneumonia while on a PICC line because the incision from my spinal surgery the previous month had gotten infected. I went to the ER because I couldn't sleep, and they gave me levaquin. We didn't know it at the time, but I have a rare heart disease, and one of the hundreds of medications you're not supposed to take if you have this condition is levaquin. All it took was 1 pill and I ended up going into V-Tach 8 times in 24 hours. Before the V-Tach I had several bouts of PVCs, so my brain rewired itself to believe that when the PVCs happen, I'm dying again. Unfortunately PVCs can be triggered by stress so I'm already stressed, throw a PVC or 10, get stressed out even more because I'm throwing PVCs, and then the cycle continues.
I'm trying to help someone who recently had a violent outburst while being triggered (as in, damaged property). We did the box breathing technique together and he started tearing up. Also, I was surprised at his list of present moments compared to your examples. Some of them involved physical sensations but a lot of them revolved around how people saw him. He enjoyed the feeling of successfully embodying the role of a protective provider. He enjoyed spending time with his loved ones away from others so he wouldn't experience the pressure to perform socially. These things calmed him down.
Well it's kind of a work in progress... I thought I was doing really well as a kid cause I got myself out of the situation I was in. However, I also didn't want to deal with any of the drama that may come with actually discussing it with anyone. So I hid it. Now it's all coming to the surface cause ya know how that builds up. So far what I've subconsciously gotten away from is pictures, hugs, and anything remotely resembling the makings of a romantic relationship of any kind. I've noticed my triggers mostly stem from touch. I had a bit of an offsetting moment earlier today as so many people at a gathering I went to for some reason kept reaching out and grabbing my arm as a way of greeting. I've made it a goal to breathe when I notice my mind is starting to panic. Just a few deep breathes to calm me down. The bigger episodes, mostly coming from when I get home after a date, I've been trying lots of different things. Like listening to a 5 minute grounding exercise on youtube, drinking tea, wrapping myself in blankets, a shower if I'm really getting caught up in the feelings of it all, and when I'm in the emotion stage after the flashbacks, I go to the gym to do some kickboxing. Someone suggested trying spicy food, and I read on the internet to try holding ice to keep you there. I might try those next. I'm excited to see how the feeling the seat below me and rubbing my feet on the floor goes. Thank you!
My way to snap out of a flashback (emotionally) is to put on my headphones, this calms me so much but I don´t if it is the correct way to do it. (My trigger is related to sound). Thank you for sharing your knowledge, love from Mexico
I seem to trigger from criticism. I've always been a perfectionist and tend to quickly lose confidence when I make a mistake. Music is my refuge, specifically music performance. The combination of the taste of a clarinet reed, the controlled breathing, the need to focus my entire being on a single task...that's nearly impossible to do outside of music. I'm also an introvert and "people out" sometimes. Another thing I find helps sometimes is sensory deprivation, that is finding a dark, quiet room, closing my eyes, and completely zoning out for a few minutes.
The trigger I have yet to find a detour away from is when somebody nearby is threatening somebody else with sexual violence (usually intended as “a joke” by some boy or ‘man’ who somehow remains clueless what he’s saying). It taps straight into that moment of shock/fear/horror and a furiously-hit-out-and-run reflex. I wish I had a more effective response.
The box breathing is great! I only recently had an easily identified trigger over thanksgiving watching the movie jungle cruise. I was in a kayaking accident and a scene in the cute movie really got me. I'm glad to be more aware of it. (Also, a huge side note, the music seems a lot louder than his talking...)
I have many triggers and they can come out of nowhere it seems sometimes. Right now I have triggers when it comes to work room enviroments because I have been treated so very poorly at many jobs in a row. At one job, they refused to let me go home even when I was puking my guts out. At another they were constantly making sexual jokes at me because I was single and laughing at me because I wouldn't "test the covers" with a person when dating. At another, I was looked down upon and even treated less than others because I was left handed and so they said I couldn't do the job properly. All these things combined and others cause major anxiety attacks when it comes to trying to apply for a job or working with other people. I have had to be without work now going on two years because I can't separate myself from those traumatic experiences at work. The things that help calm me down is if I hold my baby bunny (she's got very soft fur), and sometimes even listening to her breathing helps. Beyond that, I have real trouble if I am out somewhere and have an attack because I have a hard time dealing with it. I have tried breathing techniques but they don't normally work for me when, for instance, I am out driving somewhere and an attack comes on. I can't always just pull over to the side of the road
I usually do yoga like 4 or 5 Times a week. And as i can See it is hard to trigger me nów. So i agree with you. This exercise of breathing gives a lot of benefits. I m traumatized by narcisstic father and coodependant Mother. But i do my Best to Save myself and heal. I was never defended by parents So i heard many words about me that hurt me from inside. Today i know all of these were not True. I m whole who deserve the Best and Deep love and care. I am the luckiest person in this World becouse i could have opportunity to discover.
I am still figuring out what my triggers are and honestly still really trying to grasp that I do have ptsd. I find drinking tea and snuggling with a heavy blanket can make me feel better. The breathing technique was super helpful. Do u know something more subtle though? Thanks for the vedioes
Loud and or chaotic noises, not explosions or anything like that more like people noises, trigger this outburst of anger or agitation for me. It just kinda happens all of a sudden and I always feel really bad afterwards
Thanks! I enjoyed the box method, found it in a meditation game called playne tho they have options for 4s, 5s, and 6s. Sadly I stopped doing it after a bad trigger and hasn't able to go back to schedule. My triggers involve several things around religion, but it doesn't always affect me. When it does tho, it can go as long as a week sulking. It is less than emotional explosion but more of reminder about bazillion internal and external reasons why life sucks. Could be said that it triggers existential crisis. My answer to that is nihilism, to tell myself it is okay that I can't do anything to change the bad parts cause everything in the end would become nothing.
I found I'm triggered by everything. It can be a smell, a child with their parent, a sound like a song that plays on the speakers at the store where I work. They are always evolving but they directly link to a flashback catching me off guard. Suddenly I'm frozen overcomed with emotions like being in a state of shock.
I have PTSD and my worst trigger is touching my neck or rendering me immobile, even a shirt pressing against my throat or when someone adjusts a necklace on me, or if you grab my wrists or pin a leg. I can not help those moments and more often then not i fall into a flashback and just panic, I cant think of anything past 'get away' I understand that it is -not- healthy to have that strong of a reaction and can cause some serious safety issues.
I've been really struggling with trauma responses the video that talks about how trauma impacts my brain explains so much and really helped me to understand who I am post trauma release how I behave because it's like I wouldn't even recognize my own behavior sometimes and it was really jarring I find that what I have to do in order to get out of a trauma response is to acknowledge why on being triggered process the feelings of how I feel for a moment in time but then take a moment to say hey you're safe now you're that's not happening now. How much will you message with me and my recovery with the trauma that I'm processing right now is that sometimes I am not stays in my home and that really messes me up and causes a fight or flight response we're either I desperately want to either leave my apartment or I want to drink again and leave my mind or in extreme situations hard myself and leave my body. Other times I find that I am terrified to be alone and I hate feeling that way. If you have any suggestions on what a person can do when they're not safe in the moment and that triggers them and also what do you do because I find sometimes that I'm doing better and having less flashbacks and less triggers and I have moments and even days where I feel more like myself but then I find that when my hormones especially around the time that I'm about to get my menstrual cycle I get a huge increase in flashbacks as my mood is Amplified by my hormones and it's really difficult at times to deal with. If anyone has any suggestions that would be appreciated because at times I am really struggling with this
For me, a trigger is unwanted attention from men. I try and observe my surroundings, carefully and attentively before reacting to the situation. I think I'll add box breathing and chanting.
I use breathing exercises to get through triggers but 11 months in things aren't better and I feel the 1 year anniversary coming as if it were an actual physical presence. The triggers are becoming more intense and harder to breathe through.
My phone. A lot of bad memories associated with it. I have panic attacks some of which have me in tears. Unable to get rid of as backup is broken. Im getting it repaired and then its going. Never hated anything i own so much. It was the worst thing i ever bought.
I work in a high stress, fast paced and loud space and I struggle with anxiety. I usually hind myself in a small, dark space till I'm ready to go back. I was wondering what can I do to center myself when I can't avoid my triggers or hide away?
How can I deal with Panick Attacks during traffic? I have IBS and its really compromising my life, so I could use the help a lot, any tips on that? Because on the traffic you cant really focus on doing most of the things for calming anxiety, so if you could help me it would be great. Thank you so much and sorry if the english is bad, is not my native language
Box breathing is really good, I use it to help people with panic on the airplane. And of course I use it my self eheh :) But I breath with the nose as my yoga teacher told me...
I lost one of my twins during pregnancy and had to undergo surgery to save the other. I crocheted a little star with a soft jingling ball (an "angel caller" is what they're nicknamed) to hug and hold when I get overwhelmed. It's not perfect but it's something. I'll have to try some of the other techniques you suggested next time it hits me too hard.
Oh gosh, I am so sorry to hear that you lost your baby! Your star sounds perfect! What a good idea. I hope the other techniques help you as well. If you ever want to talk, you are welcome to make a booking for a free 15 minute call. Here is the link: www.go.oncehub.com/JonathanDecker
I've recently been screened for PTSD but didn't quallify for a full diagnosis sence there isnt a clear start to my trauma, but i still gett triggers like male body oder and it makes it difficult in romantic relationships since I have a very touch centerd love language. It's hard sence I don't have a certified diagnosis even thou I quallify for the other boxes of it, because it still feels like I can't say I accually am traumaticed and use techniques like these, I dont feel like I am supposed to need it and like om not supposed to want it. And like im not really suffering like I am. Sorry for the dump and broken english. Just needed to get it out somewhere.
l am an occult surviver and my triggers are masks ,chants or at one sitting verbally repeating and some tones of voices and restrains the only help is my dog but there is some places she is not allowed right now l am trying to find other ways to help with flashbacks and panic attacks
Interesting. Usually my trauma is triggered in the night, this is why I despise sleeping. Flashbacks come to me at night, and they are very real, as if I re-live the moment. Sometimes I even triggered during the day. And when I have an attack during the day, no one can talk to me, I'm out for a few minutes, up to an hour, the longest day attack I've ever had. I got two questions- 1.I've been in your website, and tried to understand, if I can set a meeting across the globe, by Zoom? Or Skype, or whatever program you are using, if it's not just for people in the US. 2.How much does a meeting cost? I will be happy to receive details, thank you from advance.
The piano background music is beautiful and distracting. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel stressed out trying to focus on the information while the music is tapping into a separate part of my brain and all wheels are turning. Maybe it’s just me. I’d love to watch these without music or some sort of sound that’s less intriguing. I love these videos and I want to be focused on every word. I’m struggling 😅😓
i suffer severe cptsd eupbd ocd suicidal ideation i in hospital now i keep hraring voices and horrific thoughts is there any advice or hope medicatiion to take some drs say pychosis some say its trauma its real mental health is it 5je devil i pray alot i so lost
I'm specially triggered by the concept of zombie apocalypse. According to my mother, it is probably due to the way everything took place. It's hard to explain because I barely remember anything though
How do I help with grounding when, when I have ptsd, I lose all my senses and am re-living the trauma and when I come to, im confused about where I am and either very emotional or shut down due to the stress.
I’m so sorry I have been there with you! Grounding helps afterwards. If you can feel one coming then grounding is good to. One thing to realize is to not fear the flashbacks (impossible feeling I know). Just say okay I am safe and I will be fine. That’s what I do. Also accept this is you. Hiding will not work. Go get help. Therapy is the only way I got my life back. Don’t give up till you can get help.
Quick question: What am I supposed to do when my surroundings are what's triggering me (and leaving is not an option)? Focusing on any senses only makes it worse.
For me, trying to see how long I can breathe in and breathe out for can help because it makes me focus on counting the seconds and regulating my breathing. Instead of thinking about my surroundings I'm thinking about filling my lungs slowly and letting it out slowly. My goal is 5 seconds in and out and then when that's easy I try 6 and then 7 and so on until I'm calm. Sometimes the higher numbers help more because they take more focus but if I catch myself panicking late and my breathing is already in short bursts I have to start with small numbers
I've been having a hard time this winter.people have helped me but not enough.because of covid people are a scared to help others.its snowing so I'm stuck inside doing chores myself.its very hard and I feel overwhelmed.
The whole situation at the moment is definitly making things a lot harder for so many people. I am sorry to hear it has affected you in this way. What do you need to help you at the moment?
I've just been feeling stuck.i got outside for awhile it seems to help.i have a neibor or two willing to hangout I think.j yhinkni just need to slowdown and let things happen.
I get triggered by people getting upset. I get the sensation of almost white noise in my ears. I go for steadying breaths, filling up my body with air and grounding myself. The rule is not to respond before taking two good breaths in.
I’m often triggered when my father or sister-in-law snaps at my niece or nephews. I ground myself with a couple deep breaths then go make a cup of tea. The warm mug in my hands helps me to stay present and calm.
Excellent strategy. I'm sorry that's happening in your family.
I have many triggers, but especially when I'm being yelled at. My brain freezes and I can't think or process anything. I watched an online video of another therapist who suggested making a self- care kit that engage the 5 senses and help you focus on the moment. I keep my kit in my backpack that's rarely away from me. In it I have Altoids cinnamon and mint mints, a small soft plushie and a smooth stone, some nice smelling melting wax cubes and my favorite essential oil blend, I have some cards of my favorite artwork of my Savior and some uplifting quotes, and I have a playlist on my phone of my favorite music and a few guided meditations. The therapist also suggested kinetic things to keep your hands busy which can focus your mind. I have silly putty and a doodle journal. Maybe some if these ideas can help someone else.
Thank you so much for sharing, it is really helpful
You're not the only one with that kind of trigger since I get that a lot whenever arguments happen because it reminds me of when my dad would yell at me and my older sister. And while he doesn't do that now, it still affects me even when he's trying to teach me a lesson of some kind. What helps me is listening to music like you do, but also writing stories to cope, which is how I found my love of the fantasy genre and stories where the hero or Disney princess braves through their obstacles helps me with figuring out how I can do the same thing.
thank you for those ideas !
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Came here from the Tony stark video, because i know i need this.
So glad you're here!
I have PTSD and adha from multiple events in my life. I was seeing an sw for therapy but I couldn't continue to cover the cost. so I've been watching your videos to help learn what I can do to help.
So glad that we could be here for you! So sorry for all you've been through. Our love and support to you.
came here from the tony video, we have cptsd, bipolar, bpd, and did and the breathing thingy really helped. Thank you so much, its hard to find coping skills that actually calm us down
You're very welcome!
Whenever I start having a mental argument with my abusers, or those complacent in it, I put on my headphones and listen to Aurelio Voltaire. His music is fun and upbeat, but also dark and gothic. When I get to the point I am dancing to it, I know I'm okay to "return to the world." At the same time, if I become afraid or overwhelmed with powerlessness, I listen to the emo music of my adolescence and turn that fear into anger, raging along with the songs until I'm smiling, knowing how far i've come from that teenager in an abusive home.
I am glad you have an effective way of dealing with these thoughts and feelings.
I am triggered when someone gets into my personal space or tries to force anything (even their opinion) on me. It drags me back into the feeling of rape again. My other triggers include loud noises, fast movement and unfortunately the Hospital. I am an ER nurse and I love caring for people but I had to make a lot of tough calls and saw alot of death and heartbreak during this pandemic. I had to step away from nursing so I wouldn't end my life. I'm still working through these triggers. Thank you so much for these videos. They help more than you realize.
I am sorry that you have gone through the trauma that you have. I understand that choosing to leave your job requires a lot of though, but it sounds like you were very self-aware, and made a wise decision. Have you, or are you, seeing a therapist? Is that something you are comfortable with at the moment?
I’m highly sensitive and I’ve experienced a lot of subtle traumas over a long time and gas light my own experiences because I’ve always processed and experienced the world differently than my family or my friends or peers.
I’m relearning “how to trust my friends”.
I love how many different mindful-movement practices and mind-body disciplines exist in the world and I hope everyone can find a way to find peaceful movement in your own skin ❤️
I use rhythm and I often talk myself through moments through the 8-count rhythm to sync my movement to my breath.
If I can’t move around with freedom (as often I have been told to just sit still) I like to stimulate both sides of my brain by doing cross hand rhythmic motions my favorite being: left first finger to right thumb, right first finger to left thumb, cycling between those states for a few turns, second fingers to thumbs, third fingers to thumbs, fourth fingers to thumbs, third to thumb, second to thumb, first to thumb, and so on.
Rhythm is soothing.
Thumb is an odd looking word now.
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Thanks for all the hard work!
Taking walks, journaling, breathing, and acknowledging how I feel are ways I cope with my triggers
I had CPTSD from multiple traumas in childhood and adolescence, but the recent thing was being at ground zero for the 2016 Umbrian earthquake, October 30 (at 7:40 am, exactly). It was the Big One - 6.7, after which they evacuated the town I lived in, (after which I lost my home) but it was the culmination of literally tens of thousands of small earthquakes that were happening 24/7 from the first one (5.4) on August 24 (3:34am). So I had a house there and was very happy in this beautiful medieval Italian town, where I had finally landed after a lifetime of wandering and looking for "home". The earthquakes started and came multiple times a day, day or night, and we felt everything over about 3.0. With each one, you'd freeze. You'd hear the noise first, a huge subterranean rumbling coming toward you, and then you'd feel it, so you'd freeze and tense up and wait a few seconds to see if you had to run out of the house before your house collapsed on you. It was the first time in my life I ever thought about ceilings regularly. People in town were so traumatised by this constant threat of sudden death - that could come at any instant - they were sleeping in their cars even if their houses had escaped damage. And as the two months went on, the bigger ones got bigger, and closer, so there was no warning moment; just a bang like a truck driving into your house, and a big shake at the same time. And you'd dive under the table, and hold on until the house stopped swaying. A lot of people with intact houses left town during this period, but I wasn't about to give up something I'd looked for all my life, so I stayed. Every couple of days another house or church would succumb to the constant shaking (the Italian geological service said by the end of that year that we'd had 50,000+ tremors).That morning, that was a Sunday, I'd gone down to town on my bike because we were promised a Mass for the feast of Christ the King, though the churches were all closed by the bishop. It hit while I was in the morning room of a hotel where a lot of local people were being put up, getting a coffee and texting with a friend in the US. I heard the noise first, as usual because the epicentre was just about 2 km up on the mountain. So as usual we all froze waiting to see if this one was IT. And this time it was. The floor was like a trampoline with people jumping on it. It was impossible to run; I had to drag myself along by grabbing the furniture. There was an older lady who was paralysed with terror in the lobby, so I and another guy grabbed her and we dragged her out. When I was running to a friends house to see if they were OK, I saw that the town was horribly damaged. All the churches, were totally destroyed - huge house-sized blocks of masonry had fallen into the streets and crushed cars, the dust was like a thick yellow fog. When I got to the big piazza, I saw that the cocathedral and the Basilica of St. Benedict were totally collapsed. Destroyed. We spent about 6 hours in the piazza with more people being brought in by the firemen and police and army because it was the biggest open space that was mostly safe. No one could get down any of the streets because of the rubble everywhere. They had to bring a bulldozer over from Cascia on the damaged highway to dig us out. Then we were walked out of the town in groups of ten. I went first up to my house to see if it was still standing, and it was. I gathered my cats, passport and toothbrush and not much else, and we got in a car and fled. I spent 6 months - the worst winter of my life - in a rented holiday flat and then learned that I couldn't move back. Probably not ever. I go back now and then to visit friends, but I can't hack it. For the first 3 years they were still getting tremors and I'd scream and dive under the table, instantly and without thinking. But the first fwe months in Rome staying with friends was the worst. Every truck or bus that passed, every plane overhead, even a strong wind, and I'd be right back at the hotel dragging myself out of the building wondering if it was going to kill me. It took another 4 years to stop having Earthquake Freeze at every loud sound. But it still happens if there's a big truck that creates a vibration. When I visit, I always fall into a depression, very severe, where I can't sleep or eat and wake up screaming. it's better now that I've finally moved on and started knowing what I want in life again, but on top of all the childhood stuff, and cancer, I really do think it's never going to go away completely.
i was asked to edit an essay and felt extremely overwhelmed and started to cry, when i was younger i never got help with any class work and from the ages of 11-12 would be forced and yelled at to do my little sisters homework, now anytime someone in my family asks for help on anything like that “editing essays, math etc” i get anxious and loose my patience really quickly, ive worked on in but now i just break down sobbing, came here to calm myself down
I've been struggling with triggers for a while now, most notably from physical touch, though also from loud sounds, fast movements and the occasional flashbacks.
Though I've been going to therapy for several years now, ever since I was twelve or so, I've not managed to deal with the triggers yet. I usually let them run their course until I can get myself fully "under control" again.
I've tried breathing techniques, but they make me panic horridly, especially when there are other people nearby. I think it's because relaxing makes me feel vulnerable. It makes it trickier, though, as I'm not sure what I can do apart from that.
Focussing on my senses is another issue, as I cannot remember a time I didn't - subconsciously? - mute them, and focussing just makes them extremely overwhelming.
The video's informative, and I'll give it another go, but any advice would be very welcome.
I'm so sorry to hear of the challenges you are dealing with! You are not alone. Keep trying different thingstill you find what works for you! If the breathing technique isn't a fit for you, try rubbing your hand across a soft blanket, slowing drinking something, smelling a scent or essential oil that soothes you. What you are training to do is help your brain and body realize you aren't in the past experiencing a trauma, but in the preset moment and safe. Using one or multiple of your 5 senses helps with staying in the present moment. If you haven't seen it yet, watch our video Can Trauma be Stored in the Body? ruclips.net/video/TAsUBEw-YgM/видео.html It talks about how trauma effects us mentally, emotionally and physically. Keep showing up for yourself! You're worth it!!!
What you said about relaxing perhaps making you feel vulnerable got me thinking about those physical body and movement techniques, some akin to fighting and some used as fighting or defense, mentioned in the video. The state of body and mind when practicing these techniques is much like that of meditation as a state of focused calm, and I wonder if in practicing techniques like these you might find a state of calm where you also find strength in your focus on knowing you will be able to respond to whatever happens.
My Five? A warm shower... Music & Dancing... Going for a walk in nature, esp by a river... Cuddling with my body pillow or a stuffed animal... Closing my eyes & simply breathing with purpose as I concentrate on the feel of my entire body~
Triggers? Dreams... Narcissistic people & manipulative comments... Negative environments... Anger & aggression directed at me or others [At me? I clam.. then become furious. At others? I fly into a protective rage.] There may be more.. but these are ones I am well aware of..
Great list!
What I usually do when dealing with flashbacks is counting up and down from 1-5 but without saying a number twice in a row. So like 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 I try to do it on certain beats to focus on it so I can bring myself back to reality
That is brilliant. How does it work?
@@MendedLight it works very well.
This is a really good effort. The box breathing technique is highly effective. jogging in the morning helps me clear my mind and stay focus in the present ( not sure it’s a recommended technique though). Thank you very much for these videos. They are really helpful:)
You're very welcome!
so whenever I feel triggered (which honestly seems to come out of nowhere most of the time) I try to observe myself, sort of step outside myself, because I've noticed sometimes its easier to process something if its happening to someone else. if its happening to me, I can deny it, avoid it or say its not that bad, but if I expand my view past my own emotions, I can see the bigger picture and try to find a healthy path forward. Sort of like being your own moderator, taking in your own concerns and explaining to yourself why i feel like this, remind yourself of those exercises and breathe
I am often triggered by my dad and my boyfriend. It’s hard and I often have the feeling that nobody understands or respect my needs in this situation. I used to manage triggers easier but I think it’s getting harder again and this is hard and frustrating. I felt understood and heard watching this video tho, so thank you.
1/ my plushie sharky
2/ hot chocolate
3/ Anjunadeep (it's a channel on here based on soulful EDM)
4/ My Little Pony (all generations, particularly collections of assorted colours)
5/ (if outside) walking round a forest/ on a beach where nobody else is
*singing* These are a few of my favourite things!!!
I love that you know what works for you Elaine! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your hard work :) I could immediately feel how the box breathing technique helped me stay grounded. I’m still working at finding my triggers but breathing or running in place for 30 seconds are some techniques that help me ^^
You're so welcome!
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
- Wendell Berry
That's beautiful.
a big trigger for myself i recently descovered is seeing something i put a lot of time effort and care into just seem meaningless. Wether it be something small like studdying for a test or something personal that ive spent tens of hours, multiple days, it seemingly all has the same effect, a complete loss of self control and self abuse. As a cross country runner I've found going on a run has always been the best way to keep calm and stay in control, but when i've already lost control i don't feel safe alone, with my thoughts, on a run. Then my adorable little fur baby Frodo just pops his head up from behind the couch with such adorable happy little eyes. And for a moment I'm able to gain control of myself, and realize that just bringing him with me on my walk or run is the perfect anchor to keep me stable while i calm down with a run.
I find that crocheting helps me to focus on the present. When I'm stressed it forces me to slowdown and be mindful and count my stitches as I go, its such a weird coping mechanism for me but it works and I'm usually back to engaging in conversation with my family shortly after.
i was watching the hunger games video, i started feeling triggered and came to this video as soon as it was recommended because i could feel my emotions building up but this video really helped me. thank you
I dont know if I explcitly have PTSD..., but when I get a memory of my dad, and feel myself "slipping" into the thoughts of being with him, I usually have to notice it super quick, then I just repeat, "Not there not there not there" over and over till I'm calm. It works most of the time, and it works better when I focus on my forearms for some reason. (Maybe cause that's a part of myself I felt I had control over)
Dishes. Doing dishes used to cause flashbacks almost every time. I didn’t know why I hated dishes. I play music, take brakes, think of my reward (coffee and a RUclips video). My husband is so supportive, when I tell him I can’t handle the dishes he does them. I make myself do them. I have not had a flashback doing dishes for a year or so. It has taken 8 years. Each year better than the one before. If you do the work, it does get better.
Thank you for this video. I’ve been realizing that I haven’t let go of many of my past traumas from when I was a growing child/teenager. I was bullied pretty intensely when I was growing up, I was bigger than the other kids and I didn’t know how to defend myself. It may seem insignificant but having yourself exposed in front of a large group of people, getting belittled and publicly shamed daily, And emotionally manipulated only to realize that you are the butt of every single joke. It makes it hard in your adulthood to not think or overthink everything you do and say. Hoping you won’t get that invalidation or ostracization from your peers. Or in my case, feeling the betrayal and anger for losing something as sacred as my innocence. Moving on from these things isn’t easy, and not knowing the right exercises to ground yourself can make you lose your head. I appreciate everything you do for the community and these things are priceless. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart ♥️
I find that any type of work if I focus hard on it can put me into the present moment. Right now, I use my schooling to help me not think about my past trauma.
Solid strategy. Though sooner or later it must be faced.
@@MendedLight I have been wanting to try jujitsu, boxing, and wrestling, so I may try these, and see if it helps. Maybe I can incorporate it into gym class. I’m home schooled, so I can take any class that they offer, and give credits for. I already try to control my breathing when I get panic attacks because it helps my hands, and feet from tightening seemingly uncontrollably. I am also getting myself more involved with the outside world by going to church as often as I can on Sundays, and going to the high school to work as a custodian. It’s almost hard for me to believe, but I can get 20 credits from work experience alone while courses like math, and science give me 5 credits each. I might, or might not ever become completely healed from the trauma that came with what happened, but I think I am getting better. I still get agitated, and get anxiety easy though. I just don’t get it as bad as the first day that I had a panic attack.
Sometimes I don't know what triggered me and sometimes I have to think about it for a while after to realize what triggered me. Certain smells are can be a big trigger for me. Especially the smell of certain kinds of colognes on certain people mixed with the smell of beer.
Thankyou for this. I use breathing (same but no box), and find mindfulness on chocolate helps, the smell, taste, and changing temperate and texture as it melts helps to calm me once I'm away from source of trigger (usually too many people, someone too close, or sudden noises)
My triggers are yelling, swearing, cars turning in front of me, seeing people jogging, my exhusband's name (unfortunately a common word in English so I see it a lot), people holding hands, TV news broadcasts, having someone say something I know isn't true, and more . I've been in therapy for 8 years and am _still_ working on my response. Sometimes I find myself frozen in place, sometimes I find myself running as much as I can without realizing why. I do the 5 senses exercise (taste is always hard!) and other grounding exercises. New habits are hard to form when you are trying to overcome decades of trauma!
This is a wonderful video. I liked the breathing techniques and the link between martial arts and mindfulness.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for creating such content and making it easily accessible to people. Totally agree on the mainstream psychiatry aspect, after having seen a psychiatrist myself 16 years ago and now my own friend seeing one herself - it seems they are quick to prescribe medication to handle hyper arousal, almost like a quick fix. Hence knowing such techniques and gaining understanding on the topics of trauma and mental health issues is so helpful.
(Got to know this channel from Cinema Therapy and have been sharing with my friends. Great job for both channels!)
With love from Singapore.
I'm glad you're enjoying our channel. Understanding our trauma ensures we can actually work on eliminating the causes rather than simply gloss over the symptoms with medication. Each has it's own place in our healing journeys though!
Thank you so much for this! You are so generous ♥️
This time of year.. June and July. I hate the sound of fireworks. I used to love the 4th of July and now I can't stand it. I focus on breathing, the things I have in my life to be grateful for, and I have certain mantras that I've collected from various books that I repeat whenever I feel like I'm dissociating or experiencing a trigger.
Thank you very much for this video, I needed this
I have noticed that I have become a lot more irritable than I was before my trauma, and now I get a lot more anxiety. I thought that it was just the autism, but I did not have this much anxiety before the event.
That's rough. And a very human response to trauma.
my go to present moment or what I call grounding technique is usual going outside in bare feet and looking up in the sky. my fav though is beach,lake anything with water it really helps to bring me back.
Thanks for this! I once talked to a therapist that told me that sometimes he works in collaboration of psychiatrists sometimes because the people who come to him cannot even express themselves because they are so overwhelmed. And then they do and than can express themselves, and they work on healing.
It doesn’t help that as Westerners our culture unhealthily promotes workaholism and finding balance seems like a daily fight (that must be won, by the way).
One of my biggest hurdles whenever I get triggered is that its slowly makes me hallucinate while forcing me to feel self aware of what is happening, its scary for me I see horrible things I want to do my younger self when I get triggered and recently it happened in school but thankfully I called my best friend in advance and she comforted me as I succumbed to crying and feeling paranoia, felt somewhat safe when they whispered to me. And I would love to use the box method whenever my episodes come thank you for this 💖
Thank you for making this!
My pleasure!
I still get triggers. I am so careful how I live. I only watch comedies and protect myself from anything that could cause a trigger. Sadly you can't protect your life 24/7 and something will come up and blindside me. I have used EMDR and helped some but not with triggers. Your box exercise was wonderful as well as examples of staying present.
I super struggle w/ dissociation + flashbacks (which feel like polar opposites) + the month of November is a HUGE trigger for me, so I’ve been having a really rough time lately. It’s felt like literally EVERYTHING is somehow a trigger for SOMETHING, + I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’ve done the box breathing in the past + it can be helpful. But for me, smells are the best things to ground myself w/, so I always carry a small tube of hand sanitizer or toothpaste w/ me (I’m allergic to most fragrances but mint + a few other smells are okay) which is super helpful when I’m triggering in public.
Thank you for making this video! Box breathing can definitely be a v helpful technique, so thank you for reminding me that I can do that! 💕
You could try a mint essential oil maybe it would have a nice calming effect on you. Just remember not to use it directly on the skin (unless mixed with another oil that could be smelless). I had an oil that particularly used to calm me so I used it on a necklace, I'd drop the oil on the pendant and everytime I felt bad nervous or panicking I'd hold it close to my face and smell it.
You can also put anywhere you want on a tissue a paper a shirt anything. The smell lasts for a long time
I specifically have trauma to do with cats and dogs (specifically the action of them fighting/ hurting each other) but can usually handle being around them. But, the other day two of my cats started fighting and triggered me alot. To calm down, I instinctually grabbed my softest stuffed animal, hugged it, and rubbed it. I'm only finding out now that that was actually a very good calming mechanism! I'll definitely make sure to use some of these other ones if/when it happens again too. I've been struggling a lot with this due to not being able to get a therapist right now, so thank you a lot for making this video.
I dont know. I just get hit with mental thoughts that hurt so much. And they make me flinch, and whince, and my thoughts spin back to events in my life wrought with so much shame and self-hatred. And I have to vocally scream at myself to just 'STOP' 'STOP' And force myself to think of something else. Reciting a song, watching youtube videos, anything. I dont really have... present moments.
I'm becoming increasingly aware that I am frequently in a trigger response. It has been difficult to acknowledge because there are very few moments to compare it to, and it has made me come across as high functioning to multiple therapists despite being actually quite low functioning (for me). Because part of my trauma is being misheard and unseen, this further triggers my trauma response.
I'm actually struggling with triggers at the moment. It's different from my usual which is normally extreme panic. I've learn to be better with them over time and my husband knows how to help. But now I feel like I'm always on the edge of being triggered, like mini ones (if that makes sense).
What's worse is, it's my toddler setting them off. His at a stage where his pinching, hitting, grabbing, but he only does it to me. I have enough struggles with being touched too much but pained ones are worse. His most common way to trigger me is he'll rest against me and start pushing his head into my chest and neck. I'm breast feeding my 4 month old so it hurts more than usual and his reduced me to tears.
I don't even feel safe disaplining him cause what if instead of tapping his wrist cause he pinched I hit him hard cause I'm triggered and not noticing my strength?
I'm thankful I found this video cause I'm gonna give these a try and maybe it'll help.
My sympathies, for real. That's so hard. Let me know if this helps.
@@MendedLight so I've been trying some of these for about a month now. I had to change the box breathing a little cause I have trauma to do with strangulation so holding my breath is very hard. I've taken to lifting my hands palm up when breathing in and lowering them palms down when breathing out. My toddler sometimes copies. I also found the smell of pears oddly calming so I have a body wash, perfume, and defuser oil with pear in it and use one when needed. As for the disapplening issue, whilst triggered I cup my son's face and put my lips to his forehead and just focus on him. On how much I love him. Once I'm calm I tell him how he hurt me but I still love him. His stopped some of the behaviour but he doesn't realise when his pinching so that's still an issue.
Thank you for the advice. I was really struggling to get through the day to day and was starting to fear it would effect my sons. I'm not 'cured' bit I'm feeling more grounded and it takes more to trigger me now instead of feeling like I'm constantly on the edge of a panic attack.
I'm mostly triggered at alcoholic beverage (seeing, smelling, drinking, seeing drunk people and sometimes on tv too) , some specific genres of songs, representations of nightclubs, weed smell !!, use of drugs in general (same as alcohol), sometimes pills (and I have to take medicine daily so that's not great). Electronic failure!!!!! Any contact with old objects, places, archives, and occasionally things that remind me those things (example: a doll similar to one I used to have as a child). My old house (HUGE TRIGGER). MY DAD. Christmas season. New Years. Anything associated with the bird I lost. Some sorts of voice tones (that sound aggressive to me), screams, when my mom or her husband give me an specific look with red big eyes and it seems like they're about to hit me.
I'm also super triggered when people enter abruptly into my room, or climb to my bed without permission (while I'm on it) or whenever I'm showering and someone starts screaming or hitting the door or even trying to open it (or opening it/forcing in) for me to get out.
Also literally anything sexually related.
About the square breathing technique, my psychologist taught me that it has like 2 weeks or something??!! But I don't like it very much since I get all confused about doing the square and that ends up stressing me out. I usually get very disoriented whenever I get nervous, triggered or anxious because I very easily dissociate, so it's very hard for me to focus on doing physical tasks. I rather just focus mentally, even if it's about focusing on my body or the objects around me.
I usually start my just breathing as slow and profoundly as I can diaphragmatic. If I have to focus on something different from the trauma or organize my minds I love to make lists, lists of movies I watched, favorite singers, favorite pop songs, all chocolate desserts I've eaten, (all flavors of popcorn haha), things like that. It helps me transit from an emotional state to a sort of a concrete world? If that makes sense. An intellectual one at least.
I'm diagnosed as BPD with Depression and my psychologist said I'm a High Sensitivity Person, so it makes it a little difficult for me to sort out which are my 5 sensorial items. I could say that probably one of them is cold, or water, mostly cold water, but could be a cool breeze too. Because it slows down my emotions. As for the sound I think sometimes is the silence that actually helps me. Because often the trigger carries some sound attached to it, or there's a sound around me that is making difficult for me to ground. But the best sound would be the voice of someone I trust talking to me. And that's something I can't count on. If it's sunrise the birds singing help, but it has to be they singing, not a record of it. The smell is the most difficult to me I think, because I feel like every smell evokes an intense emotion from me, and when I'm at a crisis that's all I have to stay away from, because it never means the present it is often associated with trauma, fantasy or delusion, and capturing a smell that allows me to calm down without bringing me there is difficult. But I'll make tests.
I think one of my bigger issues is that I for start don't even have a clear understanding of what now means. What is my life now, where am I, what am I. I have no anchor here. So I'm not sure where to come back to. I just know here does not have the things I did have in the past. But I'm not sure of what I have here.
With food I'm not sure either because I'm a compulsive eater so food doesn't bring me much back when I'm nervous it just feels like... Maybe cinnamon tea. I had some problems with that tea but it's what works best so far.
To see I'd probably go to my window. I love windows. It works cause I live on the first floor. Would be as much helpful if I was in a house at the 10th though. But if I were at a able physical state I could take my coloring book and that would help.
Such soothing calming music
I have several triggers, but the one that makes life the most difficult is when I start "throwing PVCs" (Premature ventricular contractions). See, 6 years ago I came down with pneumonia while on a PICC line because the incision from my spinal surgery the previous month had gotten infected. I went to the ER because I couldn't sleep, and they gave me levaquin. We didn't know it at the time, but I have a rare heart disease, and one of the hundreds of medications you're not supposed to take if you have this condition is levaquin. All it took was 1 pill and I ended up going into V-Tach 8 times in 24 hours. Before the V-Tach I had several bouts of PVCs, so my brain rewired itself to believe that when the PVCs happen, I'm dying again. Unfortunately PVCs can be triggered by stress so I'm already stressed, throw a PVC or 10, get stressed out even more because I'm throwing PVCs, and then the cycle continues.
I'm trying to help someone who recently had a violent outburst while being triggered (as in, damaged property). We did the box breathing technique together and he started tearing up. Also, I was surprised at his list of present moments compared to your examples. Some of them involved physical sensations but a lot of them revolved around how people saw him. He enjoyed the feeling of successfully embodying the role of a protective provider. He enjoyed spending time with his loved ones away from others so he wouldn't experience the pressure to perform socially. These things calmed him down.
Well it's kind of a work in progress... I thought I was doing really well as a kid cause I got myself out of the situation I was in. However, I also didn't want to deal with any of the drama that may come with actually discussing it with anyone. So I hid it. Now it's all coming to the surface cause ya know how that builds up. So far what I've subconsciously gotten away from is pictures, hugs, and anything remotely resembling the makings of a romantic relationship of any kind. I've noticed my triggers mostly stem from touch. I had a bit of an offsetting moment earlier today as so many people at a gathering I went to for some reason kept reaching out and grabbing my arm as a way of greeting.
I've made it a goal to breathe when I notice my mind is starting to panic. Just a few deep breathes to calm me down. The bigger episodes, mostly coming from when I get home after a date, I've been trying lots of different things. Like listening to a 5 minute grounding exercise on youtube, drinking tea, wrapping myself in blankets, a shower if I'm really getting caught up in the feelings of it all, and when I'm in the emotion stage after the flashbacks, I go to the gym to do some kickboxing. Someone suggested trying spicy food, and I read on the internet to try holding ice to keep you there. I might try those next. I'm excited to see how the feeling the seat below me and rubbing my feet on the floor goes. Thank you!
My way to snap out of a flashback (emotionally) is to put on my headphones, this calms me so much but I don´t if it is the correct way to do it. (My trigger is related to sound). Thank you for sharing your knowledge, love from Mexico
I seem to trigger from criticism. I've always been a perfectionist and tend to quickly lose confidence when I make a mistake. Music is my refuge, specifically music performance. The combination of the taste of a clarinet reed, the controlled breathing, the need to focus my entire being on a single task...that's nearly impossible to do outside of music. I'm also an introvert and "people out" sometimes. Another thing I find helps sometimes is sensory deprivation, that is finding a dark, quiet room, closing my eyes, and completely zoning out for a few minutes.
The trigger I have yet to find a detour away from is when somebody nearby is threatening somebody else with sexual violence (usually intended as “a joke” by some boy or ‘man’ who somehow remains clueless what he’s saying). It taps straight into that moment of shock/fear/horror and a furiously-hit-out-and-run reflex. I wish I had a more effective response.
Ironically, the beginning of this video triggered me a bit 😅 but the exercises did help me, so... Yay?
Love the content, very helpful thank you. The music was very distracting though
The box breathing is great! I only recently had an easily identified trigger over thanksgiving watching the movie jungle cruise. I was in a kayaking accident and a scene in the cute movie really got me. I'm glad to be more aware of it. (Also, a huge side note, the music seems a lot louder than his talking...)
I have many triggers and they can come out of nowhere it seems sometimes. Right now I have triggers when it comes to work room enviroments because I have been treated so very poorly at many jobs in a row. At one job, they refused to let me go home even when I was puking my guts out. At another they were constantly making sexual jokes at me because I was single and laughing at me because I wouldn't "test the covers" with a person when dating. At another, I was looked down upon and even treated less than others because I was left handed and so they said I couldn't do the job properly. All these things combined and others cause major anxiety attacks when it comes to trying to apply for a job or working with other people. I have had to be without work now going on two years because I can't separate myself from those traumatic experiences at work. The things that help calm me down is if I hold my baby bunny (she's got very soft fur), and sometimes even listening to her breathing helps. Beyond that, I have real trouble if I am out somewhere and have an attack because I have a hard time dealing with it. I have tried breathing techniques but they don't normally work for me when, for instance, I am out driving somewhere and an attack comes on. I can't always just pull over to the side of the road
I'm so sorry that you've been treated this way and felt these things. We're here for you if you need support.
I usually do yoga like 4 or 5 Times a week. And as i can See it is hard to trigger me nów. So i agree with you. This exercise of breathing gives a lot of benefits. I m traumatized by narcisstic father and coodependant Mother. But i do my Best to Save myself and heal. I was never defended by parents So i heard many words about me that hurt me from inside. Today i know all of these were not True. I m whole who deserve the Best and Deep love and care. I am the luckiest person in this World becouse i could have opportunity to discover.
Mine are little lavender scented pillows my grandma makes them. I used to have them as a kid and they make me literally feel like I am home.
I am still figuring out what my triggers are and honestly still really trying to grasp that I do have ptsd. I find drinking tea and snuggling with a heavy blanket can make me feel better. The breathing technique was super helpful. Do u know something more subtle though? Thanks for the vedioes
Loud and or chaotic noises, not explosions or anything like that more like people noises, trigger this outburst of anger or agitation for me. It just kinda happens all of a sudden and I always feel really bad afterwards
I've sat on that exact Jackalope in your intro photomontage. At Wall Drug in S. Dakota.
Thanks! I enjoyed the box method, found it in a meditation game called playne tho they have options for 4s, 5s, and 6s. Sadly I stopped doing it after a bad trigger and hasn't able to go back to schedule. My triggers involve several things around religion, but it doesn't always affect me. When it does tho, it can go as long as a week sulking. It is less than emotional explosion but more of reminder about bazillion internal and external reasons why life sucks. Could be said that it triggers existential crisis. My answer to that is nihilism, to tell myself it is okay that I can't do anything to change the bad parts cause everything in the end would become nothing.
I found I'm triggered by everything. It can be a smell, a child with their parent, a sound like a song that plays on the speakers at the store where I work. They are always evolving but they directly link to a flashback catching me off guard. Suddenly I'm frozen overcomed with emotions like being in a state of shock.
I completely lose control of myself, usualy leading to me hitting myself over and over until someone stops me.
I have PTSD and my worst trigger is touching my neck or rendering me immobile, even a shirt pressing against my throat or when someone adjusts a necklace on me, or if you grab my wrists or pin a leg. I can not help those moments and more often then not i fall into a flashback and just panic, I cant think of anything past 'get away' I understand that it is -not- healthy to have that strong of a reaction and can cause some serious safety issues.
I've been really struggling with trauma responses the video that talks about how trauma impacts my brain explains so much and really helped me to understand who I am post trauma release how I behave because it's like I wouldn't even recognize my own behavior sometimes and it was really jarring I find that what I have to do in order to get out of a trauma response is to acknowledge why on being triggered process the feelings of how I feel for a moment in time but then take a moment to say hey you're safe now you're that's not happening now. How much will you message with me and my recovery with the trauma that I'm processing right now is that sometimes I am not stays in my home and that really messes me up and causes a fight or flight response we're either I desperately want to either leave my apartment or I want to drink again and leave my mind or in extreme situations hard myself and leave my body. Other times I find that I am terrified to be alone and I hate feeling that way. If you have any suggestions on what a person can do when they're not safe in the moment and that triggers them and also what do you do because I find sometimes that I'm doing better and having less flashbacks and less triggers and I have moments and even days where I feel more like myself but then I find that when my hormones especially around the time that I'm about to get my menstrual cycle I get a huge increase in flashbacks as my mood is Amplified by my hormones and it's really difficult at times to deal with. If anyone has any suggestions that would be appreciated because at times I am really struggling with this
For me, a trigger is unwanted attention from men. I try and observe my surroundings, carefully and attentively before reacting to the situation. I think I'll add box breathing and chanting.
Any extra stimuli I add even if I like it just makes me panic even more.
my girlfriend suffers from severe trauma and im trying to help her. wish the best for us please
I use breathing exercises to get through triggers but 11 months in things aren't better and I feel the 1 year anniversary coming as if it were an actual physical presence. The triggers are becoming more intense and harder to breathe through.
I want to know how to tell which behaviors I've picked up to try and guard myself from the abuse that are healthy and unhealthy.
Well done!
My phone. A lot of bad memories associated with it. I have panic attacks some of which have me in tears. Unable to get rid of as backup is broken. Im getting it repaired and then its going. Never hated anything i own so much. It was the worst thing i ever bought.
I work in a high stress, fast paced and loud space and I struggle with anxiety. I usually hind myself in a small, dark space till I'm ready to go back. I was wondering what can I do to center myself when I can't avoid my triggers or hide away?
How can I deal with Panick Attacks during traffic? I have IBS and its really compromising my life, so I could use the help a lot, any tips on that? Because on the traffic you cant really focus on doing most of the things for calming anxiety, so if you could help me it would be great. Thank you so much and sorry if the english is bad, is not my native language
Box breathing is really good, I use it to help people with panic on the airplane. And of course I use it my self eheh :) But I breath with the nose as my yoga teacher told me...
Could you expand more on keeping secrets from yourself?
I lost one of my twins during pregnancy and had to undergo surgery to save the other. I crocheted a little star with a soft jingling ball (an "angel caller" is what they're nicknamed) to hug and hold when I get overwhelmed. It's not perfect but it's something. I'll have to try some of the other techniques you suggested next time it hits me too hard.
Oh gosh, I am so sorry to hear that you lost your baby! Your star sounds perfect! What a good idea. I hope the other techniques help you as well. If you ever want to talk, you are welcome to make a booking for a free 15 minute call. Here is the link: www.go.oncehub.com/JonathanDecker
I've recently been screened for PTSD but didn't quallify for a full diagnosis sence there isnt a clear start to my trauma, but i still gett triggers like male body oder and it makes it difficult in romantic relationships since I have a very touch centerd love language. It's hard sence I don't have a certified diagnosis even thou I quallify for the other boxes of it, because it still feels like I can't say I accually am traumaticed and use techniques like these, I dont feel like I am supposed to need it and like om not supposed to want it. And like im not really suffering like I am.
Sorry for the dump and broken english. Just needed to get it out somewhere.
How do you find calm through paying attention to the present moment if the present moment is triggering you?
My plushies are my life (well, coping mechanism)
I'm so glad you know what works for you!
I love this Video, but for clarification, just any Child? Or has it has to be mine?
l am an occult surviver and my triggers are masks ,chants or at one sitting verbally repeating and some tones of voices and restrains the only help is my dog but there is some places she is not allowed right now l am trying to find other ways to help with flashbacks and panic attacks
Interesting. Usually my trauma is triggered in the night, this is why I despise sleeping. Flashbacks come to me at night, and they are very real, as if I re-live the moment. Sometimes I even triggered during the day. And when I have an attack during the day, no one can talk to me, I'm out for a few minutes, up to an hour, the longest day attack I've ever had. I got two questions- 1.I've been in your website, and tried to understand, if I can set a meeting across the globe, by Zoom? Or Skype, or whatever program you are using, if it's not just for people in the US. 2.How much does a meeting cost? I will be happy to receive details, thank you from advance.
The piano background music is beautiful and distracting. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel stressed out trying to focus on the information while the music is tapping into a separate part of my brain and all wheels are turning. Maybe it’s just me. I’d love to watch these without music or some sort of sound that’s less intriguing. I love these videos and I want to be focused on every word. I’m struggling 😅😓
I have PTSD, when I feel triggered I go for a walk in the woods near my house or I listen to KLOVE.
i suffer severe cptsd eupbd ocd suicidal ideation i in hospital now i keep hraring voices and horrific thoughts is there any advice or hope medicatiion to take some drs say pychosis some say its trauma its real mental health is it 5je devil i pray alot i so lost
I'm specially triggered by the concept of zombie apocalypse. According to my mother, it is probably due to the way everything took place. It's hard to explain because I barely remember anything though
How do I help with grounding when, when I have ptsd, I lose all my senses and am re-living the trauma and when I come to, im confused about where I am and either very emotional or shut down due to the stress.
I’m so sorry I have been there with you! Grounding helps afterwards. If you can feel one coming then grounding is good to. One thing to realize is to not fear the flashbacks (impossible feeling I know). Just say okay I am safe and I will be fine. That’s what I do. Also accept this is you. Hiding will not work. Go get help. Therapy is the only way I got my life back. Don’t give up till you can get help.
Quick question: What am I supposed to do when my surroundings are what's triggering me (and leaving is not an option)? Focusing on any senses only makes it worse.
For me, trying to see how long I can breathe in and breathe out for can help because it makes me focus on counting the seconds and regulating my breathing. Instead of thinking about my surroundings I'm thinking about filling my lungs slowly and letting it out slowly. My goal is 5 seconds in and out and then when that's easy I try 6 and then 7 and so on until I'm calm. Sometimes the higher numbers help more because they take more focus but if I catch myself panicking late and my breathing is already in short bursts I have to start with small numbers
oh and almost everything is triggering, and we hate it :'(
I can only imagine. My love and support to you.
Please lower the music, cool video but the music is a bit too loud... more when you have sensitivity to high sounds. Plus I can't hear you as well
I've been having a hard time this winter.people have helped me but not enough.because of covid people are a scared to help others.its snowing so I'm stuck inside doing chores myself.its very hard and I feel overwhelmed.
The whole situation at the moment is definitly making things a lot harder for so many people. I am sorry to hear it has affected you in this way. What do you need to help you at the moment?
I've just been feeling stuck.i got outside for awhile it seems to help.i have a neibor or two willing to hangout I think.j yhinkni just need to slowdown and let things happen.
I get triggered by people getting upset. I get the sensation of almost white noise in my ears. I go for steadying breaths, filling up my body with air and grounding myself. The rule is not to respond before taking two good breaths in.
I feel a shamed of being angry
I take a walk
what triggers me is peoples back handed comments