topic PTSD triggers and stigma in PTSD and trauma

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 08:54:17 GMT

Hi all

There have been a couple of posts recently about negativity towards people who are triggered by events and go into a PTSD response which results in anxiety.

I think there is a view out there by people who do not understand what Post Traumatic Stress that 'an industry is being promoted' by psychologists and others.

How awful is that! The same can be said about a range of illness that have been diagnosed over the past 50 years or more. The scientific evidence and research that has happened in the past 50 years is so advanced that IMO people are afraid.

IMO, it's much easier for people to live 'in ignorance' than to really look at what's happening in their environment. I truly believe PTSD falls in this category.

It is so easy to say, it's 'all in your head'. Well, yeah, that maybe but that does not devalue what is happening for people. Nor does it mean that it's 'stupid', 'not real', 'not happening' etc. Yes, things do happen in your head, they can be good or not so good. That's why we have mental health plans.

What I really want to debunk here is - that PTSD and it's triggers are STUPID. PTSD and triggers are real and have lasting effects both for the person who is experiencing them as do people who provide support to those people.

You will find some talk about complex PTSD along with 'normal' PTSD. I'm not making any distinctions between the two, though from what I've read in the forums there is a difference. This thread is for people who get triggered and go into anxiety. Doesn't matter what the trigger is.

Your triggers are real. They occur at times when you least expect them. No one else can say to you that you are stupid. Responses to triggers do happen. Triggers can:

set off body responses, e.g. heart palpitations, sweating.
be through sight, smell, sound, touch, feelings
bring back memories of trauma
cause intense physical and emotional reactions
cause muscle tension.

Would love to hear what others think. Please have your say. My words are only from my experience. What is your experience?

Kind regards

PamelaR

PTSD triggers and stigma

startingnew — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 09:21:05 GMT

Hi Pam

this thread here might help too

im not up for much posting and cant seem to formulate a post atm due to hard times atm (will leave that to my thread however) but will leave the link here and will come back to here when i can

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/ptsd-trauma/ptsd---does-'wellness'-and-'safety'-trigger-a-fear-response-

PTSD triggers and stigma

Elizabeth CP — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 10:11:13 GMT

I think other people don't understand so talking about triggers is difficult. Even family members who know what happened still don't understand. That has changed in some instances. It is also hard to talk about it because it brings up the memories which is painful.

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:48:16 GMT

You're so right Elizabeth. Talking about trigger is hard as. It may never be possible to talk with family about your triggers. The remaining members of my family have no idea of my issues or care. They do have their own significant issues that they chose to not do anything.

Stigma is fascinating. People have different values, ethics, beliefs and ways of living. What we have as part of our lives, i.e. our triggers, is difficult for them to understand. In many instances, they do not want to understand or they don't have the intellect to know what it means. My view is and how I live my life - I have the strength and empowerment to believe in myself and what happened. I don't need their validation!!

It's taken me a long time to get to this point. Much soul searching, loads of work with therapists.

What's your thoughts? Are you able to 'let go' if people don't understand your circumstances?

Kind regards

PamelaR

PTSD triggers and stigma

Elizabeth CP — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 22:03:34 GMT

I think it is important to accept that you can't expect people to really understand. This means we need to do whatever is required to cope with the situation. Obviously talking to therapists is a different issue as they are trained to help. I will share an example to explain what I mean. My husband knows what happened & has seen my reaction first hand several times when fires occured near us. On Black Saturday I recieved a call warning me of a fire nearby. I had recently switched off the radio as I couldn't cope with the reports of fires everywhere(none near us) so I was already feeling very uptight. My oldest don & his wife were visiting & I was embarassed to show her how stressed I was so I tried to hide it by ging round preparing the house asd calmly as I could. I told my kids what was happening & called out for my husband. Eventually I found him outside putting out burning embers. I was really upset that he had deliberately avoided telling anyone else that there was a fire nearby. His response was 'I didn't want you to get stressed' I have since accepted that he really didn't understand properly what it is like for me. It is not that he deliberately wants to upset me.

Since then I accepted he doesn't understand so I need to make my own decisions as I cannot rely on him providing accurate information.

For me there are 2 distinct groups of triggers. One is real triggers ie those involving a real danger even if that danger is so low that others wouldn't worry about it. In these cases I need to act to ensure my own safety & that means sometimes having telling other people involved even if they don't really understand why I need to act the way I do. My therapists have encouraged this explaining to me that because of my level of fear I'm unlikely to be able to react logically if the danger escalated so getting out early is essential. Attempting exposure therapy to help me react more appropriately is too dangerous to attempt.

The other set of triggers are the ones which trigger bad memories/thoughts but are not associated with any danger. I don't think I can expect others to understand although it may be worth letting close family of a friend know if you can trust them & they can help support you as you learn to deal with these triggers. Unfortunately for me these triggers seem to keep changing & make no sense toi me so I can't see how others could understand them.

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 10:22:51 GMT

Hello Elizabeth CP

What a wonderful hubby. Of course, many out there will never understand the why, what, how, when of our responses to triggers. And does it really matter in the long run?? We're the ones who have to manage and cope with the responses. I think it's essential we talk about what we're experiencing, but there is no requirement for them to 'really understand'. But empathy would be good.

What your therapist has advised sounds very good to me. Get planned, get moving before going into overdrive. If this means immediately reports are heard - so be it!!! Don't wait. Yes, it's such a good plan. Feel confident in yourself Elizabeth. You must act on your responses. That's good!! If pple don't understand, well, really that is their issue. You want to be safe, you want others to be safe. That is what is important.

You go Elizabeth!!

PTSD triggers and stigma

Guest8901 — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 10:29:28 GMT

Hi Pamela. Interested in following this thread, so just posting briefly in order to have it come up under My Threads. Will be able to find it now. 😀

Amanda

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 10:37:23 GMT

Always good to have you along Amanda. Hugs.

PTSD triggers and stigma

labradoodle — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 10:31:25 GMT

Hi Pamela great thread will also be following and am very interested in other PTSD sufferers replies and advice are. Thanks Labradoodle

PTSD triggers and stigma

Ggrand — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 19:53:23 GMT

Hello Pamela,

If it's okay I would like to follow and join in this conversation if it's okay.

Do I get triggered, yes and if bad enough go way deep into depression and find it hard to resurface, as the triggers are so real, I can sometimes feel the event like re-live it again, and once triggered the fear and confusion I feel can put me down which lasts for days.

Triggers are real, and debilitating at imes,m so I thought I might read a long and try to learn what I can to help me.

Kind thoughts,

Karen...../Grandy

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 04:06:35 GMT

Hello everyone.

So pleased to see there are a lot of people interested in this topic. I started the topic in response to someones query and comment it would be good to have more info on the stigma attached to PTSD, rather than me feeling stigmatised because I have a range of MH ailments.

I have done a little research and firstly, I think it's important to understand what is meant by 'social stigma'. From Promises Treatment Centre I was lead to an article where I extracted the following info:

Social stigma is common in our society. In its most overt form, stigma is seen as outright discrimination that limits the stigmatised person’s ability to do critically important things, such as find employment or gain access to needed services. However, stigma can also manifest in much more subtle ways, including avoidance of the “other” in social situations.
Unfortunately, stigmatised people can internalise the viewpoints of people who see them in a seriously negative light. This means that, ultimately, a stigmatising attitude can come from within as well as from others. A person who stigmatises him- or herself can seriously harm his or her ability to make effective social contributions. As a rule, levels of stigma fall when people emphasise common social or personal attributes rather than their different social or personal attributes.

I find this very interesting indeed. Especially, the last sentence. Up until about 7-8 years ago, I never realised that I had mental health ailments. The doctors certainly didn't pick it up, but that could have been because I was so good at masking then. Anyway, so the thought of being stigmatised never really entered my head when it was diagnosed that i had PTSD, severe anxiety and major depression. At work I freely told those people who had a need to know, because of my time off work, but additionally as time went on I found myself telling close work colleagues about what was happening. All I found was love and support. No one ever backed off with a cross or garlic. So in some ways I've been very very lucky.

I'm sure there are others out there who have not had a good experience. If you're willing to share your experience - please feel absolutely free to pop it in this thread.

Do you have anything to add or want to discuss?

PTSD triggers and stigma

startingnew — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 00:52:50 GMT

Hi Pam and everyone

im finding this thread rather interesting, thank you for starting it.

I find there is still a lot of stigma around mh issues in general, some people know about it and understand and are relaly good. Thankfully its becoming more known and accepted but there is still alot that remain ignorant and unaccepting of it or those who just dont understand.how can people fully understand unless they experience a mh condition themselves which I woudlnt wish on anyone. My mother and her bf are an example of one of those who are unaccepting of it, when I was first diagnosed with mh issues last yr I got blasted and was called all sorts of things under the sun as well as an attention seeker and that im faking it. I gave them information and when I was admitted to hospital had someone talk to them as well. They didnt want to accept it and they still hate me for it but I cant really control that. I can only control how I respond to it.
Triggers are definently hard to to talk about, almost triggering in itself and trying to explain it sometimes just isnt worth it. Im ok with people not understanding it, I dont expect everyone to understand however when people blame me for it then it starts to upset me. I dont talk about my story offline, its too hard and being emotionally abused isnt particularly an ideal environment to talk about it. Like many people ive learnt to hide it, ive had panic attacks in front of people and they barely notice it so to others I look 'normal' but I just have strange habits to them. Ive learnt to cope on my own, as I havent had much luck with therapists or professionals at all. They kept brushing me off and because I learnt fast I seemed self aware when really I was only in the very early stages of accepting within myself that I needed help. I sought help myself after realising SH and planning to end my life wasnt normal (I have made an attempt once before).

Elizabeth I like the way youve explained your groups of triggers. Im similar in that sense. I feel the need to protect others first and makes sure they are safe and then myself, ive always been one to put others first to ensure their safety. A lot of people dont understand why I do it so makes me look rather strange.

running out of room....

PTSD triggers and stigma

startingnew — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 00:59:03 GMT

sorry was running out of room...

I find triggers can come out of no where and with ptsd we are reall sensitive to danger responses, sometimes we just dont know whats set us off so we are forever learning to acknowledge them and learn new ways to cope as well. Grandy I relate to you in the sense that certain triggers take me right back to that trauma, and relive it essentially. They can indeed One thing I find very useful for any trigger is called a coping tool box- has anyone heard fo these or have one?

thank you Pam for sharing your own experiences as well and im really glad you had a postiive response from those youve told about mh issues even if they dont really understand it.

PTSD triggers and stigma

Just Sara — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 03:44:45 GMT

Really great thread Pam!

I find that people who understand my reactions are those I love and love me for who I am; the whole package. But even they're confused when I present with symptoms that don't have an obvious cause.

I've delved long and hard into my triggers and their causes. The most prominent one being 'perception'. If unconsciously I perceive a threat, real or not, I react as if it were actually happening.

That's when others find me confusing and irrational; which of course I am. Over the yrs I've come to rely on my own recovery tools to deal with 'me', not them. It's hard enough to get thru a bout of panic let alone worry about what others are thinking.

I used to feel ashamed, guilt ridden and embarrassed by my uncontrollable behaviour. My family found me odd because I'd spend ages in the toilet (panicked and crying) or leave a family gathering without explanation. I was thinking more about their responses than my own well being.

Once home, it was total relief! I could fall to pieces in isolation and safety away from their judgemental stares.

Even though I've come leaps and bounds, and rarely feel anxious in their presence, I still notice the odd glance to someone else implying; "Here she goes again" or "Oops, shouldn't have said that in front of her".

It hurts...

I've opened up to some of them that allow it, but people like mum will always come back with; "It's the past; get over it! You should be strong like me."

On the flip side Pam, I was sitting on a park bench in the CBD having a meltdown when a little old lady approached me. I held my breath trying to wipe tears away and act reasonably normal. She put her hand on my shoulder and sat next to me. She grabbed my hand, stroked it gently and asked if I was ok.

We talked a little while she gave unconditional caring comments, then walked away saying she'd say a prayer for me.

Although we tend to look at the negative side of stigma because it hurts, there can be one moment of grace that brings us back to love.

A stranger showed me that and I've never forgotten. It gives balance to an abnormal life of pain in some small way.

Sez xo

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 08:04:14 GMT

Hello everyone who takes the time to read and respond to this thread.

Thank you so much Starting New and Just Sara. Great input. I'm a little tired atm so not in a good mindset to respond. Won't get back to BB till very late tomorrow even Saturday. I do so appreciate you for posting here. 🙂 🙂

Have a great break (if you get one). Will respond soon.

PS Sez - still thinking about what to write for your c-PTSD post. Haven't forgotten, it's in the back of my mind.

Kindest regards to you both.

PamelaR

PTSD triggers and stigma

Just Sara — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 13:32:14 GMT

Hey, don't worry ok. It's Good Friday.

Take care and do the doing. Big family weekend for most including me.

Sez

PTSD triggers and stigma

Ggrand — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 13:46:24 GMT

Hi Startingnew, Sez Pamela,

The triggers are the pits, 2 days ago something I read. triggered me and within seconds it had me reliving a nightmare, I felt it and heard it all, like it was happening all over again, Gosh it took me fast, really took me down, frightening, I can't cope with triggers, I don't know how, especially when it's so suddenly takes me.. when they find me wow..I'm still down so far, hard to get out...hard to forget what I just went through...Really but really just so sick of it..

Grandy.....Karen.

PTSD triggers and stigma

startingnew — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 14:00:05 GMT

No rush 💜

PTSD triggers and stigma

Elizabeth CP — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 01:59:18 GMT

I really liked Just Sara's post. It clearly illustrated the problem with stigma & triggers. It is easier for others to understand & make allowances when the trigger can be seen by other people as a real danger. The other triggers appear irrational & perhaps we need to accept that we can't expect others to understand them & to protect ourselves we need to restrict ourselves to only sharing with people who we are close to & can trust. We also need to accept that while some triggers appear irrational they are triggered in the deeper part of the brain based on memories & feelings which we have often suppressed so we don't really follow the reasoning.

PTSD triggers and stigma

PamelaR — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 07:24:55 GMT

Hello all

It's been so long since I've been on this post. Time and other things have gotten in the way. It has been in the back of my mind.

Sez, I loved your story about the woman who came up to you at the park bench and took your hand. That truly warms my heart. You know kindness comes from where you least expect it sometimes. My family isn't large so I don't have those types of issues you talk about. Though, do you really think they say 'Oh here she goes again'? Have you ever asked what they are thinking? Just being the devil's advocate here. One of the biggest things I've had to learn is - not to second guess people. That can be so hard some times.

Elizabeth, I think the biggest thing for me is - that the trigger is valid for me. If the other person thinks I'm irrational, well all I can do is explain my irrationality. If they don't understand it, I can't control how they think, but I can control how I think. I choose not to take on the stigma (or their judgment of me) they may try to apply. It's hard work, it takes a lot of courage to have faith in myself. That's why I have anxiety. I internalise people's thoughts about me, but show an different external face. I have to go away and then deal with the fallout of the situation, hence the anxiety. But I get there, I let go of the things I cannot change. What do you think? Anything we can do differently to help reduce stigma out there?

PamelaR ❤️