PTSD triggers and stigma

[PamelaR]

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

[labradoodle]

Hi all. I have been following this post with interest. A recent car accident close to home has been a trigger for me Sez I must agree with Pamela's devil's advocate comment. I have ongoing severe issues with imagining what other people are thinking my psychologist and CBT call it mind reading. I kept wondering what other people were thinking about me. With CBT training and a good psych I have been able to overcome most of my "mind reading " but when triggered everything is back. When I talk to people I trust I find no one has been thinking negative things about me but my brain thinks otherwise. Sez if you google CBT and mind reading you will find sites that can explain it better than me. Hope this helps Labradoodle

[PamelaR]

Thank you for sharing your insight Labradoodle.

Haven't seen you around for awhile. Sorry to hear you were triggered recently. You know what's really good - you've recognised it and dealing with it. It took me ages to realise how much better I feel after I actually acknowledge I'm triggered.

Anything you want to talk about Labradoodle about your recent trigger? Am here if you want to share and chat.

PamelaR

[Guest8901]

Its crazy isnt it, how triggers to out PTSD work?

I have come down with a heavy head cold the last few days. As a consequence I have been very stuffed up in the head and having difficulty breathing at night. The past 2 nights after I did finally get to sleep, I woke up in a panic unable to breathe and being taken back to when I was attacked and raped. There was a time then that my nose and mouth were covered by my attacker and I was unable to breathe. I thought then that I would die, so this is a particularly distressing trigger.

It takes a long time to re-orientate and calm myself afterwards. I'm thankful that tonight at least, my husband is home from hospital at last. I think knowing he is here, and that I'm not physically on my own, may help somewhat. At least I hope so.

Do triggers ever really stop affecting you this badly? I would not like to think that something as innocuous as a cold is destined to cause this sort of reaction for the rest of my life.

Amanda

[Ggrand]

Hello Amanda,

I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry that happened to you..I cant answer your question honestly so I'll leave that for Pammy. But I justed wanted to let you know I care and I know how horrible triggers can be and how fast they can take us down..Take care of yourself Amanda..

Kind and warm hugs🤗.

Grandy.

[PamelaR]

Hello everyone

Amanda - Sorry to hear you've been triggered, especially when things are looking up for you with hubby home. You've been having such a hard time of it. It must be good to get back to some 'normality' (e.g. being in your own home, bed etc). You ask a very good question about triggers - will I continue to have this all the time. That's difficult to answer. It depends on how determined you are to change. It isn't easy, it's hard work. But you are not afraid of hard work, look at everything you've done over the past month or more. You are awesome.

One good thing, you know what triggered you. As soon as you start to physically feel your trigger, start work on your thought and belief process. Currently you mind has a story of what happened all those years ago when you thought you would die because you couldn't breath. Changing the story may help to reduce this trigger. I do think it best if you discuss this with your psych though. The following may help to change your story.

Basically, bring your mind back to the present.

• Open your eyes, look around. Say to yourself - I acknowledge and thank your body for responding, however, I am safe. This is my home (not the same one). I am safe. Repeat this as many times as you want.
• Slow your breathe, focus on it and say - This is a head cold, I am in no danger. Repeat. Keep repeating for as long as you need.
• Hold onto something familiar - teddy bear, (Charli, if you let her sleep with you) something that gives you calm. Something that is safe. Keep it close to you.

Work out a story for yourself (could be different to the one outlined above). One that will make you feel safe.

Now on the practical side, to help reduce a blocked nose (you probably know many of these) -

• put eucalyptus oil on tissue (or pillow slip) under the pillow
• do a saline cleanse of nasal passage early in the evening (not just before going to bed) - you can buy a mixture from the chemist for this purpose
• do regularly inhalations using eucalyptus oil during the day
• use nasal strips for snoring. They help to gently pull your nasal passage back.
• have a humidifier for the room.

Having said all that, I do feel for you Mandy. So sorry you've been going through everything. I've taken a bit of a backseat on your thread because you have so many others there to help. It doesn't mean I feel any the less for you. I'm just really busy responding to the new ones who need help. And I do have a life outside of BB.

Take care Mandy.

Pammy.

[PamelaR]

Hello everyone

Grandy - thank you for responding to Mandy. You are a lovely caring person. I'm sorry you have so many triggers to. I hope some of what I've posted to Mandy will help you to.

Just think about changing the stories in your head. Changing the beliefs about yourself. I often read you are so down on yourself. My challenge to you is to - find 3 good things about yourself on a daily basis. I'm sure many of your triggers are supported by how you think about yourself. Start replacing these with the 'good things'.

Kind regards

Pammy

[Guest8901]

Thanks Pamela. Yes I will bring this up with my psych when I see her again next week.

I think it was just the fact that this was such an unexpected trigger, and somewhat obscure. The city had numerous triggers for me every day I was there, but they were expected and I could anticipate them and be prepared to deal with them as best I could.

As for actually feeling the trigger, yes very definately I felt it physically as well as emotionally. It was like I was back there again fighting to breathe, fighting for life. I think the trigger brought on a flashback, because I was there and it was happening to me all over again.

Yes Charli does sleep alongside of me, and is a great comfort. After me being away from home so much over the past month, she is staying close and not letting me out of her sight.

Thanks Pamela for your helpful advice. Thanks also Karen for your message last night.

Amanda 💜

[Ggrand]

Hello Pammy,

Thank you I will try those tips next time.. I'm being very careful and adding variety to the way I do things around the home...

I have been trying to change my thought patterns, sometimes it works, sometimes not... Thank you very much for this great helpful thread and your really good insight..

Warm and caring hugs,

Grandy

[PamelaR]

Hello everyone

Let me see if I can steer this thread to look at the 'stigma of PTSD triggers' and what we can do to change this.

According the Carter Center report, stigma as it relates to mental health is defined as “a cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivate the general public to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against people with mental illnesses.”

There is one thought that stigma around any issue typically surfaces as a result of public fear and a feeling of being out of control.

The stigma around mental illness, and PTSD in particular, is strong. Stereotypes that depict people with PTSD as dangerous, unpredictable, incompetent, or to blame for their illness can promote stigma.

People with PTSD may fear embarrassment or shame, too, and if they seek help, they may fear they’ll be hospitalized. They can face stigma from family members, friends, and their community, as well as in the workplace, and that stigma can take many different forms.

There is one view that four types of stigma exist, these include:

Public Stigma - The general public endorses stereotypes and discriminates against the person with a mental illness.

Self-Stigma - The person with a mental illness internalizes the beliefs of others.

Label Avoidance - If the person with a mental illness perceives social stigma, they will avoid being labeled by not seeking treatment.

Structural Stigma - This includes the social and institutional policies and practices that can affect healthcare coverage and legal matters, for example.

When stigma occurs, it can lead to discrimination or exclusion, which could affect a person’s educational or job opportunities. Stigma can also prevent individuals from seeking out help.

People who suffer from self-stigma may have low self-esteem and believe they’re not capable of working, living independently, or being healthy.

When people with PTSD face stigma from people in relationships, they may start to believe that they’re weak, damaged, or not good enough, and as a result, they believe others don’t want to be around them. This effect can lead people with PTSD to draw inward, keeping their pain to themselves.

So if you feel that you face stigma because of your PTSD - let us hear from you. Do you have any words to help support others? What are your thoughts about changing these attitudes?

Next week I'll look at what can be done to change the situation around the stigma.

PamelaR

[Elizabeth CP]

I don't have suggestions to change the situation but I think you are right about the different forms of stigma or the fear of it. A few days ago I was triggered badly. It took so much emotional energy to keep myself under control by the time I got to the destination away from signs of fire I burst into tears making it obvious to others something was wrong. I had to explain briefly the problem but avoided mentioning PTSD. The response was attempts to reassure me by explaining that I was safe. Hearing a lecture on why fires are needed and being told I was safe just reinforced the negative feelings knowing any normal person wouldn't react like me. Feeling stupid for reacting to triggers compounds the problem. It took a few days to recover.