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How Do You Get Yourself Out Of A Trigger State?

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Sara Belle

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Hi everyone,

I wanted to hear about how people remove themselves from "flashback" times- those times when your whole body is shaking and you are in panic mode and your brain is in danger fight or flight mode!

Please share advice from your own experience. I find it so difficult at the time to think rationally and logically!

Thank you.

Sara Belle
 
So far, I have been able to sometimes stave them off if it's a trigger I have had before. If it's new or I am asleep and wake this way into a flashback, I have had to ride it out. It is usually the real feeling of pain or something so terrifying that shakes me back. A protective part of my brain no doubt. Oh... it is true that my kids have brought me back too. The sound of them seems to break through the other things and back into now. If I had a dependable support person I bet they could bring me back if they notice I'm "not there". Don't have that on a regular basis though.

I do have two pebbles with engraved lettering that I keep in my pocket for trigger help. They are rough and I rub my fingers over it. They say Accept and Compassion. The thing is, for me, flashbacks I have a hard time getting out of... now triggers... they, I can control a little and I self-talk using a mantra of "I am here. It is now! I'm 40 years old not 14!" I also stamp my foot while i say it so I have a stimulus of the now. IT's exhausting but have been successful at keeping me in the now for the most part or at least seemingly functional. Even if I wonder if it seems like i am counting like a horse!!! (lol... little levity here!)
 
The flashbacks I've had were involuntary events. As a little boy I sustained a serious deliberate injury to my face, left side of my nose. The flashback involved me bolting upright out of near sleep, grabbing the (previously injured) part of my body that had been hurt, and shouting "No!" into a dark room.

I like Artista's method with the two stones for dealing with external Triggers. Due to my abuse, an external trigger might be someone who bears strong similarity to my father, and is manifesting external anger or attitude. This can give me an uptick in anxiety, sometimes a strong one expecially if I am in a room with a person like that. Aversion, my brain wants to avoid.

I have experienced many times free-wheeling and very high levels of sustained anxiety with fight/flight panic racing heart etc. my whole life. When my anxiety disorder is that elevated, I eat a low carbohydrate meal, drink a bunch of water, make sure I have taken any needed medication, lock the doors and go to bed.

When my anxiety is way up there, my judgement is impaired. So, that means I am too ill to function. Bed time. Sleep, maybe read. Some have recommended taking a really cold shower, too. Honest, I think this might be a good one, and very easy for me to forget when my anxiety is elevated.

Take care Sara Belle
 
I know most of the time what triggers me and am using self talk to control my mind from forcing my body to be involved in the process of an attack. I have been trying to see the sick person as someone else and I often tell her to be quiet. I just had a bad attack and the self talk really helped. I was able to have an hour of it instead of days. It is a lot of work as James said " When my anxiety is way up there, my judgment is impaired." I repeat to myself you are safe, peace, love, hope, you know who you are ect... I try and fill up on positive words and picture my dog Fizz. I also carry my grandmothers cross with me if I am going some where that I know I may have an attack. Artista is so right about staying in the here and now! I thought time travel was supposed to be fun. Peace to you Sara Belle. j
 
When in, or let's say having the type of flashbacks you just described the only way they let up for me is with a PRN medicine that takes too much time to take affect, (or through all night talk and/or suffering) and yet at one point or another while suffering, I fall asleep. In such instances it takes me time to remember to take the medicine before things get really bad, but overall I have improved in far fewer flashbacks and a quicker response with a PRN.

Now if I don't have a PRN, then I've simply suffered through it, while very much STUCK alternating back and forth between fight / freeze / flight responses for the next countless hrs. until I fall asleep from exhaustion.

What's the worst is when my brain can't seem to spend any length of time choosing fight, freeze, or a flight response, and I'm in a highly elevated anxiety condition / with intense physical pain / panicked / & then a suicidal state because my brain can't seem to select anything.

This is when it feels much like imploding from within, and then a dark thought of well maybe I'll just spontaneously combust. Ya' sure thing, how ridiculous, and I hadn't even gotten relief in that thought.

I've several times recently in the last 6 months had, (I don't like to say still have, and jinx myself,) severe flashbacks where I'd consider spontaneous combustion, as well as other flashbacks which are not as severe and are more representative of, a triggered state which doesn't escalate to far in comparison to the other, ...and these lighter triggered states, sometimes with flashbacks, don't result in me feeling like I'm dying and thinking thereafter suicidally.
 
Not much help here on this one SaraBelle, I know, and I'm sorry!

......As all I can say is I take a PRN and hopefully fall asleep sooner rather then later or else I just suffer until it passes and there again it only seems to quit after somehow I find sleep.

And, with far less severe flashbacks I simply hopefully come to the acknowledgement that this is what is happening and that I'm in a weakened state, having flashbacks and that is what it is, and accept everything, ...while trying my best to remove myself from family, people, places and things and I go off on my own for some time and space for a little while and I try and sit still or rest, perhaps dozing and finding myself a nap.
 
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