Bone Chilling Cold

[shimmerz]

I many times will start to feel cold and curl up under a blanket. Thing is, it isn't cold like 'hey it is cold outside'. It is a deep in the bones cold. And their doesn't seem to be a reason for it. If I don't catch it soon enough I will literally stop being able to function at all because I am so freaking 'cold'.

Those who know me will know that I have a deep deep trigger of the cold itself, which is true. And I feel as if this feeling is exacerbated by cold weather (sets in more quickly and easily), but I get like this in all sorts of weather. Admittedly, it is more pronounces in the colder months.

Has anyone's T explained this to them at all? Are there any experiences any of you have with it?

Thank you.

 

[Gs172003]

I do that too but mostly in the am. No idea why.

 

[Deleted member 28740]

For me the homeopathic is still the helper (me and dog). This site a good flow chart style of diagnosis. Utah, might be cold, but Dog town is more than ever drawing me to the beauty. Move imminent. More private. Sending you woof warmth.

Dead Link Removed

 

[shimmerz]

Move imminent.

I hope this is something that brings you joy and peace my friend.

Ah, my old friend Potassium. Makes some sense to me. Thank you for the link!

 

[scout86]

I've had exactly that conversation with my T, believe it or not. A little different in that I don't attach any special significance to cold.

He had a very simple, scientific answer. It's my nervous system reacting to a perceived threat. Used to happen a lot when I got a phone call or email from my mom. I remember, when I got the call telling me my "adopted brother" had shot himself, suddenly I was freezing cold and shivering, even though it wasn't actually cold. Now, "feeling child when it's not" is one of my cues that I might be feeling a little stress and my body is paying attention, even if my brain isn't.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

He had a very simple, scientific answer. It's my nervous system reacting to a perceived threat.

Mine had the exact same answer. I swear we have the same therapist or at least they are brothers or something lol.

Mine is due to actually being bone chillin cold in my trauma as I was chained up outside naked when it was freezing outside. Granted its Florida but it does get cold here. Cold enough to need a jacket and at times into the 30s. So yeah, with nothing on, it's bone chilling cold. Wet cold at that which is much more "bone chilling" then dry cold.

Maybe body memories? Is there any trauma in the cold or when you were cold? Or a time where you were and couldn't warm up?

Body memories are rather weird to me. My therapist doesn't say those words. He says what Scout said. Or something of the sort. But i am sure, at least in my case, it is body memories.

 

[shimmerz]

Maybe body memories?

Hmmmmmm...... I hadn't actually thought of that.

And it seems to happen on days that it is cold out. Today I am fine but yesterday was not good at all. And come to think of it, I was working in a building that the owner hasn't put the heat on yet..... and it is cold in there I think.... but it is a cold - not sure if I can explain this - but do you ever walk inside a barn or some building where there is no heat - and it is cold but it is actually colder inside than outside? Because there is no sun?

How it felt in a car in the middle of the night. I actually went outside of the car to get away from that feeling.

Hmmmm.... that on topof the central nervous system going haywire.

Okay, this gives me some ideas about getting back into work maybe. Thank you.

 

[Friday]

Science Hat On ;)

Straight up, simple anxiety can cause that. It's part of the fight/flight response. Our bodies yank all of our blood to our core. It's both preparatory (gets our blood highly oxygenated/closer to our heart/lungs and vital organs), and protective (if cut on our limbs, even deeply, or shallowly anywhere on our bodies, we'll bleed waaaaaaaaay less).

While an adrenaline dump usually causes a cold feeling (icewater for blood), but that's a momentary thing, long running or heavy anxiety is a much more pervasive cold.

Part of that, aside from the cold rush of adrenaline? Our nerves also numb out when they've got restricted blood flow. Again, protective, but they're still sending messages. Just muted and delayed ones. The cold of ones skin and surface muscles? Sinks slowly into one's bones, instead. Physically, that's where the messages start sending. In the core of our limbs, and our bodies... To our brains.

The third piece to it is that our brains trick themselves into performing necessary actions. Like feeling cold during a fever is part of how we raise our internal temperature, feeling cold during danger is part of how we enact that hypothermia protocol of pulling blood to our centers.

It's ALSO all related to 'paradoxical undressing' & 'burrowing'.

G33k Out :D

***

On a personal level... I tend to start kicking into flashbacks when I get cold. Whether a it's cold weather, or cold fear. Which means it may only be 50 degrees out, and I'm "warm" & dry. (C-c-c-cold). But am reliving bits of being soaking wet and cold for days (read months), my hair freezing to the ground, my clothes freezing on me, having to break the ice on top of the water flowing over me in the morning to wake up, the constant risk of ever present frost burn blackening into bite, and other fun things :wtf: So I've got another bit of cold added on to what's already a vicious cycle.

 

[Recovery4Me]

I cannot express how helpful this thread has been for me! I want to thank you Shim for opening it up.

In all my years of therapy, I have never mentioned my body temperature! Yet I have been cold most of my life, even in the warm geographic locations.

Everyone's therapist explanation as well as Fridays science made basic common sense. This is truly one of my lightbulb moments.

Thank you everyone for the little things that seem to connect major dots .

 

[scout86]

As kind of an extra, added attraction, one of the assorted weird things my T dabbles in is biofeedback. He gave me this little thermometer deal and suggested I practice raising and lowering the temperature of my hands and feet. Under the right circumstances, I can raise the temperature of my hands more than anyone else he's seen. A's sometimes or does exactly the opposite of what I'm trying to get it to do. It's kind of fun to play around with. Our might even be useful.

 

[shimmerz]

It's ALSO all related to 'paradoxical undressing' & 'burrowing'.

Thank you, yes, I recall this thread and that it resonated with me. I thought you may have some ideas on the cold thing as well as I recall that cold was a component in your traumas Friday. I can't even imagine what you have been through.

So I've got another bit of cold added on to what's already a vicious cycle.

Yes, and this seems to be the tricky part for me. Coldness itself which paradoxically leads to a 'trauma cold' reaction which magnifies the original feeling of coldness. A body memory leading to a trauma shut down which kicks me out for hours!

It seems reasonable based on past history to tackle the body memory issue first. I will need to post another thread because, although I have done so before, I can't remember how. And I need to deal with this ASAP. Pronto.

Thing is, I could be wearing 15 layers of clothes, but if ANY part of me feels that dark coldness, I am done. I spent yesterday afternoon AGAIN until 15 layers of blankets and it as freaking 10 degrees outside - but there was no sun.

Yet I have been cold most of my life, even in the warm geographic locations.

Actually, I just put that together as well, thank you back, Recovery. Now that I think of it, my oldest son who loves me so used to turn the heat on in the car full blast 'in case I was cold' - in the summer. That snide remark aside, he did have a point. I wasn't cold all the time - but when I got cold it was like this.... bone chilling always. There was no middle ground.

Thinking back, this would have started long before my 'sleeping in the car' days. CAS has it documented. So it makes sense. Thank you. Both of you.

 

[shimmerz]

He gave me this little thermometer deal and suggested I practice raising and lowering the temperature of my hands and feet. Under the right circumstances, I can raise the temperature of my hands more than anyone else he's seen.

So is this something that could be used to deal with this? Actually let me post this in a Body Memory posting. Thanks scout.