Startle Response

[the racha]

Hey, pianogirl. The startle response is definitely a bummer. What my response lacks in severity, it makes up for in volume. At my worst, I am startled by almost anything-- hearing a doorknob open, a particularly loud commercial, my dog barking. I also get disturbed when people move things without asking me first; for example, if my mom moves the remote control from one table to another. I would also be extremely startled by the act of waking up-- dang, I was in pretty bad shape!! I'd just open my eyes and freak out.

My meds have helped me with this, so that now my startle response only really acts up when I am stressed or anxious as opposed to all of the time, all day long. It is totally exhausting, especially when I raise my shoulders up to my ears or assume a "defensive" posture all day long without even noticing. Headaches galore.

Good luck.

 

[Yumeko-chan]

My startle response has been up a little bit this year, but it only happens when I'm at work. I'll be walking one of the main aisles of the store and I'll sense a male customer behind me and turn around to look at him, just to confirm to myself he's not a threat. I dunno, I feel like one's just gonna walk up to me and shoot me. I can't explain why I feel that way (besides the fact I was in a shooting, duh), but....yeah, I just don't know.

 

[Manic11]

It is totally exhausting, especially when I raise my shoulders up to my ears or assume a "defensive" posture all day long without even noticing.

I know this all too well...
I do the same thing as well as clench my teeth all day. Then when I open my jaw, its locked or tight. So frustrating... not to mention exhausting..

 

[jeapea]

hmm. I don't know if I can remember a time in my life that I didn't "startle" at just about anything. I still do. I'm 'jumpy'. Hypervigilant. Always 'at the ready' ... and almost always on the fight to defend or protect myself.

not good.... wish it would go away and leave me alone. I know the original cause for it... and subsequent events that kept it going... or made it worse.. and then.. there's the joker that thinks it's funny to 'scare me like that' and uses it to antagonize me.... great entertainment for him!
ha ha... very funny... grrrr....

I've been feeling 'murderous' lately because of a particular 'antagonist' in my life. So I've withdrawn again... "isolated" myself... shut down... or I go work outside where I can be productive in some way.....

I wish I could take a pill. I'm allergic so that's out.... so there's just time... calm... find a quiet spot and regroup. We aren't going anywhere. me and my ptsd.............
so I guess we'll just have to learn to live together.

 

[kers]

It has really helped me to both accept that my startle will always be with me, but also to realize that its severity comes and goes. When it gets bad, it stays bad for weeks, but eventually it does ease up and I am less hair-triggered. My anti-depressant helps lower the reactivity, and so does making sure that I am eating and sleeping well and managing my other stresses. Keeping myself balanced makes me less likely to react strongly.

 

[KingsOmega]

Before I even knew it, I had spun around and was ready to punch his lights out.

LOL I've done this too! A friend tapped me on the shoulder at the video store one night and I whirled around ready to fight. I felt like a crazy person when I realized what was going on and saw the look or horror on their face though.

I'm very jumpy. People at work think I focus very intently because I jump every time I see someone at the door. I seem to be a little better at home but I have days that I'm jumping around here too.

 

[cec]

I'm trying to understand what is a normal startle response?

This evening while walking my dog, I was way off in la la land, and I didn't notice a large black dog that appeared right at my feet. I clutched my clothes (I always do this when startled) and my heart pounded like crazy, then I got angry. Two people started talking to me but I found it really hard to understand what they were saying. It takes me a while to settle.

My wife says I startle easily and she likes to have fun with it when we watch movies because my whole body jerks at the least scary things.

cec

cec

 

[fin]

I am wondering that myself cec, I feel a little bewildered, is there any such thing as a normal startle response? I dont think there is, THis is only my opinion but you are so not alone in how you are feeling right now. And I wish there was some way I could convey how I am really feeling right now.

Startled just doesnt seem to be the right word at present.

I do completely understand what you have written I just have nothing at all in reserve to even think tonight now.

Sometimes, you know I do competely get what you have said here, I struggle when two people even just one sometimes speaks to me... I am not able to take it in at all sometimes. And the jumpiness you have spoken of, yes I get that also...and now tonight a little tightness in my chest, but I feel less startled than I did maybe 10 minutes ago now.

I guess maybe I am working through this afterall, it feels like ...just soo weird right now. So incrediby weird, I am startled and yet I have not completely lost it. So maybe it doesnt matter what the response is or the norm for being startled, it is that we can recognise it and learn from it. And being EXPOSED to it can help I think. Because it is my opinion that we can learn to manage this, I am seeing changes, just.. shhh (shh!!-......right now this minute-I really couldnt tell you much about what they are or anything else...just that they do happen, we can recognise aspects of pTSD, and that I think exposure therapy and also learning how to manage ourselves through it some -well it can help us to live and ...thats it thats all I got right now cec... everyone! ).

~fin

I also have too many and variable startle responses, I just want to say tho' that it is somehow altering in some way.

 

[cec]

Hey fin,

Someone above mentioned about being hypervigilant. a constant state for many of us. It would not take much to cause a person in such a state to become startled. I thnk perhaps being aware of this hypervigilant state would be most helpful. Being startled is a current event that has tentacles reaching into our traumatic pasts; so no wonder you and all of us, can feel confused about how we feel when it happens.

I'm personally wondering though, if my startling is normal not in the sense that those with PTSD are known to startle, but more in the sense of comparing my experience with someone who does not have PTSD and gets startled. Sorry, I should have made this clearer.

cec

 

[malibran]

I am new here but your posting was very interesting because I work in an area of teaching that deals with exactly this; the startle pattern. I suggest you google up FM Alexander technique the teachers work with this and help students overcome the jumpy and agitated state they are in. It is too long to go into here but you may find this very helpful.
malibran

 

[naturalfirebrand]

Starle Reflex To The Extreme

I can jump at anything. Just having my cat walk into my line of sight will do it.

I get tired of calming others who witness it, I try to say that it is no big deal and to ignore it. I cannot ignore it because it hurts. It is like your entire body contracts at once with no previous notice. My back has severe arthritis and I wonder if this could be one of the causes.

If you want to really concern others be on a plane and jump because the landing gear doors just opened. In todays paranoid society that can cause major overreactions.

I have told my pdoc that if he could only fix one thing please fix that. His answer was that my body has been programed this way for so long the odds are it will never go away.

Linda

 

[CCurry]

My bf's startle response is so bad then when I break the silence I have to whisper, just my regular voice will put him on the ceiling.

Yikes!