Does This "trigger" Make Sense? Curious To Know Your Thoughts.

[Eedara]

when ever a loud or, sudden noise happens i freak out, i freeze, cower, try to hide, cry. It's strange because the events i was involved in were quiet. Just me and my ex in a quiet room. Yet, noise sends me into a panic. My boyfriend suggested, and i wonder what you all think of, perhaps fear is my trigger and not noise. I get a little startled and its like im attacked. Ive read that certain noises can be triggers for people but for me it can be any noise, a train in the distance, the cat knocking a book over, her meow sometimes even, a coffee cup landing a bit too hard on a table, a car playing music as it drives past as some examples. Since my tramatic events occurred in almost total silence (only his calm,yet threatening voice) is it odd that noise can catch me off guard and affect me so? Since I'm high functioning autistic I've always been sensitive to noise, but obviously before it never caused me to hide crying into pillow before my ex caused his damage. Any thoughts?

 

[Fadeaway]

Yeah, I am like that, living in a constant state of hyper awareness and yet not being prepared for the noise can certainly do it. Any thing that can catch you off guard can be dangerous.

 

[Eedara]

. Any thing that can catch you off guard can be dangerous.

yeah, that's true.

 

[catjudo]

I'm not sure that what you're describing would really be called a trigger. It sounds like an exaggerated startle response which is a symptom of PTSD. If it still seems like something other than an exaggerated startle response, maybe you can check out this thread for more insight into triggers. https://www.myptsd.com/threads/stressor-vs-trigger-what-is-a-trigger.9903/

 

[Deleted member 20280]

It sounds like an exaggerated startle response which is a symptom of PTSD.

I would have to totally agree with @catjudo on this point. There are numerous different sypmtoms with PTSD that not all sufferers seem to get. We all differ aand this to me would be a sign of a hyper-vigilant state as well as when I have beeen at my highest anxiety rating I startle like a scared kitten. ( ME a bull necked mean ole looking Santa_the-ex-squaddie)

My startle is the same now as it has been all my life due to the abuses I sufferered. Again I will aggree with Catjudo in that the quoted thread would be a really good one to read through.

Laurie

 

[Mystery]

Hi Eedara, I'm sorry to hear that you have experienced such a thing. If you are a very sensitive person already that is alot to go through.

Yes, I think, for me anyway, that it is the fear of the unknown and not being in control that causes the paralyzing reaction. You could be having reactions from very deep pre-verbal memories and imprinting too. Even unborn babies have a startle response, I can remember my baby jumping inside me once when a whole lot of metal pots crashed to the floor in the kitchen. So evolution has wired us for nice quiet noises and not loud ones.

When I'm in a hyper-vigilant state any sudden noise will cause me to startle, it doesn't even have to be loud. Like even ones that aren't loud at all. A text message going off or a door opening. If you experienced trauma in an almost silent environment I imagine that you may now also associate silence with trauma? Maybe the noise that breaks the silence is actually the trigger and it's the breaking of the silence that is causing you to be 'triggered'. You don't realize it until the silence is broken even by a 'gentle' sound. I could be wrong, I'm just offering you some food for thought. Have you done any therapy exploring your reactions?

 

[Eedara]

thanks for the replies everyone, good points. I'll definitely read that thread catjudo, later.

Mystery, I've not had any therapy of any sort since i was 18(the same age i was properly diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum) before that I was forced to go to various professionals since i was a toddler. None of them helped me, though i think it did damage being told my entire life something is wrong with me and forced to take medication that did nothing but cause unpleasant side effects (which sometimes were incorrectly added to a false diagnosis instead of assuming the meds were bad, i was) i dated a sociopath at 24 and that's what has caused certain symptoms to appear, though when i was younger ptsd was on a list two miles long of what was possibly wrong with me, i never had issue with it until after certain events happened with my ex. Im 26 now.

 

[Mystery]

Eedara there is a site by Dr George Simon for people who have been in relationships with various paths, it's brilliant and so is he. It's called dealing with manipulative people, I've read alot of material in my life and been married to and had children with two psychopaths and a sociopath and I can honestly say that Dr Simon's articles are the best and most spot on I've found in my 45 yrs. It has a blog for each article like this site too and you can talk to other survivors about this specifically as well as use this ptsd for support too. I highly recommend you do, the education you get from looking at the whole thing gives you a better sense of empowerment. :-)