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The examples I posted were just two of my experiences with triggers, because I was looking for input as to whether or not they were flashbacks. I experience a lot of other symptoms including hypervigilance, hypersomnia, exaggerated startle response, nightmares, recurring thoughts, lack of...

Hmm, maybe I'll try my college's psychology department. I'll ask my therapist if that's something the school offers, since I already have an appointment with her. Thanks!

I was diagnosed with ASD about a week after the trauma and I continued in therapy until a little past the two month mark. At the time, my symptoms were improving a lot and my therapist basically insisted that my response was normal and the ASD would likely not develop into PTSD. It's now nearly...

My current diagnosis is acute stress disorder, which is supposed to go away with time, but then again I've had it for over 5 months now so I'm not sure :/

Thank you. I'm going to continue with therapy even if I have to wait until next semester to start seeing someone regularly, and hopefully the symptoms will get better and eventually go away. They've already gotten better since the summer, even if there's new ones. Also, I really like that...

My last therapist explained that PTSD symptoms are a normal response to an abnormal experience, so that's more or less how I see it. Sometimes I think that I'm crazy, but then I remember that anyone who had the same experience that I did would probably react the same way.

Your therapist isn't going to judge you! This is probably something they see all the time and I know it happens with lots of disorders, not just PTSD. I had similar behaviors as a child and teenager and I wasn't even traumatized until adulthood!

My hypervigilence is helpful sometimes. I survived a mass shooting over the summer and now I'm quick to call 911 any time I hear gunshots in my student apartment complex. It's usually not gunshots (once it was someone working on their roof, another time it was fireworks) but one time, it really...

Sometimes, it's quicker and easier to work with your professors directly, rather than trying to receive accommodations through student disability services. I'm not sure if you are undergrad or post-grad or what your class sizes are like, but if you happen to be in a situation where your...

I plan on going back to therapy. I'm going to finish this semester at my school's clinic (just to see if I still have acute stress disorder or if it's moving into PTSD territory), and then I will probably seek outside counseling next semester-- Somewhere where I can be seen weekly and they can...

I was only in counseling for two months after the shooting because that's how many sessions I was able to get through my school's counseling center before the end of the semester. It was "crisis intervention", which is basically brief/solution-focused therapy. There wasn't really a treatment...

That makes sense, and it sounds more like what I was experiencing than a flashback. I know that gunshots are a major trigger for me, but I never really understood what happens when someone is "triggered" (I always assumed it was just the fight/flight response or the exaggerated startle response)...

Background info: I was diagnosed with acute stress disorder about 5 months ago from a trauma that happened in June. I haven't been in counseling for about 3 months now, but the symptoms have continued (to a lesser extent). I'm not exactly sure what constitutes a flashback, since I never had one...

When you word a 911 call "I'm 90% sure that I heard gunshots" because you've been wrong before.

I listened to "Alive" by Sia on repeat for weeks after what happened at Pulse. The chorus is essentially "I'm still breathing, I'm alive" in repetition, which I actually used as a grounding phrase for a while. Other songs from the same album that I relate to are "Unstoppable", which is about...

I identify as asexual and I've never been in a relationship, so physical affection isn't something I'm used to. I was held a lot immediately after my trauma-- I spent a couple days with a friend since I didn't have access to my phone, car, house keys, or money and we pretty much cuddled...

Hello! My experience was not a school shooting, but it was a mass shooting at a nightclub. I found that there was not a specific topic for mass shooting survivors, so I figured I'd offer my experience since there may not be many of us. I actually plan on going into the education field within the...

Thanks @Friday and @pixel!

Hello! I'm new here as well. That happens to me sometimes. I'm not very open about my mental health issues outside of my own blog, but even in spaces that are meant to be supportive, people will question why I have PTSD symptoms because I'm young. Outside of the internet, people typically know...

Thank you!

Hello, I'm new to this site and I thought I'd introduce myself. I would prefer not to use my real name, but you can call me Amethyst since that's my birthstone (and I'm really into healing crystals). I was diagnosed with Acute Stress Disorder after surviving a mass shooting at my favorite...