Poll Did Ptsd Make Your Senses More Acute?

[TxGyspy]

I never associated my heightened sense of smell with PTSD...just thought I was taking after my Grandma. Interesting.

Yep, hypervigilance. My reaction speed has changed out of all recognition! Pre-PTSD if I dropped something it generally hit the floor before I could think about catching it. Now, I usually catch it before it has dropped more than a couple of inches....ninja reflexes! Seems like my peripheral vision is better and especially at seeing things move.

Noise! I messed up a couple of months ago and thought that it would surely be less stressful to take the Amtrak train on a long trip than to drive. Oh boy was I wrong! Stuffed into a car with a hundred or so of the 'general public' and none of them had any sense of personal space or respect for others. The earplugs I had weren't nearly enough. It took every once of willpower I had to sit there and shake rather than start swinging. It's a wonder more people don't loose it and start pounding fellow passengers into the ground on that thing!

 

[Shellbell]

My senses and hypervigilance have always been there for 20 years since the worst trauma's. But it has worsened since the severe PTSD symptoms kicked in this year.

Things like sensitivity to noise, startle response, constantly being on guard, intolerance to crowds, social anxiety have all worsened considerably.

And I am constantly hot as well. People comment on how warm my body is, but my hands and feet are cold.

 

[Grace Hope]

Over9000,

I used to be a werewolf but i`m alright noooooowwwww!

 

[Legend]

Man I am shocked, I never thought about this subject and how it has enhanced my sences, I hear the smallest sound and my sence of smell is through the roof. I noticed that my sences were more acute a few years back but never thought it was connected to PTSD. Other people have commented about my hearing and its really strange that I also have very bad scarring in my left ear.

 

[aka]

Not sure how to answer since I have had PTSD half my life. I honestly don't know if my senses are more acute than normal. I do know that I can walk down a street and smell fresh paint but can't see where it is. I also know for having had glasses since I was eight I have excellent peripheral vision. So I am guessing that the answer is yes but I am unable to confirm it.

 

[esse]

Hearing is definitely more acute. Right after the PTSD kicked in I couldn't watch any of the Law & Order series because of the "doink doink". My sense of smell is also heightened.

 

[Changing4Best]

I was abused sexually from the time of my earliest memories, so I don't know if this counts or not, but my senses are very alert and I notice things that others don't quite often, especially visually. My audio is not far behind either, except that I have trouble hearing a few consonants, but it is still very over-aware if that is a word?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I said slightly but I do have very acute hearing.

This poll is valid only for adult PTSD sufferers or those who weren't traumatized in childhood. (Only those who have a before and after can answer truthfully.)

 

[RockChick]

I am now some sort of X Man. Which is kinda cool...but not really.

 

[InvisibleSun]

Vision and Hearing are always on point for me. All senses are heightened significantly in any unfamiliar or crowded locations..

 

[I'm not Spiderman]

I thought I was the only one!!!! I didn't even know this was even linked to ptsd.

I had stress/depression due to trauma, I had no idea it came with physical symptoms. Funnily though - these all appeared after trauma.

- Photophobia - confirmed by my optician. my eyes are super light sensitive. Sometimes even standing outside during a normal day is too much and I have to wear sunglasses. I had all but one tube light removed from above my desk at work it was too bright.
- Heightened hearing - I hear EVERYTHING. Even when I am asleep I can hear what is going on in the rest of the house. Everything is SO LOUD. I can hear things people don't. If I am in a busy restaurant at lunchtime and I'm facing outside, I can hear people at the other end of the restaurant. I can hear what people are whispering about halfway down my office or out in the corridors (a lot of people joke about me having a "spidey sense") I wear earplugs as much as possible.
-Touch - super sensitive to others touch or people standing near me. Commuting to work is TORTURE.
- Super awareness - I think is linked to hypervigilance but I am super aware of danger and potential situations. Someone earlier up said they would be perfect as a crime scene witness because they remember everything - same here. Hypervigilance means I sometimes can be on edge for no reason I have to stop everything and remind myself I am safe.
- Intuition - linked to super awareness/touch I feel. I think someone else said this but sometimes I just KNOW if I want to connect with someone more or just get the hell away from them. Also linked to sound. When I feel safe/comfortable with certain people my hearing calms down. The world is quieter/calmer. I actually feel relief, I feel safe and I actively realise this and that I want to be around this person more. These are the people I gravitate towards. I can't explain it but people that bring trouble/negativity for me are people I consider "loud" - life is louder when I am around them and they are always people I define as "trouble" - it's like they come with a warning signal.

Everyone thanks for sharing I thought I was just going crazy here.

 

[Justmehere]

Sometimes my senses are so sensitive I have been diagnosed with sensory integration disorder. Then once they realized I had PTSD, they figured it was all the PTSD. It gets to the point that I struggle with sound so much I have a hard time making out words of someone speaking to me from the background noise. EVERYTHING is loud, too loud. Every touch is too strong. Every smell is so intense.

At other times, when I am dissociative, my senses are very dulled. I can struggle to feel how hot or cold the air outside is I can't taste much. I can sometimes feel pain but struggle to localize it and tell where the pain is coming from. I will often bump into things without realizing it and never feeling the bump until I become more grounded and present.