Does Anyone Know?

[TLight]

Over the past several months, when I'm triggered badly or waking from nightmares, I go into these long and exhausting body shakes and tremors that I just sort of have to ride out. They last sometimes up to an hour, or until I finally take a klonopin.

Could this possible be some of the trauma energy working its way out of me, expressing itself, or am I having some kind of trauma body flashback that is ingraining the pathways more and that I should attempt to halt?

 

[deer_in_headlights]

Hi TLight!

Dr. Peter Levine, in his books "Waking the Tiger", and his latest: "In An Unspoken Voice: How The Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness" talks about this.

The shaking and tremors are actually a very good sign, and you put your finger right on it... the trauma energy working its way out of you.

One of my Trauma Ts is using "Somatic Experiencing" with me as part of my therapy, and he is always very glad and encouraging when I start to shake - it's a good sign: the body coming out of the Freeze state.

You can shorten the shaking time by making running motions or pushing hard against a wall or other solid object... Then you start doing self-nurturing and soothing, comforting things for yourself. (I get through the process a lot quicker, doing this, and haven't needed to use klonopin.)

Sending good wishes,
Deer

 

[TLight]

Thanks Deer;
I wondered if I was making myself worse or better. Now I'll try to ride them out with the overriding thought that I'm hopefully getting better. Still they are awful body memories I guess. Can't come out of me like real memories..........but my body is expressing them.
Boy, must of been really awful things.............

 

[Marlene]

Hey Terri,

When dealing with my traumas in therapy, I found myself shaking uncontrollably. It was very disconcerting. I just couldn't stop it no matter how I tried. My therapist said that the energy from the emotions had been, basically, 'put away' and now that I'm dealing with the event(s), that energy is finding its way out. And like, DIH said, my therapist told me it's a good thing. It is exhausting, though.

Also, when I was on klonopin daily for a year, I didn't have a memory of the nightmares that I was having (due to the klonopin) but I did have the physical symptoms of the shaking, crying, nausea, etc. It took a while for the affects to wear off. Looking back, I've found when you start shaking the can the worms drop where they will and you have to deal with them as they land.

Tough stuff, hon. ((((Hugs))))
Lisa

 

[Abrasky]

I'm not sure if this is the same thing as I don't have nightmares before them, but I have had times where I shook so much, I actually had no strength and had to sit down for 10 minutes. I couldn't pick up my son because I was that weak, It came with the worst bout of crying that I have ever experienced. However it did get easier, now I just feel a bit weak. I often wonderred about body memories before this. I don't now lol.

It was when I was getting better, it just took this huge physical reaction to push the memory out of my system I think. I've experienced shock before, this was shock.

 

[Kb3]

I have PTSD from being awake and paralysed under a general anaesthetic. I was having a benign bone tumour removed and they used a drill to clean the margins, much like a dentist uses one on a cavity.

About a year after the surgery I was at the the dentist's, having an actual cavity filled. I went into the same frozen state as I had during the surgery and when she was finished it would be fair to say that I was in shock. I had never had that reaction with a dentist before, but it was fairly obvious to me why it had happened.

I was okay enough to go home and made it there ok, but as soon as I arrived I went straight to bed and laid there crying and shaking for a good while. It must have been the traumatic energy being released.

I realise now the value of "listening to your body". It was a very good thing to have happen, unpleasant as it was. I have no problems going to the dentist now(although I am a champion flosser - wonder why?) and don't have any residual traumatic effects from it. Can't say the same about general anaesthetics, but one day I may just get over it.

 

[pontifixmax]

Over the past several months, when I'm triggered badly or waking from nightmares, I go into these long and exhausting body shakes and tremors that I just sort of have to ride out. They last sometimes up to an hour, or until I finally take a klonopin.

Could this possible be some of the trauma energy working its way out of me, expressing itself, or am I having some kind of trauma body flashback that is ingraining the pathways more and that I should attempt to halt?

When I went to treatment for my drinking last year I was encouraged by my counsellor there to write about the sexual abuse I experienced as a kid. That in itself was hard but what was even harder was reading it aloud in group therapy for I was shaking throughout and for several minutes after I finished reading. When I got home from treatment I read the same piece to my counselor here and still shook throughout. However, as bad as it was it wasn't as bad as it was the first time reading it. Over the last few months of talking in therapy about the abuse it still isn't easy but one thing I've noticed is that the shaking has subsided significantly. The only conclusion I can come to is that thru shaking I've come to terms with the initial shock of what actually happened to me and am now beginning the journey of working on healing from what injured me.

 

[Hylie Random]

AHA!

Yes, I shake when I get recall or have extreme emotions these days. Usually just my hands though...but it's rather wierd when my legs start bouncing and I'm sort of crying and bobbling around.

 

[Artfulone]

For myself I tend to percieve shaking as a generally positive sign. It is sometimes termed as myoclonus, myoclonic muscle shaking and myoclonic muscle spasms. I feel that it is part of a release of attachment to energy from the mental, emotional and spiritual bodies through the medium of the physical body. I am six years into therapy and get shakes like this loads less than a few years ago. In kinesiology and other therapies the different muscles and other tissues hold different types of emotional attachment in different parts of the body. When one goes into spasm one is eliciting a concentrated form of release from attachment within ones' body, bodies and being. Remember such things are highly sought after in sexual orgasm and normally considered very healthy when experienced in sex. When one experiences symptoms of panic attacks and panic disorder ones' physical body normally shakes and metaphorically this could be seen as trying to shake parts of the attachment to trauma off.

 

[Queen Boudica]

Gosh I think I do shake when I am talking about traumatic stuff to the psychologist. Just thought it was because I was nervous, but it did seem a bit funny that I was so nervous after seeing him for quite a while. This all makes sense now.

I also sometimes get the feeling of shaking/trembling on the inside of me but it is not visible externally.

 

[Tosh]

When I have a vivid flashback that is connected to a strong emotion, (that has been locked up for years) I shake too. Once it lasted for a whole day. I agree with above, to self nuture. It dosen't make it go away, but makes riding it out a little better. I just keep telling myself "this too shall pass".

 

[Laur16]

We will all heal in time. Nothing is easy, the flashbacks are horrific. I have learned to accept the pain and have stopped fighting it. Once you let the pain in you can slowly begin to heal.