Horse Trainer Curious About Desensitivity Treatment For PTSD Sufferers

[Gloria]

A few weeks ago, on television there was a documentary on PTSD. In the documentary, they gave the example of someone driving in a car and the danger that this situation presented. The documentary made that point that PTSD sufferers are indeed exposed to other potentially life threatening situations (and they were referring to driving an automobile) but it is so common and we are so exposed and de-sensitized that we don’t perceive danger. Interestingly, the PTSD sufferer will perceive danger that doesn’t exist because of a reaction in their body.

I would like to share that I do horse rescue and have trained horses that were nervous wrecks because of abuse and neglect. I de-sensitize the horses who are afraid by exposing them to whatever they are afraid of in small doses and then gradually increasing the stimulus. For example, horses are terrified of plastic bags because they fly around in the wind and make a crackling sound. I will begin by waving a plastic bag quite distance from the horse when he doing something he likes (eating oats usually) and then expose the horse to the bag by moving closer and eventually I am able to rub the horse all over with the bag and make noise.This happens over a period of days or weeks not hours.

My biggest PTSD challenge is because fourteen months ago I was tackled by three 250 lb. police officers, arrested and treated very badly at the jail. I had a seizure while in custody at the jail due to the pain of the dislocated shoulder caused when police dragged me by my arms while my hands were handcuffed behind my back. (Yes, I do have a lawyer and I am taking this to court.) When at the lockup, the personnel wouldn’t even tell me why I was being arrested and told me I had no rights since 9/11. (Eventually, they charged me with disorderly conduct?? and I had to pay $100 fine.) Having had a long history of PTSD, the incident was extremely traumatic. I was at the jail for eight hours. I have been seeing a therapist to receive EMDR treatments and I am doing everything I can do to de-sensitize myself. I bring cookies to the police station down in the area. I stand next to the police and look at the badges and uniforms so that I can de-sensitize myself to the visual image of a big man with uniform. I have read all these posts about people being triggered. Well, I hate to sound like an imbecile but shouldn’t we try to de-sensitize when we feeling rational and calm so that when we are not in such a good place (tired, stressed, etc.) and encounter a trigger, we can mitigate the effect?

Recently I watched one of the Harry Potter movies. In one scene, Harry is in a class where the instructor has the students face their worse fear and cast a spell that sounds like “ridiculous” on the feared image and it turns into something comical. Now, what would you think if I got pictures of the police officers and put their heads on a woman’s body or something “ridiculous” so that I would get to the point where I looked at their pictures and laughed? I know that humor is one of the effective ways to treat PTSD. Does anyone think like me? I know that it can be extremely difficult for people who are traumatized to see any humor in their trauma. I have been able to look back and find humor in some horrible situations. Is this common among PTSD sufferers? Isn’t humor a good way to de-sensitize?

 

[Deleted member 541]

Absolutely, I agree 100%.....Facing your trauma, and being triggered is the best way to move forward. Yes, it hurts like hell, it's awful to live though again, and again, but desensitizing is the only way to stop you from being triggered in the first place.....It works, but has to be done in a healthy manner. I don't recommend anyone triggering themselves over and over, without taking breaks in between, and learning grounding techniques......

Humor is good, but when it's used to avoid the situation, then it isn't a good thing. It depends on the reason for the humor at the time. I use to use humor as a way to not look at my trauma, to avoid, and to laugh it off.....I did this for years, and years. When I finally got serious, I realized that using the humor, the way that I did, I actually hurt myself more....

 

[Tiger Kitten]

I have had some success doing what you are describing. I have also pushed myself too far and sent myself over the edge as well. There's a fine line between desensitizing and pushing yourself into panic mode/flashbacks etc. Some triggers aren't really possible to desensitize one's self from. For example, thunder is one of my worst triggers. I do not get triggered at all from fake thunder just real thunder. When I know a storm is coming I start to panic. I have tried everything I can think of to try to desensitize myself with this trigger. I still dive under things when it thunders. Not only does it invoke my exaggerated startle reflex but it also triggers flashbacks. The only way to really get rid of the flashbacks is to deal with the trauma that caused the flashbacks.

I do laugh at my reaction to thunder. I make jokes about it a lot. I have been known to dive under the check out conveyor thing when it thundered and come out from under it totally flashing back and waving like Miss America. I can imagine just what it looks like to other people who have witnessed it and I have to laugh especially at the look on their faces.

I also laugh at some of my humorous suicide attempts. The laughter kept me going for many many years. It also wore me out to the point where I am now. Laughter is a good short term solution to the frustration of having to deal with the symptoms. I do not believe it is possible to laugh your way into a cure though. You really do have to deal with the underlying issues. (Oh yeah, not everyone thinks some things are funny. I guess it's an acquired taste in humor?)

 

[seaworthy]

For me, too much re-exposure too soon is a bad thing. Just as is total avoidance of the Trauma or altering the effects of such chemically when not necessary.

Concerning the creatures with fur (or coats), were it not for the animals I rescued in my 18 years of hell, I would have had no sense of love at all to get me through it.

seaworthy

 

[sunnylove]

I've been in horses for a majority of my life, and I know horses help a lot with desensitization and mental health problems, etc. My friend who has PTSD started working around horses, and he found it was very calming. He has his own horse now, and he has said it's very good to have something he can feel safe showing affection to, and his horse definitely shows affection towards him. She is very good for him. I believe that having this horse has been a good halfway point in trusting people.

 

[helena]

Animals teach damaged people how to love again (imho)

Great thread.

 

[JohnnyM53]

I am of the same opinion as Tiger Kitten and I, too, laughed at my reaction, past and present. Kind of funny to see me react when I'm - say sweeping outside - a bumble bee comes out of no one and buzzes near my head. I go down like Get Smart did in his phone booth.

And today I laugh at some of my suicide attempts, the drama that was involved, etc., though it sure wasn't funny at the time.

For the first half of my life, going for a haircut was anxiety producing big time. Doctors and dentists - forget it - I'd rather die. I almost chopped my leg off once with a car grinder, which is like an orbital sander, and cut my leg down to the bone but refused to go the hospital. But today, none of these bother me because of exposure and CBT like thinking.

Sudden sounds do trigger me now and then and I can't control my reaction. For example, if Yahoo is open and a friend comes on line, a sound plays, and sometimes I get a startle response. I can get such a response even if I know the sound is coming. So no amount of work, desensitization, or humor has worked completely.

But I did eliminate or calm down reactions, fears, anxiety, etc., for example public speaking or stand up comedy performing, by exposing myself over and over again to a situation.

 

[anni]

I've trained horses all my life. We used to buy thoroughbreds off the track at the claiming races and make show jumpers out of them, so I know what you mean! These things are trained to go OFF when that bell rings and desensitizing them is the first step. Funny I never put 2 and 2 together like you did but of course you are exactly correct. Desensitizing by facing triggers is key. It IS hard, and of course you don't have a nice trainer walking you through it every step, showing you how safe it really is and putting you in a nice warm stall with a hay net at the end of the day.

Everyone is probably different I think though. You might want to test your tolerance a bit before plunging in to weathering your triggers. Like you pointed out, when you're working with horses, especially tempermental ones, you slowly aclimate them to that plastic bag. I don't know if I ever worked with any horses who ended up completely comfortable when provoked, they just tolerated the stimulation. Sometimes that's good also, I think.

I liked your humour comment an awful lot. Sure, we can't cover our pain by laughing it off because that's just a mask of course. Being able to look at things sideways and getting a laugh out of it can't be anything other than healing. If you can make some big schmuck of a bully look silly enough to laugh at in your head, then maybe you've just disempowered the scumbag.

I'm glad you're able to laugh, and thanks for the horse analogy. I can't believe I never connected that one myself!

Take care,

Anni

 

[Manic11]

I completely agree. Exposing yourself to these things are important but there is a line.
If you are not ready to expose yourself to something and you really force yourself to, that can sometimes only make things worse. When you're ready, I believe it is important to expose yourself to certain things and in moderation.

Also, good job with the plastic bag thing! I'm also a horse trainer and have used the same technique. :)

Manic

 

[Gloria]

After I wrote the post I realized something that puzzles me. I am not afraid of horses. They have broken my ribs, knocked me unconsious, broken my nose, attacked me, tried to buck me off (I don't come off easy), bit me and in general I have been the biggest cause of injuries throughout my life. Yet, I get beat up once by cops and I'm totally freaking out whenever I think of the incident. Why? I can have a terrible experience with a horse yet I am working immediately afterward. I think it is because I feel this is an area that I feel very confidant in. I absolutely adore horses and never think of them as evil when they do something wrong. I guess I don't have the same trust of people?? I don't know. But horse are 1,000 lbs. animals with sharp hooves, dangerous teeth and they have a brain the size of a plum and can panic and over-react at any time. Go figure!

 

[onebravegirl]

Funny how many of us love horses. And NO it is not a chick thing! Ever read Monty Roberts stuff? He talks about how at least a couple of women will faint during his clinics. Horses, and animals in general are not capable of evil. What you expect from them is not the same as what you expect from trained cops who are supposed to serve and protect. You would never ask a horse to protect you would you? A Cop on the other hand is obligated too.

Check out some of the threads here about humour. I beleive it is Key to sanity. And humanity. I totally agree with all the comments about taking it slow and careful about self exposure therapy. We do have Cops on here. Good fine people and taking the time to get to know them will help you see that they are just people trying like everyone else. You may also get validation that not all Officers are alike.
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