How Do You Feel Trauma In Your Body?

[greycrayon]

Feeling that I don't exist inside my body.
Sometimes being surprised by my name of reflection
Feeling that my left breast/upper arm is separate from the rest of my body
Gagging/spitting
Sensitivity to light and sound
Exhaustion, but difficulty to relax enough to sleep
Feeling that I am flotsam washed up on a beach and unable to move
Feeling that there should be cuts just above my elbows
Not able to have things resting around my neck.

 

[ghotiff]

It's funny (not) that so many of those physical symptoms listed above I have but have often believed that everyone has them and I'm just a hypochondriac. I think this is why I "like" vomiting as this is a clear sign that I'm not exaggerating or making it up, where as stomach cramps are more difficult to guage the reality of (even when they are incapacitating).

 

[greenleaf]

@ghotiff -- I still have trouble believing that my symptoms are "real", or it's like they are not in the same reality as the people around me. Having a great physical therapist who can tell loads of things my muscles and joints are doing (and help them!) without me having to talk about them is extremely helpful. Needing to tell medical people lots of things about my symptoms causes me problems... it's like part of me is watching them for any sign of doubt, and I think I really easily over-interpret whatever facial expressions they have as being doubt, or blame... the fun alternative is getting more and more numb while explaining something about my symptoms or history, maybe due to fear? not quite sure (yet) about that but I definitely lose track of being "here" in the more relaxed way that I sometimes can get into. And definitely prefer.

So anyhow I'm glad that the PT can tell my muscles have knots, joints are bound up and whatever without me having to keep saying things and thus derealization? that state was a default for a long long time for me, "normal", so doesn't scare me, and I only recently notice it. Having the muscles un-knotting is connected to changing my default state -- it feels like anyhow.

 

[The Albatross]

I have a significant amount of difficulty discerning what is legit physical ailment and what is trauma related. Frankly I was quite ill for a long time legitimately and not only myself but also peers/family/physicians wrote it off to being psychological. It wasn't. After that I have decided that I can't make astute or accurate decisions about much other than the sexual dysfunction (vaginismus) in which I have both physical and a definite psychological component.

Now that being said, how my body carries stress... THAT is easier and more accurate.

 

[sun seeker]

Nausea
Shortness of breath
Shakiness
Tunnel vision
Shallow breathing
Migraines
Stiff muscles
Dry mouth
Insomnia (is that a physical symptom?)
Variety of somatic symptoms in flashbacks
Fatigue
Dizziness
Collapsing to the floor (not quite fainting, but close)
Difficulty with movement in general, wanting to stay very still (extension of freeze response)
Experiencing emotional pain almost the same as physical pain, but unable to locate it... not sure if this makes sense, I'm just recently realizing it.

 

[void]

This thread is EXCELLENT!
Thanks to @PTSDbegone for starting it.

The 'line' between mental and physical manifestations of PTSD does NOT exist!
It is a human-made false distinction.
We have taken categorization of physical vs. mental too far.
There is no hard line between the two.
I don't use the mind/body distinction any more.

~~~Tell yourself "my mind is my body and my body is my mind" and the confusion evaporates.

~~~I just say my "being" is shaking or nervous or fatigued or tight or dizzy or crying or hurting.

Thus I no longer suffer the confusion of the symptom being physical vs mental...an unhelpful distinction in my view.

 

[Crow]

• Joints swell
• Anything touching my body hurts or feels uncomfortable
• Chest is tight
• Dizzy
• Blurred vision
• Tinnitus
• Echoey sounds - like everything is in a bucket
• Clumsiness
• Perspective ie eyesight gone
• Tremors
• Tingling
• Seeing things in my peripheral
• Stomach either clinches or let's loose
• Overly thirsty
• Crave sugar & soda
• Jaw tight
• Cold feet but feel hot in torso

 

[oasis2003]

• Tight shoulders and neck
• Gagging / tightness in throat
• Either eat too much or starve myself
• Shaking
• Stiffness
• Aching body
• Sleep problems / nightmares
• Sensitive to sounds
• Sensitive to bright lights
• Dissociation
• Headaches
• Blurred/ double vision
• Un real feeling
• Shallow breathing
• Sweating or feeling really cold when flashing back
• Hyper ventilating
• Exhaustion
• Lose felling in my hands and extremities
• Difficulty moving stiff achy

 

[PTSDbegone]

Thank you all so much for your responses. It's incredible how much trauma effects us overall.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[void]

PTSD is NOT a mental illness, as evidenced by this thread.

PTSD is a TOTAL BEING illness/disorder.

"My mind has PTSD"~~~NOPE/WRONG/:tdown::tdown::tdown:

"My whole SELF has PTSD"~~~YUP/TRUE:tup::tup::tup:

Rene Descartes was WRONG. There is no separation of mind and body. There is only the body. The brain is the body.
The liver is an organ than filters.
The brain is an organ that THINKS.

What do you think?
Do you agree?