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Hypervigilant night

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Angelwings

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I cannot sleep because I am freaked out. If I close my eyes, what is going to happen? NOTHING but can I listen to that? Nope. Checking the lock, trying to close my eyes, nope won't happen, jaw clenched, muscles tight. Nothing about my body wants me to sleep. I'm scared, and that's all there is to it. I can't change it. SO FRUSTRATED.
 
I've been there myself. So many times. I'm sorry you're in that place right now. I hope it passes soon for you.

Do you have any anti-anxiety meds? Do you have much in your self care toolbox for moments like this?
 
No, just the usual, call my therapist. I did, and she tried EFT with me and it did nothing, so she said she was going to sleep and to wake her if I needed her. Well, I needed her to do something BESIDES EFT FFS.
 
I do EFT myself and yeah, it can help sometimes, but other times it's like a bandaid on a broken bone.

You're here though, you're not alone - we've gone through the same sort of things. I've been having a hard time lately myself. It helps me to just go "f*ck it! so what! i won't sleep, but f*ck it, I guess I'm not sleeping if my body won't let me, because it's too jacked up from fear to do so" Sometimes nothing seems to help though and it's just another night and day of suffering.

Maybe that's another bandaid for your broken bone, but it helps me to just try to go "oh well, f*ck it, guess I'm not sleeping tonight" and try to make the best of it that I can.

For me, it's been a major fear to overcome - not sleeping. Not being allowed to sleep was part of my trauma. I was kept awake, by someone tormenting me. I never got more than 30min-2hrs of sleep a night. For two weeks. In two weeks I got maybe 2 nights worth of sleep if you combine it all. I had a psychotic break from reality, and that psychotic break was f*cking INTENSE and terrifying beyond words, horrible beyond words. After that, not sleeping became associated with the horror of the psychosis, which instilled an extra layer of triggering to not sleeping.

With a few occasions of not being able to sleep, I became mostly okay and normal about not sleeping, on an emotional level. It hasn't been bothering me too much, when it happens. Sometimes I will have my moments, and have a panic attack over the fact that I can't sleep, thinking I'm going crazy or going to go crazy. But, panic attacks are a very common occurrence for me even when I sleep every day.

I wish I could snap my fingers and make it so you could sleep, but, if sleep just is not happening, then I think just making the best you can of your time would be a good course of action, even though you're being kept awake by fear. I try to distract myself from what's keeping me awake, if I can. I know it's a lot easier said than done though.
 
I'm trying to distract myself with chat. Yes, easier said than done.

You do EFT? What does it help you with?
 
It helps me not smoke weed excessively, drink alcohol, hurt myself, and various other negative coping mechanisms. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It can help redirect me and refocus me.
 
I have learned to hate it, because all it does is calm me down in the moment, and then I just go right back to feeling how I was feeling before.
 
I get what you mean. Have you only tried tapping guided by your therapist?

I do two main variations. I do one thing where I tap certain spots for a while, starting at the crown of my head, and going over many places down to my knees, stopping at each point for a while. During that, I repeat something to myself. Sometimes I just notice my pain, sometimes I say something that I want to believe, I think of things like that while tapping.

The other thing I do, is think of what I want to believe, or notice my pain, or say something positive about myself, while only tapping the place where my collarbone meets my sternum. Like right on the end of the collarbone. That is handy if I don't have the time/energy, or I'm not in the right (private enough) place, to do the full thing where I tap a bunch of points.

Sometimes I tap points for a while and kinda zone out on it. It just feels good sometimes.
 
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