If We All Lived In The Same Town....

[Recovery4Me]

@scout86 sounds good to me or in a space station where we could beam down!

 

[shimmerz]

Hmmm, fireworks.

So, do you guys have kind of a phobic reaction to the noise? Does it bother you if you're actually AT a fireworks show and know what's going on?

This is a valid question. Yes, firecrackers, until this year, sent me to hell and back. They were horrifying. And absolutely I could NOT go to a display. Whether I knew the noise was coming or not I was an absolutely mess, even if the noise was in the distance. Made for crappy summers.

I am not combat PTSD.... nothing specific about the noise - I have no idea why it bothered me. It wasn't like fireworks were a trigger in and of itself. Odd.

On that note, I feel like we should have a noise suppression zone. That way if people like to fly, watch fireworks, play loud music, it is all contained in that one area. People can walk in and out at will. Of course, those who don't want to hear the fireworks can watch from outside the noise suppression area. We should, after all, be able to see beauty -- shouldn't we?

I would just like to add a plethora of walking, biking, and hiking trails throughout the town and in the surrounding beautiful nature

Yes, I have to agree Jane. I love the idea of walking trails or whatever. Rolling hills, flatlands, fresh water lakes.

I remember when I used to build my 'safe place' when I tried to fall asleep many nights, that figuring out paradise, although sad as I was far from living that, really helped me to pinpoint how to 'de-stress' my life.

I actually really like this town so far. I am still trying to figure out whether I can live in a house or not.... maybe a tent.... not sure.

Thanks for helping with this. I actually walk around with the images you guys have been putting across in this thread. It is making going out much easier for me. :hug:

 

[Deleted member 29899]

I just can't get past the mayhem of it!
Ever date anyone with a lot of 'baggage'? Hahaha! We ARE the baggage people my friends! Dating would be near impossible b/c we have so many issues, either that or the opposite- we'd have a lot more understanding for each other.. And what about reproducing and raising the next generation? Nothing like being raised by two traumatized parents... Not the making for healthy kids!
We all hate 'pretending' that we're 'okay' so I feel like every single "'hey there, how's it going?" would end up being a 2 therapy session standing infront of the grocery store trying to get away from each other...
There'd be no cars due to road rage.
we have trust issues, maybe no one would trust each other... A lot of us have anger issues...I don't want to live next to walking time bombs! (As if I'm not one myself, lol).
Didn't they put all the lepers on an island once?
Personally I see it as one massive psych ward. But hey, I've met some of the most real and genuine people when I was at a psych ward! Lol. True!
Ever been in group therapy? It's good when you're there, but I wouldn't want to live there though. 24/7 with other people suffering.
Naw.... We need 'normals' to keep us grounded. Unfortunately, because it's the 'comparing' ourselves to the 'normals' is what gets us down. Those darn normals, they are a blessing and a curse!
Singing bowls are banned as of this minute. The noise of those things make me wanna snap!
Love you guys but don't want to live with you! Lol
It would be wonderful to have a place... A centre of some sort in every town where we knew we could always go and there'd be other sufferers to hang out with that's open 24/7. That would be awesome. A safe place to run to. :)
Personally I think people who've suffered often have big hearts and lots of compassion.

 

[Deleted member 29889]

Seems like it would be a mighty quiet town! Yay! No loud noises allowed.

 

[Neverthesame]

@scout86 For me at least, if I know it's coming I'm okay with most loud noises. Fireworks, hammers, drums, twisting an empty water bottle in half then popping the lid off, balloons, ect, ect.

If I don't know it's coming however, not cool. It takes me a few moments to stop reacting to it and think about what just happened. Once had a couple of neighbor kids lob a firecracker at me, oh shit that was scary. Fortunately they could run faster scared than I can angry. Took about half a block or before I remembered that chasing adolescent boys down the street screaming obscenities, is probably not a good idea. On the upside, they never did it twice and I got my cardio in for the day. :sneaky:

Otherwise I just find irregular thumping / banging noises incredibly irritating. Though I think that's just because I'm a cantankerous old fart at 30 years old.

Damn kids.... :shifty:

 

[ghotiff]

I watched a 1hr documentary last night on you tube called "off the grid life on the Mesa" as these types of places appeal to something in me.

Imagine my surprise when the documentary starts describing how there are bunch of ptsd vets living there.

So the place is too loud for me (lots of people shooting weapons for enjoyment) and I would like a closer water source...but it's somehow very appealing.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

On the smoke alarms..... I mentioned to my T once that the sound of my alarm clock going off usually sent me through the roof. His comment was "That's why they call them 'alarms'". LOL Probably a good point.

He has a point, but at the same time, he's coming at it from the point of view of a person who is startled for a split second and then the adrenaline naturally dissipates in the body. A bad startle can ruin my whole day....

So, do you guys have kind of a phobic reaction to the noise? Does it bother you if you're actually AT a fireworks show and know what's going on? I can see how the noise could be a trigger for someone with a combat background or who had had a bad experience with explosions, but beyond that, is it more than just a sudden noise? I kind of like fireworks.

Yes, I have a terrible reaction to loud noises. I don't go to fireworks displays. It doesn't matter that I know the noise is coming. So I mentioned how ONE bad startle can ruin my whole day? Yeah. now imagine HUNDREDS of them, all within a 30-45 minute span. My system goes into thermonuclear meltdown and my mind goes into protective custody. It takes me at least a day to pull out of it, and coping skills won't ground me. So, in this sense, it has nothing to do with combat or having loud noises during my trauma. Remember how exaggerated startle response is a part of PTSD? I'd say 99% of us who have this symptom experience it outside of it being a direct trigger. That is, its not a matter of only sexual activity "startling" me. Any unexpected noise or even movement can startle me.

 

[Flossy]

I agree with 'no singing bowls', they piss me off. Also no incense as the smoky smell irritates me. No patchouli oil wearing. Or that 'White Linen' perfume that makes me nauseous.

We could have many cafes. Hubs of gathering. We could have a colour code dot system. Sticky dots to wear on our foreheads throughout the day to indicate if we are in need of communication or quiet. Each colour could mean different things and alert others to whether it's OK to stop and ask if they can sit at our table. This would save energy on talking and asking.

Cupcakes at the cafes would be free, because cupcakes always lift the spirits even just to look at.

 

[Flossy]

The words "breathe in, breathe out" would be banned. Fkg stupid concept. If we didn't breath in and out we would be dead.

Doing it slower does nothing for PTSD except piss off the sufferer.

 

[Namenotdiagnosis]

I have real fear of balloons bursting making that bang, and fireworks I hate them with a vengeance. It can trigger me for days, if we have events at work with balloons I'm stressed the whole day worrying if there gonna bang . This fear and trigger us from when my ex tried to kill me in the car driving like s maniac , when he suddenly stopped the car and banged his fist really hard on the steering wheel making the air bag explode , I will never ever forget the loud bang it made it was like an explosion to me and haunts me up to this very day. That happened 12 years ago !!!

 

[Powder]

Good thread!

About the sounds, I think it's worse for me when I drink coffee and lower my brain GABA. But all told, the Exaggerated startle response/reflex is a classic PTSD criteria. This exaggerated startle response then triggers other trauma responses in a cascade of symptoms, hooked to other symptoms...Yeah, non-combat PTSD still carries the sensitive startle response to surprise and sounds.

Not just loud, sudden sounds. Even the sound of the disk spinning in the CD player or Wii, when all else is quiet, will give me tinnitus.

When it comes to sound, PTSD sufferers are like the "princess and the pea."

 

[Hope4Now]

@Chava :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: I LOVE your vision.
I hereby nominate you for Mayor of Shimmerzville.
And @Neverthesame I LOVE your vision too...Nominating you for Town Planner :)

We'd have book clubs to discuss Polyvagal Theory.

:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::laugh::laugh::laugh::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

I will enjoy thinking about this magical place tonight. Thanks for posting, @shimmerz !