PTSD Mini Problem at Work....

[ruddy]

I asked my therapist about this issue and was told that the startle response (twitch and jump) is normal in humans and animals. There is a wide variation among individuals. After trauma our response becomes exaggerated. We jump higher and gasp louder than we did before. It may take us longer to "shake it off". I sometimes become hypervigilant and having difficulty with concentration and memory retrieval after becoming startled.

 

[Grama-Herc]

My startle response is awful. I almost decked a doctor at work one evening. He came up behind me and instead of speaking my name, he gently tugged on my ponytail. Well, I spun around and nearly punch him out. Pure reflex. Scared the you know what outta him. Wasn't very good for me iether.

Took me a while to calm my nerve down before I was able to finish my work that evening. IMHO I startle way to easy

 

[cypher]

stupid question but what is emdr, exposure therapy? i get startled quite easily too. theres shadows and dark spots compared to others that freak me out among other things. then i'll relize what i was seeing was not what i was thinking and then feel quite stupid about it- but i never learn from it, it just keeps happening over and over again.

 

[Cindy]

I have just "survived" five month's with daily triggers in my classroom. I had a new Co-Teacher who was just like my abusive husband. It was nearly intolerable. The kids were getting hurt and I was frozen! I took quite a nose dive. He was fired and it's taken me 6 weeks to get back to normal and actually enjoying the kids and our space again together. In Late Nov. I lost it - I was prescribed trazadone for during the day to raise my threshold so I could go back to work. It did work almost instantly - I was so relieved. Now I am no longer taking it since the trigger is gone WHEW!