PTSD/ Touch

[Trinomial]

The only person who I am comfortable with touching me is my husband, and kids are okay too (which is good since I work with children).

It just doesn't feel right with anyone else. It's not really a startle response for me, but I get the same feeling as if I am talking and someone rudely interrupts me...it just throws me off, disrupts my flow, my thoughts, my feelings, etc. very disturbing.

 

[coopsnumb]

I know that when someone touches me without my permission it tells me right away alot about their sense of boundaries because afterall if you think about it no one should be invading

your personal space to begin with. Alot of the time people in general think it's ok to put their hands on you in the midst of a conversation , boy do they have their sense of judgement

warped, my wife will say to me " you're being nice to them & laughing you're making it ok for them to touch you" ...that's entirely false unless I offer myself to give you a hug or intiate

some form of affection please dont take it upon yourself to put your hands on me....not always , but I can be a little abrasive...some people just dont get it..

My therapist says to me alot ."you are right there with people & they dont know how to handle your honesty"...I need to look out for # 1.

 

[rjtransient]

If someone I'm not intimately familiar with tries to touch me, they'll learn that I have the reflexes of a cat. Someone came up behind me in the hallway to try to poke me in the shoulder with a pen. I saw her in my peripheral vision, spun around, and swatted the pen out of her hand. It landed a few metres away.

Not as recently, some random creep at an industrial club walked by and petted my hair. I leapt up and had to bite back a threat about breaking fingers.

Hugs... I don't know. I can be standoffish even among friends.

But there's some kind of chemistry between me and the "friend" I've been hanging out with lately, and I actively want to be close to him. It's the polar opposite of what I just described. I'm usually skittish about physical contact on actual dates, so I have no idea what's going on here.

 

[coopsnumb]

Can only speak for myself, go with how you feel I have always said....if I am comfortable with someone I usually just go with it. I'm not going to be unhappy all my life because of my fear

of being touched yet if i'm not ok with touch i'll let whoever it is know...Good luck I hope it works out for you.

 

[rjtransient]

LOL. They know. ;) But if a complete stranger tries playing with my hair, they deserve whatever reaction they get, IMO.

And thank you (if your response was directed to me). I hope it works out, too. If not, I'll blame pheromones for messing with my head.

 

[ams]

I don't like people touching me unless I touch them first to open the door, I guess. Even when it comes down to sexual stuff, I get scared if the other person initiates it. I have to be the one to start things. I don't even like it when my dad or anyone else I know touches me. I don't feel in control.

 

[Tinyflame]

rj,

Maybe the tolerance came from feeling safe.

But I'm with you- I hate the hair thing-