Ptsd Triggers Over The Years: Worse Or Better, Why?

[Seasounds]

Do you find that your PTSD triggers are more or less frequent, and are more or less problematic, over time? And why?

Why do I ask? It is to find out if anyone shares my experience. As diligent as I have been in managing my PTSD, I see a couple of trends: more exposure to people and stress (even while decreasing the worse triggering situations and people), increases my triggers; and more skill at managing my triggers, decreases my turn-around-time.

With all of this, sometimes, I don't really know if I am gaining or losing resilience-a result of getting worn out or aging?
.
What is your experience? What are your theories? (Exposure, skills, 'PTDS fatigue/decreased resilience')

 

[arfie]

I find them becoming more frequent and less problematic. More frequent because as my memory has healed, the memories are flowing freer and can be triggered ever more easily, along with the corresponding physical sensations. Never pleasant with trauma memories... They are less problematic because I am not fighting them any more and I can shrug them off as easily as I can shrug off the joy of walking past a port-a-potty or an especially ugly fashion statement. Not my favorite moment of the day, but I can get back to the pleasant stuff without so much action and drama. Compost happens... Onward through the fog...

My theory is that "bad" memories work the same as "good" memories. Like my computer hard drive, my brain stores preferred literature by the same mechanics as it stores pornography. Since I quit working so hard to forget the bad stuff, my entire memory function has improved. Maybe I have found the mighty neuron mouse click??? I can surf on without needing to form a censorship committee???

Not sure I am saying it well, but...

 

[Upside Down Eagle]

PTSD comes and goes, in my experience. I thought I had things going pretty well, until I moved to a lonely place with little sunlight, and sunk into the crazy pretty bad. Around that time, I couldn't handle any situations with a lot of people (or just a few) in them, and my triggers were through the roof.

Now, I live in an apartment surrounded by people, in the middle of the city, with a lot of light coming in through a giant window. I get more communication with people, and I'm surrounded by the madness of urban life, but I can handle it most of the time. I'm less prone to the emotional tantrums PTSD normally brings with it.

If you ask me it depends on the context. At first, I thought that being isolated was a good thing for PTSD because there wouldn't be triggers. How wrong I was. Being isolated was the worst thing that happened to me. I practice a lot of sports, yoga and mindfulness to train my body and brain to be stronger and be more resilient to post-traumatic thought processes.

Maybe it isn't about being less or more resilient, but practicing the things that are difficult for you. Confront the triggers, little by little. In my experience, confronting the triggers is better than keeping away from them.

 

[Deleted member 27340]

I definitely feel more triggers, but I think that it may part be because I'm now able to identify them as triggers, not just a reaction I didn't even understand as a kid and part because of the same reasons you listed.

 

[Aubrey]

I feel that I am better at consoling myself when I am triggered. My PTSD is from domestic violence, so since I got married to another man, I feel like I am safe and that I don't get triggered as much as I use to. I feel like I am healing, but my brain will always be stuck "ON" and I will always be unable to handle stress for the rest of my life.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I think that my experience pretty much mirrors your experience in that I am getting triggered more often, and yet again in public places. However, I have increased my exposure to the outside world, so I guess this is to be expected. It IS daunting because as I heal I expect everything to get better, but that is just not the case. I have had an increase in other symptoms as I heal, so this sort of phenomenon isn't new to me. When I started neurofeedback, I developed a horrendous startle reflex where I'd scream at people when startled. Yes, this *really* irritated my family! My startle reflex is better now, but its not down to the level it was at pre-neurofeedback. This is odd as that therapy decreased many other physical symptoms. And after I went through intensive trauma therapy I developed *instant* migraines when I would become suddenly triggered. I've had migraines since I was a teenager, but this is the first time I've ever had sudden onset ones. This symptom is getting better, but hasn't resolved completely, either. I am just hoping that the increase in triggers is like the other symptoms that spike and then retreat again. I guess it would be too much to have linear healing, right? LOL

 

[Seasounds]

Thank you, everyone. What you shared helped validate me in many ways. Having more triggers, after much therapeutic work, seems counter-intuitive, unless you understand that healing PTSD does mean that you will feel more.

Your information also helped me accept my condition, realistically. With my last major trigger (in July), that has just calmed down, I have come to rectify a once held belief of mine: if I regularly process my traumas, one fine day (when pigs fly), I would at least have decreased triggers, if not be free be totally free of them.

My dream may be popped, meanwhile, I've found kindred spirits, and support, that are worth a lifetime to find. :)

 

[Upside Down Eagle]

I think triggers can diminish. But if there's one thing I learned here on this forum, thanks to all of you guys and girls, it's that your triggers won't go away until you confront them one by one, directly. Working on PTSD and general will not automatically get rid of the triggers I think.

I have a tendency to avoid dealing with them. To avoid seeing and hearing triggers. To pretend they're not there. But that doesn't solve it. Best thing is to face them. Well, depending on how much you can deal with it. Don't overdo it. But I have found that if you deal with them on a regular basis, they will actually start to disappear.

Yeah maybe they come back around again. Then you just deal with it again. The more you get used to dealing with it, the less energy it will take the next time to deal with it. That's my theory.

 

[Friday]

Both.

When I'm in a bad place, triggers and stressors hit me hard.
When I'm in a good place, they might not impact me at all, or their effects may be minimal. Course, they can also skip right up and knock my legs out from under me.