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Sensory Issues.
- Post starter OKRADLAK
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elizabethnueve
Bronze Member
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
elizabethnueve
Bronze Member
I do cannot stand to be in bright lighted areas, much less to be outside. Lights have to be low and never bright.
Even though I am a musician, I absolutely cannot tolerate noise if I am trying to concentrate on something. Many times I have plugged up my ears to be able to concentrate in class when trying to study. External noise drives me crazy.
Constant talking, loud talking, high pitched rattling noises...these things I cannot stand. The same sound over and over again...I cannot take these things.
Thumping noises, loud laughter. I hate these things.
Food that doesn't have much moisture makes me feel sick. Food can never be hot. Food must always be warm.
Beverages must always be room temperature. I can tolerate cold sometimes, but it is unsettling.
Silence I cannot tolerate. I cannot stand the stillness, the silence...it is so unnerving.
Will not have crunchy cereal. Cereal has to be softened. It is the noise of crunching that unsettles me. There must be quiet always.
Even though I am a musician, I absolutely cannot tolerate noise if I am trying to concentrate on something. Many times I have plugged up my ears to be able to concentrate in class when trying to study. External noise drives me crazy.
Constant talking, loud talking, high pitched rattling noises...these things I cannot stand. The same sound over and over again...I cannot take these things.
Thumping noises, loud laughter. I hate these things.
Food that doesn't have much moisture makes me feel sick. Food can never be hot. Food must always be warm.
Beverages must always be room temperature. I can tolerate cold sometimes, but it is unsettling.
Silence I cannot tolerate. I cannot stand the stillness, the silence...it is so unnerving.
Will not have crunchy cereal. Cereal has to be softened. It is the noise of crunching that unsettles me. There must be quiet always.
Gamereign555
Diamond Member
I have been reading about this Sensory Processing Disorder and in my opinion based on articles and other information, this disorder seems to be its own diagnosis to some. Yes I do believe that some of us with ptsd feel strange sensations but I also think that many conditions might give symptoms of (SPD).
To me this sounds like 2 things, A condition that is far more common than realized and points out an effect that is taking place with multiple conditions. Or a much rarer condition that is obviously in a place of its own. I think there needs to be a clear line there, but there isn't. I believe both are true but they cannot both be lumped into the same diagnosis! One could say that everybody has SPD. Stress and anxiety do weird things to your nervous system which in turn can confuse your interpretations of sensation. Trauma to the nervous system also does this, and we all know there are many ways that can happen.
More testing needs needs to be done. . There is controversy behind this condition for a reason, people can't agree on exactly what it is because people have varying degrees of it, and it is something that is possibly present in us all. Some have only this odd SPD problem while others have symptoms of SPD and other conditions as well.
It sounds more like a syndrome caused by another condition, but who knows as nobody yet can answer that.
It is not the diagnosis of SPD that is fake or anything like that, it's the fact that the means and the symptoms of the diagnosis are not clear at all.
To me this sounds like 2 things, A condition that is far more common than realized and points out an effect that is taking place with multiple conditions. Or a much rarer condition that is obviously in a place of its own. I think there needs to be a clear line there, but there isn't. I believe both are true but they cannot both be lumped into the same diagnosis! One could say that everybody has SPD. Stress and anxiety do weird things to your nervous system which in turn can confuse your interpretations of sensation. Trauma to the nervous system also does this, and we all know there are many ways that can happen.
More testing needs needs to be done. . There is controversy behind this condition for a reason, people can't agree on exactly what it is because people have varying degrees of it, and it is something that is possibly present in us all. Some have only this odd SPD problem while others have symptoms of SPD and other conditions as well.
It sounds more like a syndrome caused by another condition, but who knows as nobody yet can answer that.
It is not the diagnosis of SPD that is fake or anything like that, it's the fact that the means and the symptoms of the diagnosis are not clear at all.
I am photosensitive. Bright light blinds me.
I enjoy temperature extremes. I put ice in every beverage- even milk. I can sit in a sweltering hot car with the windows rolled up and it feels good. My avg body temp is below 98.6F- maybe that's part of it? I think my mother called me cold-blooded once.
I cannot STAND licking noises. I HATE even mentioning it. I have to go in another room if the cats or dog do it.
UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:
I hear sounds that other people do not- things like lights buzzing, people coming from down the hall far, far away, people breathing, etc. Some sounds have also made me nauseous.
Always alert.
Perfumes and other strong synthetic detergent smells make me sick and dizzy. I can smell mold, mildew- also makes me sick.
I wonder if I also am sensitive to pressure changes in the atmosphere. I almost always know when it either has rained or will rain (that day) because my body reacts to something.
I can't take pills in the morning because I'll puke. Something about the taste and the feeling of swallowing them.
I do not like people who get too close to me. I had a HELL of a time dealing with group therapy people who always wanted to hug me. I thought I HAD to so I did, then I realized that I had a choice and now I hardly ever do.
I was also diagnosed OCD a long time ago before my PTSD. I wash my hands OFTEN- not to the point where the skin is rubbed raw, but they are pretty dry. I keep hand sanitizer in my car, purse, office, house, etc. I ask my bf if he washed his hands before touching certain things (I do have some shame about this, so it's not easy to write) like dishes, etc. I also check the hell out of things and have 'routines.' :(
I remember as a kid, I hated feeling clothes against my skin. My mother didn't understand this and just thought I was being a pain in the ass. I couldn't stand the sock seams pushing on my feet. I hardly ever wear socks- sandals are my friend (or I am barefoot). I also pick stuff up with my feet a lot. Heh, I wonder if I'm left or right-footed?
I enjoy temperature extremes. I put ice in every beverage- even milk. I can sit in a sweltering hot car with the windows rolled up and it feels good. My avg body temp is below 98.6F- maybe that's part of it? I think my mother called me cold-blooded once.
I cannot STAND licking noises. I HATE even mentioning it. I have to go in another room if the cats or dog do it.
UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:
I hear sounds that other people do not- things like lights buzzing, people coming from down the hall far, far away, people breathing, etc. Some sounds have also made me nauseous.
Always alert.
Perfumes and other strong synthetic detergent smells make me sick and dizzy. I can smell mold, mildew- also makes me sick.
I wonder if I also am sensitive to pressure changes in the atmosphere. I almost always know when it either has rained or will rain (that day) because my body reacts to something.
I can't take pills in the morning because I'll puke. Something about the taste and the feeling of swallowing them.
I do not like people who get too close to me. I had a HELL of a time dealing with group therapy people who always wanted to hug me. I thought I HAD to so I did, then I realized that I had a choice and now I hardly ever do.
I was also diagnosed OCD a long time ago before my PTSD. I wash my hands OFTEN- not to the point where the skin is rubbed raw, but they are pretty dry. I keep hand sanitizer in my car, purse, office, house, etc. I ask my bf if he washed his hands before touching certain things (I do have some shame about this, so it's not easy to write) like dishes, etc. I also check the hell out of things and have 'routines.' :(
I remember as a kid, I hated feeling clothes against my skin. My mother didn't understand this and just thought I was being a pain in the ass. I couldn't stand the sock seams pushing on my feet. I hardly ever wear socks- sandals are my friend (or I am barefoot). I also pick stuff up with my feet a lot. Heh, I wonder if I'm left or right-footed?
I can't stand bright lights. I have lamps throughout the house that give off a dim light and those are what I use. I hate ceiling lights. I hate driving at night because the headlights from other cars disorient me terribly. Same thing if I am trying to drive in a big, brightly lit city. Thankfully this is rare because I live out in the country now. I hate when people talk loudly. Loud laughter scares me. High pitched voices drive me batty. I can't bear it when more than one person is speaking at the same time, especially if they are being loud and obnoxious. Too many sounds at once drive me nuts. For example, the t.v. can't be on at the same time music is playing. Loud bangs and anything that sounds similar to gunshots triggers me. I don't think I have any weird food preferences other than a basic one: everything has to be spicy, very spicy. If it doesn't make me burn inside I find it too bland. As for touch, I can't use or wear anything made of certain materials, such as: Wool, fleece, and other similarly "itchy" materials. I can't wear any clothing made of "clingy" material either. I can't stand the feel of makeup on my face, powder or liquid. Chemical smells make me sick, and I hate when people wear a lot of cologne, aftershave, or perfume. I think I am sensitive to chemicals because I get headaches when I am around such smells. I also can't eat anything with artificial sweeteners or too many dyes in them, because If I do I get really itchy all over, my head will start pounding, and my stomach will become upset, and I will feel sick for hours.
I am so glad I found this thread and site! Thank you all for sharing your experiences so I don't feel like a freak!
Like many of you I can't filter out noise so I get a bombardment of ALL noise including the truck on the highway half a mile away! The cricket that never shuts up! The dog barking God only knows where! But I also get smell over load. There was lots of smells during some of my abuse so I get this same over load from smells-going thru a city makes me just ugh! Then the signs EVERYWHERE!!! Why the hell do they need so many signs in cities?!?!?! Jeez, it's sign polution! I moved to a smaller town so I wouldn't have to deal with so much sensory input. That has helped but I love going up into the mountains where the only things I can hear are natural sounds like the wind in the pine trees. That helps so very very much! I can let my guard down and relax for just a little while.
Like many of you I also prefer a bath to a shower but for me it's because when my head is under water I don't hear so many things so it's like a mini break from it.
Like you, I also don't like to be touched sometimes, other times it's ok. Strange.
I have grown children who had no idea I had these issues until recently when I was in one of those super large grocery stores and it was busy and I just freaked out in front of my daughter. I was shaking and bordering on disassociation. Too many people, too much noise, too much smell, too much input! I could not control it. It's so embarrassing! I have worked all my life to shield them from ever being exposed to the things I was exposed to; or the consequences of that exposure. They know that when they were babies that their mom went to a hospital lots but that's all. The fact that they don't know/understand and have never experienced these things is what I consider my biggest achievement. Now my daughter knows that mom can have an anxiety attack occasionally. Whew! That was close! This is my shit, and I do not want it to effect them at all. I do not want it to travel down to the next generation.
So my question is...how do you hide these episodes from others who are near and dear to you? How do you control it so you don't disassociate in public and get carried away in a ambulance or something?
Like many of you I can't filter out noise so I get a bombardment of ALL noise including the truck on the highway half a mile away! The cricket that never shuts up! The dog barking God only knows where! But I also get smell over load. There was lots of smells during some of my abuse so I get this same over load from smells-going thru a city makes me just ugh! Then the signs EVERYWHERE!!! Why the hell do they need so many signs in cities?!?!?! Jeez, it's sign polution! I moved to a smaller town so I wouldn't have to deal with so much sensory input. That has helped but I love going up into the mountains where the only things I can hear are natural sounds like the wind in the pine trees. That helps so very very much! I can let my guard down and relax for just a little while.
Like many of you I also prefer a bath to a shower but for me it's because when my head is under water I don't hear so many things so it's like a mini break from it.
Like you, I also don't like to be touched sometimes, other times it's ok. Strange.
I have grown children who had no idea I had these issues until recently when I was in one of those super large grocery stores and it was busy and I just freaked out in front of my daughter. I was shaking and bordering on disassociation. Too many people, too much noise, too much smell, too much input! I could not control it. It's so embarrassing! I have worked all my life to shield them from ever being exposed to the things I was exposed to; or the consequences of that exposure. They know that when they were babies that their mom went to a hospital lots but that's all. The fact that they don't know/understand and have never experienced these things is what I consider my biggest achievement. Now my daughter knows that mom can have an anxiety attack occasionally. Whew! That was close! This is my shit, and I do not want it to effect them at all. I do not want it to travel down to the next generation.
So my question is...how do you hide these episodes from others who are near and dear to you? How do you control it so you don't disassociate in public and get carried away in a ambulance or something?
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Lady of Longbourn
VIP Member
@87ofme See my response to this thread you replied too: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/ptsd-and-sensory-overload.22633/page-3#post-594627
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