Suggestions dealing with triggers

[wfcs]

How do you deal with triggers? need help

One of my triggers is hospitals. I have had to visit people recently which have triggered me and due to work I cannot avoid it but sometimes I'm able to ask someone to go instead of me. I've tried breathing, counting down before I enter to refocus I guess, telling myself it will be okay. But as soon as I enter the trauma hits.

At the moment Im triggered and really struggling to get back to some normalcy.

Does anyone have any suggestions I understand everyone has different techniques just need other suggestions I can try that might work for me.

 

[Friday]

1. If I’m triggered? I’m overreacting. By definition.
2. if I’m triggered I’m responding to the present, as if it’s the past. Rather than learning from the past.
3. UN-colliding, breaking apart, past & presnt? Is gonna take some work. I’m not always up to dealing with that degree of work. Are you?

 

[Midnightmoon]

Fellow hospital 'trigger-er' here, well done for getting through the door. I have completely removed myself from anything medical for years. Working at it, just very avoidant so slow is the only pace I can manage

It happens to me even if I see it on the TV or drive past a medical building. If I can avoid, I will (turn the TV off, change direction), obviously not ideal but realistically it's my best way of managing atm. If I cant avoid I will give myself a running commentary of EVERYTHING that's happening in the moment as I'm triggered, out loud, as constant stream of words. It probably looks rather odd but needs must

 

[wfcs]

Fellow hospital 'trigger-er' here, well done for getting through the door. I have completely removed myself from anything medical for years. Working at it, just very avoidant so slow is the only pace I can manage

It happens to me even if I see it on the TV or drive past a medical building. If I can avoid, I will (turn the TV off, change direction), obviously not ideal but realistically it's my best way of managing atm. If I cant avoid I will give myself a running commentary of EVERYTHING that's happening in the moment as I'm triggered, out loud, as constant stream of words. It probably looks rather odd but needs must

Thank you. I don't know anyone who has this type of trigger. Noone seems to understand and I don't have a specific memory or flashback as to why hospitals trigger me so much. All I know is when I walk through the doors something comes over me. I'm confused, numb and blank. Sometimes even the nurses look at me and ask if I'm okay. I just say yes even though I'm not.

 

[Sideways]

I'm confused, numb and blank.

May not be a flashback.

With ptsd, that’s often the explanation. But we also have anxiety and panic, typically more frequently than your average person. A sudden high level of anxiety/panic causing you to dissociate, for example, could very well lead to an experience like the one you’ve described.

 

[Midnightmoon]

Thank you. I don't know anyone who has this type of trigger. Noone seems to understand and I don't have a specific memory or flashback as to why hospitals trigger me so much. All I know is when I walk through the doors something comes over me. I'm confused, numb and blank. Sometimes even the nurses look at me and ask if I'm okay. I just say yes even though I'm not.

I used to work in a hospital, now I can't even look at one, very few people know as the lack of understanding makes it worse. (Lots of, well no one likes it you just have to get over it...if only CPTSD was that easy, we'd all be 'cured' by the end of the day!)

Like Fridays observation, maybe not a flashback? I get the very obvious almost movie style flashbacks, but I get the emotional ones too which takes a bit of digging to work out, and adding dissociation to the mix means that's not easy.

 

[wfcs]

A friend of mine suggested hypnotherapy to maybe determine the event that caused the trigger. They think it might be helpful.

Especially if I have blocked the specific event.

I am anxious to try this type of therapy and I've also read somewhere that it could backfire and make my anxiety worse.

Does anyone have thoughts about using hypnotherapy.

 

[Sideways]

A friend of mine suggested hypnotherapy to maybe determine the event that caused the trigger.

There’s a list of reasons why hypnotherapy is contraindicated for this purpose, and ptsd more generally.

Thank your friend for their caring, but it’s terrible advice.

 

[wfcs]

There’s a list of reasons why hypnotherapy is contraindicated for this purpose, and ptsd more generally.

Thank your friend for their caring, but it’s terrible advice.

Thank you for your reply and confirmation on this. I was already hesitant to follow this path.

 

[Friday]

There’s a list of reasons why hypnotherapy is contraindicated for this purpose, and ptsd more generally.

Thank your friend for their caring, but it’s terrible advice.

What @Sideways said.

Your friend clearly cares about you, but doesn’t know NO reputable/respectable hypnotherapist will touch trauma with a 10’ pole. As trauma & hypnotherapy are entirely / completely contraindicated. Only Hollywood uses them together, to further the plot. And charlatans out for a quick buck.