Triggers That Seem Crazy

[jaccat]

The colour red (my mother's favourite colour)
Green boots
Liquid foods, not to mention most edible foods at various times
Comedy (pretty much anything that sets out to be funny, accidental funny is fine)
The smell of weight watchers chicken curry

 

[shimmerz]

Windows
Doors
Houses
Kitchens
Helicopters
Red Trucks
Cars driving close behind me
Sirens
Tennis
Skiing (the slope to be exact)
Trees
Bushes
Long driveways
Open spaces
Closed spaces
Babies/children screaming/crying.....

You get the drift. My T actually asked me to make a list of things that didn't trigger me. It seemed less daunting.

I have to say that there is a reason behind each and every one of them. No, I wasn't going crazy; there was good reason (sometimes multiple) for each one of them.

 

[Upside Down Eagle]

Maybe instead of judging our triggers, or ourselves, we all should judge the perps of our trauma or the trauma itself as being awful or shameful or crazy. They are the ones who deserve such judgment. Not us.

You're completely right. Sometimes when people look at me like I'm crazy, I feel crazy because sometimes even I don't feel that the trigger makes a lot of sense. For example I have a lot of triggers related to sexuality when I was never actually sexually abused (I think). But I react as if I had been.

If I tell them "I don't like the sound of stirring food because of what my parents did to me..." well that just sounds absurd. So I tend to be afraid of what other people think (when they notice). Even though it's none of their (#@$%) business.

 

[shimmerz]

I play wii tennis with a friend. I was so sensitive to it that even changing the court or a tennis outfit on one of the players would have me drop. Anyway, one day we were playing with a particular court background. I couldn't for the life of me (nor could my friend) understand what was taking me down with it. Then my friend realized there was a german shepherd that circled the court every few minutes. He didn't tell me that but each time it came onto the screen I would drop; instantly. I hadn't noticed it - I guess the subconscious was picking it up. Once we spoke about it, and it came to higher level I was able to relate it to my dog I had to leave behind in the house of horrors. I still couldn't play on that wii court, but at least I knew why. It also taught me that there are triggers that we don't 'see' consciously. The brain is a wild thing.

 

[Spiderallis]

It's going to sound like a joke, but talking about my specific triggers is a trigger. It's the result of an abuser using the groundwork laid by a previous trauma. I call those 'double barrel' triggers. It's quite disorienting to get a flashback of having a flashback while some other nasty thing happened. I'm terrified that somehow another layer will get added to that if the wrong person finds out the specific things that bother me.

 

[Kefira]

@shimmerz In therapy the first time my T asked for a list of triggers I responded "nouns". He wasn't particularly pleased with the answer, but at the time that's how it felt.

 

[shimmerz]

@Kefira , lol lol lol. But it was true right? I get it.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Bologna. The taste. Not a hard one to avoid. Doesn't have a strong smell which is good.
Honey Comb Cereal. Again, the taste. Guaranteed to avoid b/c it has gluten.
Coffee. The smell. I don't drink it....eww, eww, eww. I love Starbucks apple drinks, so I get in and out as fast as I can.
Bleach. The smell. I avoid using it whenever I can, opting for the color safe stuff instead, even for my whites.
My phone. The ringer and the vibe. Just downloaded a flash app so we'll see if that's better.

 

[Rumors]

A certain click that is made from the hammer of a .38, Beer and cigarettes combined, small spaces, crying. I have more but will stop here...

 

[Ronin]

Certain sounds people make. I'm a whole DJ these days with making them something they're not and mixing them with sounds no longer here.

 

[Friday]

Here's a fun one: Water. I can't drink water.

Swim in it, bathe in it, cook with it, brush my teeth with it... No worries... Can't drink it. Not unless I'm deaths doorstep sick, high, or dying of dehydration & it is the only option for days. I'll live off the moisture in fruit before I drink water.

Generally I drink soda. Juice has too many calories. I drink a lot, just not water. Tea, coffee, juice is all fine. Liquids in general are fine. Even Ice is okay. Not straight up water.