Um, Trapped Energy, Anyone?

[bell]

So I've been watching The West Wing recently (hello, Netflix binge) and today I saw the one where a character is diagnosed with PTSD.

Although I felt pretty okay mentally, my body felt like all the energy in it (sorry to be so woo woo!) stopped in its tracks. I stretched some and worked to get it flowing again (breathing deep and focusing on different parts of my body doing a body scan to feel what wasn't moving), which with some work it finally did.

I feel so lame that watching a TV character get diagnosed (and all the flashbacks, triggers, explanation of behavior) threw me for such a loop. I feel a tightness in my gut just typing this. And in thinking about it, I just feel hella anxious and teary and unsteady. What is the deal?!

Then I thought about the book Waking The Tiger, and was wondering if perhaps by stretching and working on my energy flow I was in a way breaking up the bodily symptoms and unlocking them?

 

[TIFFk]

I have had similar reactions to things like that . Something as small as a familiar smell can send me back to that moment almost like I'm experiencing it all over again , I try to use that experience to remind myself that I'm a survivor and I got through it ...so in some ways it strengthens my self esteem

 

[Seasounds]

I remember, that is a moving episode. Your thoughts sound good; a mixture of a PTSD condition, and good drama, would melt anyone's defenses/be triggering. I'll use your solution, when I re-watch the episode.

 

[rightkindofme]

I love the West Wing. <3

 

[Seasounds]

As I do totally hate being taken off guard, truth be told, I maybe avoid it too much. (Les Miserables really messed with me, and also, sad stories about animals.)

Not that I want to be triggerred, but I often notice that I am 'one step removed' from moving moments on any screen, due to fear of being more vulnerable to being triggerred. After reading this, I'm interested to experiment a little bit more, loosen the reigns, so to speak; and see if I have more skills to recover, more quickly.