What Has Been Your Weirdest Trigger?

[NIKI]

Men yelling at the t.v. while they watch a football game or hockey game. My father used to yell at the t.v., but I never knew if he was just yelling at the game or if it was the beginning of one of my parents fights. *tears* (just writing that triggers me into a panic)

The sound of a can being popped open. I HATE, HATE, HATE that!!!!! Reminds me of all the f*ckinig beers my father popped open.

 

[Bachall]

Niki that was one of mine for a long time too (before I knew what a trigger was :( ).

Not guys just yelling, like at a construction site or something, but that kind of feral outburst, eek.

Fortunately for me the eighties was a good decade for the 49ers. Watching many games in the homes of trusted friends desensitized me, somewhat, to this one.

Still startles the heck out of me, though.

 

[Heather]

How 'bout someone showing you a picture of their mutilated hand on this forum! Maybe it'd be a good idea to ASK first.

 

[Heather]

So, that you can tell that 100% unequivocably NO that you don't want to see that because you have enough shit in your head already and it will trigger you.

 

[angel2write]

Grape kool-aid, grape soda....anything grape. Don't even want to explain why though....

Grape soda is one of mine, too. I haven't eaten anything grape since I was a little kid. I can be around some of it now. My kids love grape jelly, but I WON'T buy them grape kool-aid or soda. They can cope with lemonade and cherry.

-flip-flops (one I've been working on lately)
-anything metallic near my face or metal in my mouth
-being touched on the right cheek
-several songs for various reasons, including any mention of The Beatles.
-shag carpet
-musky cologne
-the taste, smell, or sight of beer
-centipedes, beetles, and moths. My mom was taunting me about my fear of moths this weekend. Yes, I know they don't bite or sting- that's kind of irrelevant to the problem.
-raw chicken (don't ask)
-AA meetings or any mention of a 12-step-group
-blonde men in sunglasses, and
-hearing anyone beg for mercy. (That's a really big one- sends me right over the moon. I've trampled people in theaters trying to get away from this one. Can't watch The Lion King and a lot of other kiddy movies because of it. Makes me feel like a real wimp.)

 

[Teller]

The texture of yams or some sweet potatos touching my lips and before chewing. Especially yams.

Yosemite Sam memorabilia. I can watch Looney Tunes, but not buy any swag with that character.

Eating donuts on Thursdays.


There are a few others but I've avoided whatever they are well enough, I seem to have forgotten at the moment. Yippee.

 

[BlueKitty]

-Maybe just a stressor, but Hot Weather.
I also used to despise sunny days. Preferred Rainy/Stormy days and Winter. I still do.

-public bath
-swimming pool&beach -- can deal with it, not a fan though.
-sitting with an open space behind me *shudder*
-the small sound of foot steps
-anybody who tries to have bodily contact of any sort. Especially Above my knees.
-anyone holding a knife in certain way.

 

[BlueKitty]

oh, and I can't listen to music while at home&on the street.
Only when I am alone in my own locked space.

 

[ProductOfSociety]

Weirdest trigger would have to be shower curtains. For the longest time I couldn't stand for them to be closed. I would always have to pull them back to make sure no one was in there. I don't know if that would still be an issue because we do nooot leave the curtains closed anymore. Also, sometimes if I see anything out of the corner of my eye I automatically think it's a dangerous man. It takes me a while to realize it was only a coat rack or something of the sort.

 

[Anna]

Hospitals, I try and avoid them like the plague. Especially the emergency room. Also the town where it happened, never want to go back there ever again. I tend to avoid.

 

[Lorleij]

Mine can be anything as simple as someone coming up behind me and hugging me to seeing any guy with long hair or khaki pants. Reminds me of my ex who sexually abused me.

 

[SpokaneSunshine]

Im still learning about PTSD and so am not totally knowledgable on what a trigger is. Do triggers just put you on edge, or do they invariably send you over the edge? I know several things seem to set me off, such as anything that smells remotely like gunshot. I first smelled it at the event obviously, but started smelling "phantom gunshot" hours after the incident and for several weeks afterward. I still will smell it in my apt, etc out of the blue with no discernable source, and I avoid obvious places it will occur such as gun ranges, fireworks displays etc. Another one for me is loud noise, which strikes me as odd because although I was standing right next to the gun when it went off, it was very muted far away, and almost movie-like. But people have even started to notice my reaction to loud noise. A third is conflict. Any arguing and im instantly on the verge of losing it, becausd i just know that someone is ginna die and i will completely fail at preventing it.