What's The Best Way To Deal With Hyperarousal?

[cdg]

How do you contain this symptom? I feel it every day to some extent. It takes any type of arousal to the extreme. What type med have you found works best with this? I can't get sexually aroused without having a panic attack start. Its painful. Not cool. This releases adrenaline in spades. Not trying to be nasty with the subject. It's any type of arousal. Give me some other examples if you can?

 

[mamachick]

I was at a professional conference and could not wait for the break to go to the rest room. The lighting was dim and there was nobody else in there. While in the stall, the door opened and the lights went out, then back on. It was only a second but it put me over the top. A woman said it was so dim that she didnt think the lights were on and that is why she did it. I had another hour and half til the end of the conference. I had panick attack even though it was nothing. Took xanax. Got nothing out of the rest of the training. Was so mad at self for my reaction that I cried all the way home.

That was one of my worst. I dont know how to contain. I need xanax and a nap. It is really tough cdg when it is a normal part of life. My startle response is over the top.

 

[Artfulone]

Hello cdg,

The first step is often awareness. Your sub-conscious mind is trying to bring this issue to your attention, for processing. Expressing this issue on here and with your therapist is the next step.......it seems like you are doing this, so well done. I don't know what the best way to deal with this is, because this will differ from person to person and also with the different stages of the healing process that you are at.

Processing the traumatic attachments that lead to hyperarousal can be done by many means. Personally I found talk therapy combined with EMDR to help greatly but I found it great to add in some sensorimotor psychotherapy exercises to help with the physical responses, this helped calm my hyper-arousal and bring more awareness to my sensorimotor and somatic responses.

Then after time, using frequent mindfulness meditation techniques helped to calm my hyper-arousal greatly. I tend to work daily with the mindfulness and this has given me much more self-empowerment and assisted me in my ability to manage my responses to triggers. After being triggered, I would often remind my internal family system that we are here and now rather than in the past, choosing to do extra work also on the parts of my body that were most active during hyper-arousal also helps and ties in with sensorimotor psychotherapy. There are many methods of change, but I can say that these combined responses to hyper-arousal have assisted greatly.

I hope that this helps and makes sense. Best wishes upon your journey.

 

[cdg]

It's so tough to stop. I normally have to cry it out. It's a rise of sheer uncontrollable fear at the smallest things.

 

[oasis2003]

I have also found that mindfulness meditation helps daily, if I miss doing it for a few days I can definitely tell. I cannot cry I am just numb, but I can still feel fear like cdg says at the smallest things and many of them.