I know, websites--- geez..
But actually this encourages me a little and has some good little tips to try to remember..
Quote:
Know Your Triggers
In coping with flashbacks and dissociation, prevention is key. Flashbacks and dissociation are often triggered or cued by some kind of reminder of a traumatic event (for example, encountering certain people, going to specific places), or some other stressful experience. Therefore, it is important to identify the specific things that trigger flashbacks or dissociation.
By knowing what your triggers are, you can either try to limit your exposure to those triggers, or if that is not possible (which is often the case), you can prepare for them by devising ways to cope with your reaction to those triggers.
In addition to reducing flashbacks and dissociation, knowing your triggers may also help with other symptoms of PTSD, such as intrusive thoughts and memories of a traumatic event.
Identify Early Warning Signs
Flashbacks and dissociation may feel as though they come "out-of-the-blue." That is, they may feel unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, there are often some early signs that a person may be slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state. For example, a person's surroundings may begin to look "fuzzy," or someone may feel as though he is separating from or losing touch with his surroundings, other people, or even himself.
Flashbacks and dissociation are easier to cope with and prevent if you can catch them early on. Therefore, it is important to try to increase your awareness of early symptoms of flashbacks and dissociation. Next time you experience a flashback or dissociation, revisit what you were feeling and thinking just before the flashback or dissociation occurred. Try to identify as many early symptoms as possible. The more early warning signs you can come up with, the better able you will be to prevent future flashbacks or episodes of dissociation.
Learn Grounding Techniques
As the name implies, grounding is a particular way of coping that is designed to "ground" you in the present moment. In doing so, you can retain your connection with the present moment and reduce the likelihood that you slip into a flashback or dissociation. In this way, grounding may be considered to be very similar to mindfulness.
To ground, you want to use the five senses (sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight). To connect with the here and now, you want to do something that will bring all your attention to the present moment. A couple of grounding techniques are described below.
- Sound: Turn on loud music
Loud, jarring music will be hard to ignore. And as a result, your attention will be directed to that noise, bringing you into the present moment.
- Touch: Grip a piece of ice
If you notice that you are slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state, hold onto a piece of ice. It will be difficult to direct your attention away from the extreme coldness of the ice, forcing you to stay in touch with the present moment.
- Smell: Sniff some strong peppermint
When you smell something strong, it is very hard to focus on anything else. In this way, smelling peppermint can bring you into the present moment, slowing down or stopping altogether a flashback or an episode of dissociation.
- Taste: Bite into a lemon
The sourness of a lemon and the strong sensation it produces in your mouth when you bite into it can force you to stay in the present moment.
- Sight: Take an inventory of everything around you
Connect with the present moment by listing everything around you. Identify all the colors you see. Count all the pieces of furniture around you. List off all the noises you hear. Taking an inventory of your immediate environment can directly connect you with the present moment.
Enlist the Help of Others
If you know that you may be at risk for a flashback or dissociation by going into a certain situation, bring along some trusted support. Make sure that the person you bring with you is also aware of your triggers and knows how to tell and what to do when you are entering a flashback or dissociative state.
Seek Treatment
In the end, the best way to prevent flashbacks and dissociation is to seek out treatment for your PTSD. Flashbacks and dissociation may be a sign that you are struggling to confront or cope with the traumatic event you experienced. Treatment can help with this. You can find PTSD treatment providers in your area through the Anxiety Disorder Association of America website, as well as UCompare HealthCare from About.com. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) also provides a wealth of information on the connection between trauma and dissociation, how to cope with dissociation, and provides links to therapists who treat trauma and dissociation.
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http://ptsd.about.com/od/selfhelp/a/flashcoping.htm
i know it is just a website-- Therapy would probably do me wonders..
But still I can take away whatever I can from them with a little help from them some times......
And actually earlier i was reading the Grounding skills (here in the PSTD Forum) and One poster had a list of things-- I.E. what is the date, year, president, country, and so on... It sort of really got me, that actually that is what the intake guy did with me before I left his office and he encouraged me to sit down in the waiting room before leaving the facility (which i did not- I went to the car and sat there for a while); intake was when I was explaining why I wanted to do therapy in the county- My The First Pdoc did that too (male) the second Pdoc and Therapist never did that.-- and I do realize with in myself, I was pouring out so much to the intake guy (and some what to the first Pdoc due to he was dx'ing me) due to I was like-- OK be honest and open why do I want therapy-- Here are these problems...he would ask questions with some things... admittedly I kept getting "lost" in both interview -- I kept saying -- I am sorry i forgot what your question was and started to ramble and got lost; he some times would say it was ok and just move on, other times he would say- oh this is what i asked....... I do realize that I never did this with the Therapist and 2nd Pdoc (pouring out everything) i was always, like keep composure in a sense and blocking I guess..I would get fuzzy with the Therapist from time to time, not all there but I had a lot of anxiety when going to her... The 2nd Pdoc was not a dxing appt it was just for medication at the time and she did keep telling me-- I wish we could talk more but we did not schedule you for this -- Which I do completely understand but I wish there was a clear communication with it all due to I thought I was switching Pdocs, which meant I would be talking and not just about medication.
I know-some may read that and think- no wonder therapy was not helping me, but for some reason, i knew the time was short, I felt bad every time we went over (I felt bad that with the intake guy -- I had went almost an hour over than what we were suppose to after I had looked at the clock i did not realize that it was so long).. And she kept telling me that "she did not understand why I was in therapy" from the 2nd time meeting me which really started it all off well in my head.... either my problems don't matter, or I am just crazy to think I have problems...
sorry-- blabber mouth me...
but I like some of things--Senses.. with coffee (smell and tastes and warmth) I do that a lot actually when i start to feel overwhelmed or something if I can remember too-- but the caffeine in the coffee does not help with anxiety.. I like the idea of sour, ice, smell of peppermint or something
I should be really mixing half and half or go decaf with my coffee huh?