[NoGreaterLove11]

Does anyone else experience sensory issues. I sometimes find that I can't tolerate certain noises, especially when I'm stressed or anxious. I find car and motorcycle sounds are the worst.

[Georgia Bridge]

Some sounds and sights frequently resurrect past delusional paranoid mind-set. Anxiety is an instant reaction. But I can quickly reason my way out of it lately.

[Georgia Bridge]

Newbie! Welcome to PC. Georgia.

[Petra5ed]

I wear earplugs for 10+ hours a day, so I would vote yes.

[Georgia Bridge]

Originally Posted by Petra5ed

I wear earplugs for 10+ hours a day, so I would vote yes.

I sometimes where earplugs for long periods of time. I'd never heard anyone else say they use earplugs. Cool!
Ear plugs have lots of beneficial effects.
They help you remember to deep breathe too because you can hear your breathing loudly somehow...I sure don't know the science behind that.
I hate eating with them in... the sound is so gross to me.

[Sagen]

Originally Posted by NoGreaterLove11

Does anyone else experience sensory issues. I sometimes find that I can't tolerate certain noises, especially when I'm stressed or anxious. I find car and motorcycle sounds are the worst.

Absolutely! Can't do head phones or ear plugs though, as I need to hear if someone's comin up on me.

[quietincrowd]

I used to only be overwhelmed by too many people, public places that were a bit noisy and lots of movement or close proximity. Now that are days that sounds and noises to it too as if I can only process so much.

[indigo11]

Majority of the time it is like this for me. I ended up transferring universities because it got too overwhelming with 100 students in one classroom, where I am now the most it has been is 70. I've tried to explain this sensory overload (sounds, sights, people, etc) to others, including my T but none seem to understand it.

[vonmoxie]

I suppose I should try earplugs.. I hear everything! Weird hums, the sounds of cars on the highway that is a third of a mile from my house, entire conversations of people walking in my neighborhood even when the windows are closed .. at least I know it's all real, because when I point it out to someone they can hear it too: if they listen closely. For me it's a damn cacaphony right in my ear though! Makes me jumpy. What's that? What's that? What's that? All day long.....

I also have pretty bad photosensitivity, bright light causes me frequent migraines. I wear shaded glasses all day long, but it's not to look cool as so many are apt to assume.

I do think it's all at least partially due to my PTSD though. I experienced a full tri-fecta of abuse when I was a kid, but it's mostly since additional more recent events occurred that it's gotten really bad. A really frightening home invasion that happened in my life just a few years ago especially didn't help; I haven't since felt the feeling of equilibrium, which I very much miss.

[DeeAnnaD1913]

I have terrible issues with sensory overload. Too bright of rooms or too sunny of days make my head hurt and almost any loud or obnoxious noises drive me insane. It may have something to do with my nerves from quitting benzos or coming off my Paxil, I'm not sure bc I quit both a month ago. It's bad though, I literally have to go in a dark quiet room when I can.

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[GeminiNZ]

Yes. Too much noise and people getting too physically close to me both stress me out. And then there are some very specific sounds, smells, appearances and sights that are PTSD triggers and can induce a panic attack or flashback-riddled meltdown.

I wear headphones a lot to block out noise and people. Listening to music helps to dial down my anxiety.

[Open Eyes]

Yes, when someone has PTSD they are very sensitive (hyper-aware). So that means all the senses are sensitive and hyper-aware. The mind/sensory system tends to catastrophize and it's not a conscious decision to be that way.

Part of the problem is that someone with PTSD or Complex PTSD has been traumatized, either by a big trauma or growing up in a situation where there was abuse and neglect and no real comfort and understanding or even how to process and react to what is being experienced that is harmful in some way.

Part of the challenge is that someone struggling is so sensitive and if anything reminds them of any of these unmet needs or being hurt/threatened it triggers them to feel the way they did when they were being hurt, or even experience some flashbacks where the mind is actually re-experiencing the event/events. And if they are with others who don't understand them and utter "just" comments, it only is a reminder yet again where an individual was hurt and not comforted and helped so it's insult to injury.

What does help is being with others that understand the "injury/hurt" and validate it and listen and instead of suggesting and "just comments" or any kind of blaming they continue to comfort and validate and encourage in respectful positive ways. Also, the individual who is struggling needs to learn how to also self comfort and have patience with self and understand that how they are hurt is really not their fault and to make sure not to self blame which is often what they were encouraged to do by lack of nurturing or dealing with an abusive controlling presence.

Human beings are designed to "thrive" when they are given permission to do so by positive nurturing, part of that includes being physically comforted which produces oxytocin which our human bodies are very receptive and responsive to, it really does calm and encourage "it's ok, I am here to help you and love you". All individuals that struggle look for a "rescuer", that is how human beings are designed to be, we are like that because out of all of the mammels, human beings are fragile for a lot longer before they develop the capacity to self protect better.

When a child is raised by an adult that did not have the right nurturing themselves, often that adult can find giving the correct nurturing very difficult, even may feel threatened themselves because often it is a subconscious reminder of how they themselves were not nurtured.

So an individual that develops complex PTSD needs to experience the right kind of help to help them understand this, validate to them how they were treated badly, and work with them while they slowly learn how to heal. And individual often continues to be sensitive, however, as the individual has help to review what was wrong and how they were hurt and finally slowly learns "why" and how to finally understand "all" of how they were hurt and how to recognize the reminders are in the past and now they understand it better and can embrace the now with that understanding, these individuals do gain on their ability to heal and slowly feel better. There is definitely a grieving process to this healing, patience and time and support is important to this healing and gaining.

[Semi-depressed]

Yes. Mostly when I am working, but I think it is because the hyper vigilant can't help but focus on the most prominent thing.

# trigger alert?
Smacking lips
Chewing with mouth open
Loud chewing
Someone clicking a pen
Tapping a desk
Those pendulum ball things
Someone sniffing their nose

Should I go on?

Lookup Misophonia.

Interestingly, if someone can hear a song in a noisy place I struggle.

[PrairieCat]

I have issues with sensory overload also. I always have control of how light, bright or dark all rooms are in my apartment. I keep my bedroom dark and also cool with a fan on all the time, even when I'm not there. My cats seem to like it! I love it. I have a problem when it is too bright and also too noisy. I hear everyone who talks outside sometimes.

I am even very sensitive to how heavy my covers are when I am in bed. I always seem to be too cold also. So I have lots of extra covers and a heating pad, too.

Oh, covers on the windows, covers in bed, covers for the covers... Hey whatever we need to do to make ourselves comfortable is wonderful! We perhaps could not have control over this in our past but NOW we do, thank God!