SENSORY Integration

I have done extensive research on sensory integration with PTSD and other anxiety disorders. I was just thinking about how that could apply to many of us, especially the dissociative parts we cut off when experiencing trauma. One of the things that I learned is that we are all different in terms of what causes our nervous system fight or flight vs what is a comfort. Some people do not want to feel anything, while others are always on sensory overload. For some this means every noise, every texture, every angle in a room is anxiety provoking. There has been a substantial body of research on sensory integration.

I never realized until reading this info that I was a closed in kinda gal. I feel more safe in closed soft places. I like low ceilings and I love the way a tent feels when I am inside. It is comforting to my autonomic nervous system. This system is developed during our developing years. It always changes but many patterns remanin the same. I never had toys as a child. As an adult I like my toys, I like some blankets, love the soft feel of my dogs, and am learning about creating a safe environment for myself.

Some of the research speaks of tightly fiting lycra bags offering comfort to the nervous system in a way that lets the brain get safe information. Movement is another. Some need repetitive movement to self calm. Also, chewing gum can be very helpful in a lot of people as it helps to communicate sensory information to the brain.

Our brains go on hyperdrive and they can't sort out safety vs. danger. This is why the concept of caves and safe places is so important.

I am fully grown, and then some, and use my closet for calming, wrap tight for calming, use my stuffed animals and read certain children's stories.

There is scientific evidence behind this. What comforts each of us is different. Some people want the thump thump of high bass music and that calms them. Some like the repetitive sound of a metronome. There is so much more I would like to learn about this. I do know that for me the feeling of having little people inside of me is when these parts have been aroused and need calming, soothing, comforting.

Some of us are tactile defensive. O.T practioners have long known about these theories and they are now being generalized to adults and other people

One more thing, weight can be very comforting. I made rice bags for weight on my lap when my legs are very jumpy. It helps tremendously. They are all very primitive parts of us and each part deserves our love and respect.

This is wonderful

I makes sense and explains some of the things I have going on

Atg

That's really interesting, ww. Thanks for posting.

I have read about the limbic part of the brainand how when we do not feel safe we operate only on the primitive, reptillian brain.

I don't like being closed in. It scares me. I get elements of claustrophobia. I like bigger spaces and I need to know where exits are. Isn't it interesting how different we are.

some of us inside like the small spaces, under a table with a tablecloth (tent), behind a couch, closet, corners, cocooned under the covers. others like more open able to get out quickly if have to. How interesting. The Secret Garden has been a very favorite story. Alice in Wonderland has been in my life forever, though I don't at all remember the story...
what is tactile defensive??

a big part of my therapy for my DID has been what you are talking about. I had to learn all over again to pay attention to textures, tastes, smells, sights, and sounds. Its been amazing what I have found that I like and so on. It still amazes me that one leaf on an oak tree has three different shades of green in it. I am so aware of my world now just because I learned how to pay attention to the good things that what my senses are telling me besides the stuff that was triggering me. I find I am less triggerable because I see the wolrd not just as a place of dangerious sounds, sights, tastes, touches and smells.

I'm one who doesn't notice alot at all. In fact, t was amazed at things that just aren't absorbed here concerning my environment. I tend to not react emotionally more than I do react to something triggering or potentially dangerous or harmful.

Thank you so much for the information, ww! it's very interesting. I'm going to try to read more about it!

KD

The word 'intergration is so scary for me and whenever i have a bad flashback it centers around a certain sense, usually taste. It's exactly like reliving the terrible experience all over again.
It's hard to know how these things could help, even after reading over and trying to understand. How does it all help you cope?

the first thing I do is I throw out foot long words like integration and think in small steps because all integration means is remembering what happened and that happens naturally. so for the moment forget that word.

then when I have a flashback like the taste ones and man they can be disgusting can't they. first I figure out what the taste is that is driving me nuts so to speak. We all know what an obvious one could be to survivors so Im not going to go there. Lets go simple. out of no where last year around this time I would get this taste flashback So here I was in between panic attacks and visits to my mental safe place la la land I was going around my house putting things in my mouth trying to match that taste. besides trying to match the taste that I am flashing back on I was also paying attention to the things I was putting in my mouth. Finally I hit on the flashback taste - pumpkin paste in a can. but through out this whole process I have tried vinigar, and a whole lot of other foods and non food items and one stood out as enjoyable pickled beets ridged slices. So now I found the flashback and I found out accidentally that I like pickled beets. Those beets have been in my cupboard for ages from a food box when I visited the local food pantry when I was low on food. so when I had this flashback I would go into a panic and bring myself back out of it by eating a slice of beet. thinking of the texture, sourness and so on of that beet instead of the flashback. LOL When I am not in the heat of the flashback I think about why I dont like pumkin. Finally I ask my mom if I ever liked pimkin. She laughed and told me I did until one day she's pealing pumkin for pies and theres 12 children in my family and for the whatever-eth time someone asks her whatcha making. I came along and said it at the wrong time and so her answer being funny and sarcastic was "babyshit pie" and from that day on I could not get pumkin in my mouth without gagging. LOL being thanksgiving that flashback usually comes every year. this year when it started hapening I knew what that taste goes to so I didn't get triggered into being afraid of it and didn't run off to my mental safe place. I instead opened a soda and felt the fizz and bubbles tickle my tongue and taste buds and went on with my day thinking "you don't scare me I might even be daring and buy a "babyshit pie" and see if I can eat it now. That is how paying attention to my senses and things around me help me during a flashback and guess what -

What I did is also the process of that foot long word integration. I remembered and matched the taste flashback (pumkin) + situation (mom calling pumkin pie babyshit pie) + trigger (thanksgiving) = whole picture (I gagged on pumkin pie every thanksgiving holiday because of what my mother said)

Sorry for off topic, but myself you are amazing. I appreciate you so much! You make things make sense. Thank you

Thank you and Im glad you're here too.

I had a great therapist and many professionals along for the ride that taught me DID work doesn't have to be big and scarey just because the words to discribe it are. Since DID is separating yourself from the senses Fixing DID is connecting again with your senses, finding those memories and triggers and matching them all together and the first step to doing that is paying attention to what your senses are telling you. As for my originality of ideas on how to do that - I don't know where that comes from all I know is when the tradtional has been tried I look at the untradtional and push buttons just to see what they do kind of thing and they end up working. I think because people are so into looking for the complicated solutions the simple ones get passed by. I love sensory work. There are so many wonderful things out there to see, hear, taste, smell and touch and there is no end to it for when a person has explored the home completely theres a whole world just waiting for the door to open.

Way intrestig wisewoman I wanted to bump this one up because its well said and has a lot of knowledge in it

HELLO...IS THERE ANYBODY IN HERE? Maybe nobody is on right now

Im here sleeps.

Atg

((ATG))....gotta love you...I wonder if you are still on

you can tell when the person you are looking for is online by finding a post of theirs and then looking under ther name and avitar where it tell what member level they are there is also an online offline icon. when they are on line its greenand says online and not on line its a grey and you can barely see the words off line

Thanks Myself but sadly right now...me too ...many of the posters are invisable so I cannot see them as being on...right?

LOL thats true if they are invisable it means they are reading without logging in.

I dont even bother worrying about if they are one of the ones invisable. They aren't logged in to me means they want to be left alone and so I dont try to figure out which one they are. Kind of like when living with someone and their door is closed, they will find me when they are ready.

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