I mean like it scares the you know what out of me.
And the fireworks for 4th of July....i know they're coming....I'm watching them and if I'm close enough to them that they are at a certain decible, i really jump. And it's embarassing.

A few years ago I was at a concert with a friend and it started with a large BOOM and i jumped about 2 feet. the guys behind me laughed so hard...I did too because it had to look funny from their end but again, embarassing.

As I sit here home alone in a thunderstorm, i'm going to see if I can find a way to ground myself for this...it's the suddenness that really gets me.

Anyone else?

[SoupDragon]

My Grandmother was terrified of loud noises and storms in particular - I wonder for her whether there were triggers from the war as near her house was heavily bombed in the 2nd WW.

My father was keen for us not to be scared and I remember we would all sit in the darkness and wonder at the storm, count between the lightening and thunder to decide how far away it was. I don't literally jump now, but I do feel very unnerved when I hear thunder.

Do other things startle you as well or just noises?

[Omers]

I don't but have a dear friend who does. Some times it will scare her so badly she wets herself.
If it is something you can predict have to tried the ear "muff" things they use in shooting? I know it doesn't totally block out the sound but it does muffle it. My son uses them because he is sound sensitive. I borrow them when I have a migraine and my cat sneezing sounds like a bomb going off to me. Even the little plugs that go in your ears might help and people can't see those.
Most people, if they admit it or not, do jump to some extent. I was a competitive marksmen and runner in high school. I had a real advantage coming off the starting line because I was the only one who didn't jump first when the starting gun went off.
I too learned not to be scared of thunder storms by counting the seconds between the flash and the boom. Now, against my better survival instincts, I can often be found out side in the middle of them trying to get a picture of the lightening.
Now, I am not above locking myself in the closet with a valium and a pillow over my ears if the neighbor kids are playing loudly outside... so don't feel bad!

[splitimage]

I used to have a super hyper aroused startle response. It's common in people with PTSD. I've gotten a lot better over the years, but I still startle pretty easily.

splitimage

Originally Posted by splitimage

I used to have a super hyper aroused startle response. It's common in people with PTSD. I've gotten a lot better over the years, but I still startle pretty easily.

splitimage

Yep...I guess that would be it.

SoupDragon...it's any loud sudden noises, so loud horns, thunder...the tv turning on suddenly, sirens...

[lizardlady]

Different people have different reactions to loud noises. I can be a sign of an anxiety problem, like PTSD, or it can be sensitivity to loud noises. It can also be a learned response. I used to love to sit and watch lightning storms. I didn't go out in them like Omers, but would sit on the porch and watch. Then I haed a couple of close calls. I saw lightning hit our power pole about 20 feet from the house. Flames were shooting out of it. Blew out half the wiring in the house. Then I got caught outside in a couple of Florida's infamous summer thunder storms, with nearby lightning stikes. I've gone from the person who used to sit and watch the storms to someone who wants to crawl under the furniture and hide when it thunders.

[bobsgirl]

The other night some lovely children were playing with fireworks outside my bedroom window when I was sound asleep. In the old days I don't think I would have even woken up,,,I jumped out of bed and started running around in circles like a fool! Scared the hell out of my fiance.

[Rhiannonsmoon]

Yeap, yep yep... For some reason I have this intense reaction to things and my entire body will lift from the chair, or if someone startles me my feet literally lift up from the floor. But it even happens if I'm on the computer and a new window opens I have the same reaction and I jump backwards...don't know why though...

.

[Out_of_denial]

I jump AND yell easily. Loud noises can make me jump. But a surprise? Forget it. I think I just get so mentally involved sometimes that I am not aware of what's going on around me. One time I was watching a horror movie and ended up throwing a whole can of mixed nuts into the air. Now if I watch them at the theater with my daughter, I am not allowed to hold anything and often have to cover my mouth.

I never used to be like this and it is embarressing when you yell in surprise because the UPS man walked across your porch. Otherwise, I just embrace it as one of my many quircky personality traits.

Amy

[Rohag]

Yes. Low startle threshold here; sometimes triggered by loud noises and sometimes not.

[kaliope]

i once had a very sensitive startle response and jumped at the smallest thing i was so hypervigilant. now that i am stabilized i am not nearly so bad.