[Fuzzybear]

I need as much help as I can on this... Please help

(I have spoken to doctors, more than one made it worse... )

[Open Eyes]

(((Fuzzy))

You need to be able to talk about your triggers and be validated and helped through them so you can make gains on the things that hurt you and finally heal.

[gayleggg]

I had to see a counselor for several years to work out my triggers. Most of them I couldn't even see until the hit. Now a use a lot of tools for anxiety to deal with them when they come up. Things like take a walk, read a book, listen to relaxation CDs, etc. The usual stuff.

Sorry you are hurting so bad.

Originally Posted by Fuzzybear

I need as much help as I can on this... Please help

(I have spoken to doctors, more than one made it worse... )

I have to admit that I mostly avoid them to the extent that I can. Sometimes, of course, they pop up unexpectedly. Then I just have to wait out the impact. Understanding what's happening helps. I know what's going on & what I can expect as a result. I will also admit though that occasionally I even consciously seek out a trigger; because truth be told there is a sense in which I love what they do to me.

In terms of coping mechanisms, the main thing I will sometimes do is to simply hold a picture of the trigger lightly in my mind & "breathe into it", so to speak. I may also touch the area of my chest over my heart lightly with the tips of the fingers of one hand as a sign of acceptance of & affection for the trigger. I then allow the picture to disintegrate, or float away, at whatever speed it is inclined to do so. This is a technique I gleaned from my reading of the writings of the Buddhist nun Ani Pema Chodron.

[MysteryMade]

For me, triggers can be very difficult to notice, handle, and/or control.
It's a long step by step process that I have to desire (to want) more than I choose to keep reliving the same problems.
Step one is figuring out I have a trigger. This usually happens when I am triggered, and in the state of being triggered will take a mental moment (?) outside myself to notice that I have been.
Step two is where I figure out what the trigger IS.
Here, I'll avoid the trigger while I dig deeper and find out where it's coming from.
I can't heal the problem if I'm just attacking the symptoms when it comes to medical treatment; I act the same way, in myself, with MY mind. (Whom I'm the only one that has any real control of anyways, right?)
Once I find out where it's coming from (Sense of self, PTSD, BPD.... etc) That's when I really begin to start healing the problem, instead of attacking the symptoms.

The Healing Process:
Talking with people who understand where you're coming from. Communicating with others who will validate your opinion, rather than knock it down. (Unless you really are off the chain!) Letting those you spend a LOT of time with KNOW your triggers, and realizing if they won't help you, they're not worth your time. Accepting that you have triggers, recognizing them, and knowing they are not the sum total of your worth as a person. We are all human.

[Teacake]

Originally Posted by Fuzzybear

I need as much help as I can on this... Please help

(I have spoken to doctors, more than one made it worse... )

I only have an "episode" when I am directly threatened physically. This is true for many people with real PTSD. We don't all fall to pieces over "triggers".

You can make yourself less triggery.

Avoid stimulants, including caffeine and herbal stimulants, sugar. alcohol, and nicotine.

Increase your cardiovascular conditioning. If you are sedentary begin by walking. If you are fit, go get a trainer. A fifth degree blackbelt and police sergeant told me this.

Martial arts training can be wonderfully beneficial.

Stabilise your blood sugar. Don't fast or skip meals. Eat protein and complx carbs three or six times a day, don't eat junk.

OExplore body based therapies for PTSD. Peter Levine has beautiful books and an excellent audio book. David Berceli has a very simple but very effective set of exercises you can do alone with no training besides reading his book. Read taobums thread on it. Look up Mikal Vega. He is a retired Navy Seal. I bet he knows more about ptsd than everyone who reads this thread combined. He says kundalini yoga brought him around. His website is a good place to start looking for a cure for.real ptsd.

Meditation won't hurt you. Any kind will work. Mantra meditation has got me through bad bad moments. There's nothing mystical about it, it just calms the nervous system. Singing lullabyes will work as well, but you must train regularly.

Do your own research. If you want to get better, you can. I wish you well.

[TerryL]

i take deep breaths. i also try to see triggers as a way for me to practice coping and hopefully i will get triggered less and less, at least that is my hope. but it is not fun i am sorry you are struggling with it dear fuzzy.

[ThisWayOut]

triggers can be tough. I have found I have an easier time with ones that trigger memories because they are easier to deal with. I'm still struggling to learn what brings about the emotional and body flashbacks (which are so much harder for me to ground from for some reason). I use music a lot to soothe. I do art or anythign creative to keep my hands busy. I take the dogs for a walk, or just sit with them. I can't avoid all the triggers, especially living in the same house again, but I try to distract from them. Distraction and seeking out human interaction works pretty well for me with the visual and auditory stuff, but like I said, I still really struggle with the physical and emotional stuff that comes up. being able to identify what they are specifically connected to helps a lot, but it's hard sometimes. (hugs)... sorry you are having a rough time with it all.

[Hellion]

It kind of varies...there are specific triggering things I do my best to avoid as much as possible. A lot of the time something triggers me and I react by being triggerred and getting extreme hypervigelence, feeling on edge maybe flashback sort of crap...lol for that I have valium for anxiety...though I have actually found cannabis more effective but yeah if that happens I'd either take the valium or something else calming or if I can manage sometimes I am able to just redirect my thoughts to something else but much of the time it doesn't quite happen.

[AngelGirl777]

I have a horrible habit of smoking (cigarettes) the triggers away. One of the only ways I can cope.

[Bolivar83]

Dear Fuzzybear: see you posted a few days ago - I hope you found some comfort and support in the interim!

It's been really rewarding reading forum post and responses, here - I am learning more skills and coping mechanisms to add to my tried n' true (aka: sleep, chocolate, vigorous walking, etc).

When I first developed PTSD, it was like I was feral! Everything was a threat, and my anger would flash so hot, such a surge!- that I frequently lashed out [this coming from someone previously known for her calm, quiet demeanor].

When I was able, after the passage of time and some therapy, to examine my responses, I started making lists of my triggers. Sort of working backwards, I examined the behaviour that bothered me, try to recall the scene (the who, what, why, where, etc), and see if I could pinpoint or guesstimate what the trigger was. I also tried to define the feelings I had post-trigger (ie when I recognized "uh, oh!", I was feeling scared/angry/cornered) and how my body felt (clenched teeth, fists) any themes to thoughts (fight! run!) shallow, fast breathing - just an inventory to help me recognize I was being triggered.

I wrote it all out on a spiral bound, index card notebook that I still carry with me everywhere as a security blanket. I came up with some things I could try to offset the feelings (slow down breathing, unclench muscles) if I felt I might be misreading the danger in a situation.

But sometimes, frankly, I just allowed myself to run - I have gotten better about telling my family "I need to take a walk - I have my phone, will be okay" rather then just fighting my way out a door and literally running away. But I try to respect my reading of some situations.

I hope you will follow up here, if you feel like it, and let us know how you are faring.

With Respect - Bolivar

[A.n.g.e.l]

Originally Posted by Fuzzybear

I need as much help as I can on this... Please help

(I have spoken to doctors, more than one made it worse... )

I need help with this too, Its very hard for me to stop that feeling because usually it comes on so fast there is not much I can do. There have been a few times when it starts more gradually. If i feel like i'm starting to lose some control, I try to get some ice cubes and hold them in my hand, sometimes it helps keep me in the moment. I've been doing this since I was a kid and it seems to help. I know I really need therapy but I haven't been able to actually talk to a therapist yet. Hopefully soon. I'm so embarrassed by the flashbacks, its held me back a lot and I'm always so afraid its going to happen at any moment. Most people do not know what I have been through and I always worry because I don't want anyone to know. I have severe social anxiety and its hard for me to even go out to the store because of it. I really hope this gets better.

I'm sorry you're suffering Fuzzybear; I'm dealing with this a lot too myself. Not sure on what you should do but I'll share with you what helps me. I usually put on music, I put on relaxing soothing music and close my eyes and try to myself in another place. My happy place is a beautiful sky like I'm soaring through it and flying. Anytime I go to my happy place, I end up calming down gradually. Hope you end up getting help with this and I wish you nothing but the best!

[Werewoman]

Doing EMDR really desensitized a lot of my triggers. I don't react like I used to before. There was a time when I would practically go into a rage every time I had to walk through the fragrance area in a dept. store. I finally just stopped shopping in such stores for a while. Now I can walk through them again and not feel anything. Another time I was in a grocery store where for some really strange reason they had a live band playing. They played a certain Neil Diamond song as I was trying to select a package of meat and I got really pissed because I couldn't do it and wanted to beat the hell out of the singer. Other singers used to trigger me also. I have not had any new triggers in a while, but at least now when it happens I know what it is and why. I can request an EMDR session with M. if I need to.

[Teacake]

Originally Posted by AngelGirl777

I have a horrible habit of smoking (cigarettes) the triggers away. One of the only ways I can cope.

Do you know how it works? Nicotine mediates the effects of caffeine. Cuts them in half. So if you ever want to quit smoking, quit caffeine first.