[cabraSurf]

i don't know if I have "PTSD" exactly, but i have something. I am definitely very "psychosomatic" in that I have pointed (yet shifting) physical symptoms in response to mental/emotional situations.

I definitely get "the chills" as a response to difficult situations. I will be cold and shivering even when the weather is on the warm side. Last November I was wearing a thin down jacket in the Florida sun. This is accompanied by shaking hands and a general loss of energy. Like I will walk slowly down down the street and through town as if gravity has been turned up and and the air density has tripled and made it harder to walk through. If it's a nice day I will lie down and "rest it off" in the sun (which works somewhat) and I will take a lot of hot baths, no matter the weather.

For example (just one example) this could be triggered by my girlfriend (who's got an anxiety thing going on herself) "losing it" and yelling at me, berating me in front of our 7 you, etc. She will get over this top of thing very quickly and oven apologize for "flying off the handle", but I might be thrown into fugue for a much longer time, and the shivering/chills are definitely part of it.

I think it would be very if useful typical human bodily responses, such as this one, were mapped out. Because just knowing and understanding what is going on is often a great help in overcoming (as the late great Dr. Sarnow showed — his books are about "back pain" but really it applies to all kinds of psychosomatic phenomenon).

[Open Eyes]

Hi cabraSurf, welcome to Psych Central and the PTSD forum. First, just want you to know that if you don't get a reply right away it just means other members have not visited the forum that day, never means you are purposely being ignored.

The answer to your question about getting the chills, YES, I get them myself and my trauma therapist had blankets handy for the patients that needed them as he noticed patients can get the chills in therapy sessions as well. Some people take hot showers and find that helps, hot baths too, having a small space heater you can sit next to helps too. I often sleep with a heating pad as I can often experience the chills at night while I am sleeping (even though one is not supposed to actually fall asleep with a heating pad, I do it anyway). The other thing I found helpful is if I am struggling with chills I sit on my bed and use a hair dryer and I blow the hot air on my legs and that is not only relaxing but the chills go away and I can sleep. Yes, I get the chills even in warm weather, it's not a normal "I am cold" kind of chills, it's more "trauma related".

[Shazerac]

I get really cold when I have ptsd Flashbacks. I always keep a comforting blanket handy for when that happens.

[seeker33]

I get random chills between my shoulder blades. There's no definite trigger but I sometimes feel this weird cold energy that makes me shiver. I don't get permanently cold and don't need a hot shower or a blanket, but I will shake like I got an electric shock for a few seconds. It always starts in my spine near shoulder blade area. I've had these since my childhood.

[KYWoman]

Yes, I too, experience cold chills when a traumatic flashback, memory or emotion slips into my consciousness.