What Are Complex Ptsd Triggers
One of the hallmarks of Post Traumatic stress disorder is the presence of intrusive symptoms. Common PTSD symptoms are:
- Memory flashbacks
- Physical or emotional reactivity to triggers
Thats not all. Clients with PTSD also commonly experience:
A trigger is an event or situation that stimulates a trauma symptom. For example, Marion saw me for Complex PTSD treatment. During the course of her trauma therapy, we used both neurofeedback therapy and EMDR. While she ultimately benefited enormously, working in these modalities were not without their challenges.
Neurofeedback therapy required my gently placing sensors on her head. And due to her history growing up with a violent mother, this took her some time to get used to. In the beginning, her heart raced and her hands trembled when I would approach her. When we began EMDR treatment for her Complex PTSD, her hypervigilant fear spiked whenever she would begin a session, as she felt highly vulnerable not being able to focus some of her attention on the office door.
Fortunately, Marion was blessed with a stubborn determination. She patiently worked with herself and me and gave herself plenty of time to get used to all the triggers that arose for her in trauma therapy.
An added burden that many C-PTSD clients bear, is that their bodies have learned to expect relationships to be dangerous. So that means that complex trauma therapy itself can become a lot more complicated.
Living With Someone Who Has Ptsd
When a partner, friend, or family member has post-traumatic stress disorder it affects you, too. PTSD isnt easy to live with and it can take a heavy toll on relationships and family life. You may be hurt by your loved ones distance and moodiness or struggling to understand their behaviorwhy they are less affectionate and more volatile. You may feel like youre walking on eggshells or living with a stranger. You may also have to take on a bigger share of household tasks and deal with the frustration of a loved one who wont open up. The symptoms of PTSD can even lead to job loss, substance abuse, and other problems that affect the whole family.
Its hard not to take the symptoms of PTSD personally, but its important to remember that a person with PTSD may not always have control over their behavior. Your loved ones nervous system is stuck in a state of constant alert, making them continually feel vulnerable and unsafe, or having to relive the traumatic experience over and over. This can lead to anger, irritability, depression, mistrust, and other PTSD symptoms that your loved one cant simply choose to turn off.
With the right support from you and other family and friends, though, your loved ones nervous system can become unstuck. With these tips, you can help them to finally move on from the traumatic event and enable your life together to return to normal.
It’s Possible To Leave Intrusive Memories In The Pastget Support In Therapy
What Are Triggers For PTSD Flashbacks?
Some flashbacks can be unprovoked, but a majority of the time they involve triggers. A PTSD trigger is a broad term for anything that can remind a person of a traumatic event.
Triggers for flashbacks are diverse and can include stimuli such as people, places, and objects, and words. They can also involve one’s senses.
For example, an unexpected loud sound or the smell of smoke might remind a veteran who served on the frontlines of his experiences in a war. Because of the triggers, the individual in this scenario might have vivid scenes of battle replaying in his or her head, and can potentially react to it by performing actions he once did, such as hiding or ducking for cover.
Many triggers can be spontaneous and happen when least suspected, but some people who have experienced a PTSD panic attack will also become completely aware of their triggers and will attempt to stay away from the ones that they can control as much as they can.
This is known as avoidance, and it is part of the criteria for diagnosing patients with PTSD.
Although it is the natural response to such stressors, avoidance symptoms are regarded as some of the worse ones because it conditions people to fear their triggers. That is, people who continue to stay away from them will only keep being afraid of them, and it can cause the condition to get worse.
What Happens In The Brain During PTSD Flashbacks?
- The rostral anterior cingulate cortex
- The ventral occipital cortex
Recommended Reading: What Is The Use Of Unique Disability Id
What Can I Do If Im Not Happy With My Treatment
If you arent happy with your treatment you can:
- talk to your doctor about your treatment options,
- ask for a second opinion,
- get an advocate to help you speak to your doctor,
- contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service , or
- make a complaint.
There is more information about these options below.
How can I speak to my doctor about my treatment options?
You can speak to your doctor about your treatment. Explain why you arent happy with it. You could ask what other treatments you could try.
Tell your doctor if there is a type of treatment that you would like to try. Doctors should listen to your preference. If you arent given this treatment, ask your doctor to explain why it isnt suitable for you.
Whats a second opinion?
A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have. You can also ask for a second opinion if you disagree with your diagnosis.
You dont have a right to a second opinion. But your doctor should listen to your reason for wanting a second opinion.
What is advocacy?
An advocate is independent from the mental health service. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.
There are different types of advocates available. Community advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. And help you to get the treatment that you would like. NHS complaints advocates can help you if you want to complain about the NHS.
How Do Children And Teens React To Trauma
Children and teens can have extreme reactions to trauma, but their symptoms may not be the same as those seen in adults. In young children under the age of 6, symptoms can include:
- Wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet
- Forgetting how or being unable to talk
- Acting out the scary event during playtime
- Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult
Older children and teens usually show symptoms more like those seen in adults. They also may develop disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive behaviors. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They also may have thoughts of revenge.
For more information, see the National Institute of Mental Health brochure, Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Disasters and Other Traumatic Events.
Also Check: How Do You File For Social Security Disability
Why Do Some People Develop Ptsd And Other People Do Not
It is important to remember that not everyone who lives through a dangerous event develops PTSD. In fact, most people will not develop the disorder.
Many factors play a part in whether a person will develop PTSD. Some examples are listed below. Risk factors make a person more likely to develop PTSD. Other factors, called resilience factors, can help reduce the risk of the disorder.
Some factors that increase risk for PTSD include:
- Living through dangerous events and traumas
- Feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear
- Having little or no social support after the event
- Dealing with extra stress after the event, such as loss of a loved one, pain and injury, or loss of a job or home
- Having a history of mental illness or substance abuse
Some factors that may promote recovery after trauma include:
- Seeking out support from other people, such as friends and family
- Finding a support group after a traumatic event
- Learning to feel good about ones own actions in the face of danger
- Having a positive coping strategy, or a way of getting through the bad event and learning from it
- Being able to act and respond effectively despite feeling fear
Researchers are studying the importance of these and other risk and resilience factors, including genetics and neurobiology. With more research, someday it may be possible to predict who is likely to develop PTSD and to prevent it.
Ptsd: National Center For Ptsd
After you experience a traumatic event, many things might remind you of it. Places, people, sounds or smells could “trigger” a memory of the event. Learn what research shows about trauma triggers and how you can cope with them.
Reading time: minutes
People respond to traumatic events in a number of ways. They may feel concern, anger, fear, or helplessness. These are all typical responses to a violent, malicious, or traumatic event. However, research shows that people who have been through trauma, loss, or hardship in the past may be even more likely than others to be affected by new, potentially traumatic events.
Here a bag of trash is usually a bag of trash. Over there, who knows what’s inside of it.
Robert Tucker
Don’t Miss: Can You Get Disability For Sciatica Pain
How To Identify A Trigger
Sometimes, you can quickly identify a trigger and begin to anticipate it. However, our triggers can also be subtle and even surprising. Once you identify a trigger, youve taken the first step to learning to manage it.
Triggers often feel unpredictable, but when we identify our triggers, we find connections between events, feelings, or sights that cause an immediate emotional or behavioral reaction. There are different ways to accomplish this.
First, you can start a journal and write down your thoughts, feelings, and environment at the time of your flashbacks or feelings of panic. Prompts on what to write may include:
- What did you hear?
Then, you can begin making connections and identifying similarities to identify your triggers.
A 2013 study asked 46 trauma survivors to complete a daily diary to identify possible intrusions . Over 7 consecutive days, they reported a total of 294 intrusions. The researchers found that participants were significantly unaware of the triggers that led up to the intrusive memories.
If you are ready to seek professional help for possible trauma symptoms, you can work with a psychotherapist or counselor to identify your potential triggers. An experienced mental health professional can also provide an outside view of your reactions and help you locate their possible causes.
What Risks Are Associated With Ptsd
Alcohol and drug use
Some people who live with PTSD use drugs or alcohol to help manage the symptoms.
Drug or alcohol misuse can make you more unwell, especially is it is excessive. It can make you more likely to try and harm yourself or take your own life.
You can find out more about Drugs, alcohol and mental health by clicking here.
Mental health conditions
Most people who live with PTSD will have at least 1 other mental health condition. The most common conditions are:
- substance use, and
- anxiety disorders.
Other mental health conditions have some of the same symptoms as PTSD. This may be why PTSD can sometimes be hard to diagnose.
If you think you may be experiencing PTSD, you can tell your healthcare professional. You can explain that youve been through a trauma, and you think your symptoms might be related to PTSD.
You can find out more about:
Suicidal thoughts
Sometimes PTSD symptoms can be long-lasting and can have a significant impact on day-to-day life. This can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts.
You can find out more about Suicidal thoughts How to cope by clicking here.
Psychosis
There is a link between PTSD and psychosis. But it isnt known if psychosis is sometimes a symptom of PTSD. Or if it is a separate mental health condition, that can be developed alongside PTSD.
You can find out more about Psychosis by clicking here.
Physical health issues
You can find more information about:
Recommended Reading: Is Down Syndrome An Intellectual Disability
In Need Of Help Right Now
If youre in a domestic violence situation, youre not alone. Millions of people each year live with and report domestic violence by an intimate or romantic partner.
Nothing youve done can make you deserve any form of abuse from a partner or anyone else.
There are steps you can try to navigate the situation until you feel its safe to leave. Psych Central offers several resources for survivors of domestic or intimate partner violence.
You can check out these Psych Central pages:
What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, or rape or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.
PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as shell shock during the years of World War I and combat fatigue after World War II, but PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and at any age. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year, and an estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. Three ethnic groups U.S. Latinos, African Americans, and American Indians are disproportionately affected and have higher rates of PTSD than non-Latino whites.
People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares they may feel sadness, fear or anger and they may feel detached or estranged from other people. People with PTSD may avoid situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event, and they may have strong negative reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise or an accidental touch.
Also Check: Who Do I See For Ptsd
Where Can I Find More Information On Ptsd
The National Center for PTSD, a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is the leading federal center for research and education on PTSD and traumatic stress. You can find information about PTSD, treatment options, and getting help, as well as additional resources for families, friends, and providers.
Information For Carers Friends And Relatives
If you are a carer, friend or relative of someone who lives with PTSD, you can get support.
How can I get support?
You can do the following.
- Speak to your GP about talking therapies and medication for yourself.
- Speak to your relatives mental health team about a carers assessment or ask for one from your local social services.
- Join a carers service. They are free and available in most areas.
- Join a carers support group for emotional and practical support. Or set up your own.
What is a carers assessment?A carers assessment is an assessment of the support that you need so that you can continue in your caring role. You might be able to get support from social services.
You can find out more about Carers assessment Under the Care Act 2014 by clicking here.
How do I get support from my peers?You can get peer support through carer support services or carers groups. You can search for local groups in your area by using a search engine such as Google. You can find all of our peer support groups here: www.rethink.org/help-in-your-area/support-groups/.
You can look on the following websites:
How can I support the person I care for?
You can do the following.
You can find out more about:
- Supporting someone with a mental illness by clicking here.
- Responding to unusual thoughts and behaviours by clicking here.
- Worried about someones mental health by clicking here.
- Stress How to cope by clicking here.
You can find out more about:
Don’t Miss: The Department Of Veterans Affairs
Tip : Anticipate And Manage Triggers
A trigger is anythinga person, place, thing, or situationthat reminds your loved one of the trauma and sets off a PTSD symptom, such as a flashback. Sometimes, triggers are obvious. For example, a military veteran might be triggered by seeing his combat buddies or by the loud noises that sound like gunfire. Others may take some time to identify and understand, such as hearing a song that was playing when the traumatic event happened, for example, so now that song or even others in the same musical genre are triggers. Similarly, triggers dont have to be external. Internal feelings and sensations can also trigger PTSD symptoms.
Tip : Rebuild Trust And Safety
Trauma alters the way a person sees the world, making it seem like a perpetually dangerous and frightening place. It also damages peoples ability to trust others and themselves. If theres any way you can rebuild your loved ones sense of security, it will contribute to their recovery.
Express your commitment to the relationship. Let your loved one know that youre here for the long haul so they feel loved and supported.
Create routines. Structure and predictable schedules can restore a sense of stability and security to people with PTSD, both adults and children. Creating routines could involve getting your loved one to help with groceries or housework, for example, maintaining regular times for meals, or simply being there for the person.
Minimize stress at home. Try to make sure your loved one has space and time for rest and relaxation.
Speak of the future and make plans. This can help counteract the common feeling among people with PTSD that their future is limited.
Keep your promises. Help rebuild trust by showing that youre trustworthy. Be consistent and follow through on what you say youre going to do.
Emphasize your loved ones strengths. Tell your loved one you believe theyre capable of recovery and point out all of their positive qualities and successes.
Also Check: Prudential Veterans Group Life Insurance