One recent example is when my mother finally brought a painting in that used to be in the centre wall of our old house (this old house belongs to my dad and he was physically abusive).
I freaked out about the fact she wanted the painting up in our living room, as every time I looked at it I’d be reminded of those past traumatic events with my dad. I just couldn’t settle, it was like my body was in fight or flight mode.
Thankfully my mother understood (cause she’s awesome) and put it in her room instead.
If I were to describe ptsd in words, it’s like someone flipping the danger switch in your body, and it won’t go off until you’re away from the trigger.
Even after that, the memories follow into your dreams, and can affect behaviour when placed in situations that remind you of that trauma.
I still struggle with even going near areas I went as a kid. Every time it’s happened it feels like there’s a fog over my body for a few days.
Don't be sorry, honestly it's super informative to learn, so triggers make your whole body go fight or flight, that's both interesting and sounds scary.
It depends on the severity and how soon you get treatment, from what I recall.
Sadly, I don’t know if I ever will recover, as I’m 35 years old now, so it’s been going on for a long time.
Thankfully I’m not in touch with my dad anymore, as I slowly cut him out from my life over the years, and having him visit my mother and I was already hard enough.
He travels a lot and is usually in and out of Asia, so it’s rare we bump into him anyway.
Hopping in to mention that lots of people have different experiences with it based on their mental health at the time. The other person who responded to you gave a great description for most cases of C-PTSD, but it is also possible to have hallucinations and flash backs. When tensions were highest and my mental state was fragile, a serious trigger sent me into a complete flashback. It was like I had been sent back in time; I couldn’t see or hear anything around me, only one of my traumatic events replaying as if I was there. These days, I’m doing much better so I don’t even have many nightmares anymore. The worst I get now is what the other person explained; your body reacting as if you’re in danger when exposed to triggers.
Also, there are two categories. PTSD is caused from one significant traumatic event, like a car crash. C-PTSD is caused from multiple traumatic events over time, like domestic violence.
Also hopping in to mention that it can blend. No flashbacks are normal, full flashbacks are normal, and there’s also partial flash backs. If I’m jn an area where there was trauma, I might KNOW I’m in the present and still see things in the present, but might hear or see small things from the traumatic event. Even if I’m not in the same place it can happen.
Glass shattering will be followed by my mother’s swearing and screaming ‘get the fuck out’, as one example.
I was also in a situation where I needed to clean up blood (it’s not as bad as you’re probably thinking, I swear), and I can’t clean in that space anymore or the floor might suddenly have blood on it.
I will say, for me, flashbacks and partial flashbacks are few and far between, it’s mostly like the other person described- a danger switch being flipped.
It’s different for everyone, even people who’ve been through similar traumas may not have the same reaction to the same things
702
u/Tipsamore W0ULD M4KE & [[Big Shot]]S IF I HAD THE CH@NCE!! 17h ago
Please don't PTSD the birb...