PTSD Trigger Questions

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Guest

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:30 am

Hello,
This question is for all with experience with PTSD and mental health
professionals. My question is simple, could iconic images (iconic
drawn images) in a context of a education piece about PTSD of
traumatic events (combat, car wreck, tornados) be a trigger for PTSD
symptoms in PTSD patients? If so how likely are these images to be a
trigger or concern, in your opinion?

Any insight would be great!

-Stacy

Hoofprints

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:00 pm

Guest

stacy-craft@kittymail.com wrote:

Quote:

From a patients perspective:

Orange blossoms used to do me in when in bloom. Why, because an Orange
Grove is where they found my husbands body. The feeling with me runs
like this. AH my favorite scent. Then overwhelming sadness and grief.
Also the song Desperado got to me.
Why, because that was what we used to sing.
I had a few more but have forgotten them, and no more have suddenly
popped up in the past 19 years, so I guess that is over.

Hoofprints

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:36 pm

Guest

Hoofprints wrote:

Quote:

stacy-craft@kittymail.com wrote:

Hello,
This question is for all with experience with PTSD and mental health
professionals. My question is simple, could iconic images (iconic
drawn images) in a context of a education piece about PTSD of
traumatic events (combat, car wreck, tornados) be a trigger for PTSD
symptoms in PTSD patients? If so how likely are these images to be a
trigger or concern, in your opinion?

Any insight would be great!

-Stacy

From a patients perspective:

Orange blossoms used to do me in when in bloom. Why, because an Orange
Grove is where they found my husbands body. The feeling with me runs
like this. AH my favorite scent. Then overwhelming sadness and grief.

That sounded really simplistic and the overwhelming part isn't that
simple.
I had worked all night. I was on NOC shift at the hospital where I
worked. My hubbies body was found on Jan 2. So whenever the next
blossom season is for oranges it hit me. I had ended my shift at 0700
hr.. and was walking out the door, daylight was just breaking, and I was
feeling good. Then I smelled the orange blossoms and was delighted, and
instantaneously went into grief and sadness. It is like someone turning
a light switch on the wall on or off however you want to perceive the
emotion.

Quote:

Also the song Desperado got to me.

I hadn't heard that song in a long time, and once again, was feeling
great. the radio began playing the song, and at the time I didn't
realize why it suddenly bothered me, then it hit as to why. I stopped
that by playing the song for a few days until I became desensitized.

Quote:

Why, because that was what we used to sing.
I had a few more but have forgotten them, and no more have suddenly
popped up in the past 19 years, so I guess that is over.

Another time.
my boyfriend at the time and I were driving on a road into Porterville
that was familiar to me. I noticed that I couldn't breathe. As we
continued on the road, I was gasping for air. We were on the same road
that ran along the side of the orange grove where they found the body.
I made my ex pull off the road, and he finally complied but not until
after I was totally unable to breathe and totally frightened. Again, it
was a thing that I didn't know would occur and so it was a surprise, but
I figured it out.
I still won't drive down that road, but I have been more successful at
being able to drive farther down the road then before it would bug me.
I guess I can't really explain that to you.

Main thing on PTSD triggers, you don't expect them, think you are over
the trauma and are floored when these events kick in and then make a
conscious effort to recall why? you were feeling that way.

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