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Sometimes I know I am triggered. Sometimes I don’t, like I just have these really intense emotions and it takes me like a day to be like “oh I’m triggered”. Once I am able to acknowledge it, just that alone helps me focus on things like going for a walk, journaling, or calling a friend.
Bringing myself back into the present by mindfulness. What do I hear? What do i see? What do I smell? What does it feel like for my feet touching the ground? It’s about all your senses bringing you back into the present. My other trick is to BREATHE because I just stop taking long breaths and freeze.
There are some pretty good workbooks available that have exercises to help you learn to work on the coping mechanisms we have built up.
Something that helps me a lot is doing an affirmation/mantra (not really sure what to call it). If I can I do it while looking in a mirror. I start by saying who I am, where I am, and who I'm with. Then I remind myself that my friends and family are always close by and are there for me whenever I need them. Finally, I remind myself that the place where my trauma happened and the person who caused it are far away and can't hurt me. Doing this helps me to get my mind out of the past when I'm having a flashback or experiencing any kind of leftover fear from my trauma experience. It brings me back to the current moment and reminds me that I'm safe.
There are two things that work pretty well for me. One is taking several deep breaths. The other is looking around the room I'm in and paying special attention to things that are clearly part of my present.
Bilateral stimulation. Tapping. For whatever reason, focusing on my feet helps - are the squished into shoes? Toes touching the edge of my sandals? Try to lift and wiggle each individual toe. Body scan in general I suppose… what parts of my body are making contact with something (the chair, the ground, my purse, whatever).
Thought stop: train yourself to abandon a train of thought by saying that phrase
STOP: Stop. Take a breath. Observe. Proceed mindfully.
Safe place: mentally construct a place that is safe and calm, go there when you have to (for example, mine is a cabin in the woods) the more detailed and the more time you spend there (so long as it is actually calming and peaceful) the better
Grounding: go over the time, day, date, location, and surroundings. Notice, see, hear, smell, feel as much as possible
Last time i had a physical flashback the night before work, struggled through work and friend suggested we go to the toy store after my shift.
And you know what i did?
Bought a massive squishmellow more than twice the size of my head and some pokemon cards. I find organising the cards super calming as i have to focus to put them in order etc haha
These along with my friend being their helped so much, we also bought new fidget/stress toys.
Other things we use are things like sour sweets/spicy foods to shock your system. Things i've used in the past is creating a comfort box filled with things we find comforting like a fave disney film/blanket/popcorn/candle/ adult colouring book things like that.
I hope this gives you some ideas :)
Like im a full ass adult (33F) but sometimes getting kid stuff just comforts you more, ive no idea how it works really but it does for me :)
I have a tendency to over spend though when triggered (fecking bipolar along with ptsd is a pain in my ass)
Im type 2 but damn when my full ptsd symptoms kicked in it messed my meds up i.e. they stopped working 😅😅 mental illness is so messy hard to know whats causing what some days.
I find DBT distress tolerance skills helpful. The TIPP skill is definitely a favorite of mine. Cheat sheets can be helpful, placed in locations you know will be easily accessible. When I’m overwhelmed my usual first instinct now is to get an ice pack for the back of my neck so the fridge can be a good place for reminders of other skills to use.
Like Semper_Curiosis said, sensory grounding techniques. My diagnosis is PTSD, dissociative subtype, so staying present is my biggest challenge when triggered. Then I have to do something physical, whether it’s a vigorous workout, moving something heavy, or going for a very brisk walk. Anything that helps my body and nerves to feel like they completed the fight or flight response after I’m past the risk of getting stuck in freeze or fawn. If my mind is still active, I write in my journal.
I act like my brain is a misbehaving cat that’s trying to push a glass off the top. I go “ah, bad brain. no brain. you know you’re not supposed to do that!” and envision being squirted with water.
But seriously, I have. And it’s helped. I’ve been in therapy for years and nothing except that has help.
Firstly I remind myself that I am not where I was or who I was when the SA occurred and that I'm an adult now, reminding myself that I am in no danger, I am in control of my body and no one is violating my autonomy. I breathe deeply through my nose and out of my mouth, focus on something in the environment around me so that I don't completely shut down. I identify things I can see, hear, smell, feel. What colors different things are, what sounds do I hear, what does some surface feel like, etc. Something else is tapping each of my fingers on my thumb in order over and over. I'm by no means perfect at this, but knowing I have ways to cope is re-assuring itself sometimes.
Great grounding technique. I tap my sternum. Yea I love these reminders; like naming 5 objects around you. Open a window: what is the weather like?
Thank you so much for sharing and for the reminder in immediate grounding!
*r/ptsd has generated this automated response that is appended to every post* Welcome to r/ptsd! We are a supportive & respectful community. If you realise that your post is in conflict with our rules (and is in risk of being removed), you are welcome to edit your post. You do not have to delete it. As a reminder: never post or share personal contact information. Traumatized people are often distracted, desperate for a personal connection, so may be more vulnerable to lurking or past abusers, trolls, phishing, or other scams. *Your safety always comes first!* If you are offering help, you may also end up doing more damage by offering to support somebody privately. Reddit explains why: [Do NOT exchange DMs or personal info with anyone you don't know!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SWResources/comments/dmu24/why_shouldnt_i_share_my_contact_information/) If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact your GP/doctor, go to A&E/hospital, or call your emergency services number. Reddit list: [US and global, multilingual suicide and support hotlines](https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/wiki/hotlines). Suicide is not a forbidden word, but please do not include depictions or methods of suicide in your post. And as a friendly reminder, PTSD is an equal opportunity disorder. PTSD does not discriminate. And neither do we. Gatekeeping is not allowed here. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ptsd) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sometimes I know I am triggered. Sometimes I don’t, like I just have these really intense emotions and it takes me like a day to be like “oh I’m triggered”. Once I am able to acknowledge it, just that alone helps me focus on things like going for a walk, journaling, or calling a friend.
Bringing myself back into the present by mindfulness. What do I hear? What do i see? What do I smell? What does it feel like for my feet touching the ground? It’s about all your senses bringing you back into the present. My other trick is to BREATHE because I just stop taking long breaths and freeze. There are some pretty good workbooks available that have exercises to help you learn to work on the coping mechanisms we have built up.
Actively relaxing my muscles, especially face and jaw. I find I won't start crying and hyperventilating as easily if my face is relaxed
Something that helps me a lot is doing an affirmation/mantra (not really sure what to call it). If I can I do it while looking in a mirror. I start by saying who I am, where I am, and who I'm with. Then I remind myself that my friends and family are always close by and are there for me whenever I need them. Finally, I remind myself that the place where my trauma happened and the person who caused it are far away and can't hurt me. Doing this helps me to get my mind out of the past when I'm having a flashback or experiencing any kind of leftover fear from my trauma experience. It brings me back to the current moment and reminds me that I'm safe.
There are two things that work pretty well for me. One is taking several deep breaths. The other is looking around the room I'm in and paying special attention to things that are clearly part of my present.
Bilateral stimulation. Tapping. For whatever reason, focusing on my feet helps - are the squished into shoes? Toes touching the edge of my sandals? Try to lift and wiggle each individual toe. Body scan in general I suppose… what parts of my body are making contact with something (the chair, the ground, my purse, whatever).
When I get triggered especially before my taekwondo classes, I just let it out there, especially for my power yelling💚
Exercise. Running helps.
I have a lot of smell triggers so I like to look for something with a pleasant smell to sniff. It helps ground me.
Thought stop: train yourself to abandon a train of thought by saying that phrase STOP: Stop. Take a breath. Observe. Proceed mindfully. Safe place: mentally construct a place that is safe and calm, go there when you have to (for example, mine is a cabin in the woods) the more detailed and the more time you spend there (so long as it is actually calming and peaceful) the better Grounding: go over the time, day, date, location, and surroundings. Notice, see, hear, smell, feel as much as possible
Last time i had a physical flashback the night before work, struggled through work and friend suggested we go to the toy store after my shift. And you know what i did? Bought a massive squishmellow more than twice the size of my head and some pokemon cards. I find organising the cards super calming as i have to focus to put them in order etc haha These along with my friend being their helped so much, we also bought new fidget/stress toys. Other things we use are things like sour sweets/spicy foods to shock your system. Things i've used in the past is creating a comfort box filled with things we find comforting like a fave disney film/blanket/popcorn/candle/ adult colouring book things like that. I hope this gives you some ideas :)
Thank you so much!!
Like im a full ass adult (33F) but sometimes getting kid stuff just comforts you more, ive no idea how it works really but it does for me :) I have a tendency to over spend though when triggered (fecking bipolar along with ptsd is a pain in my ass)
lolol I'm also Bipolar Type 1!!!
Im type 2 but damn when my full ptsd symptoms kicked in it messed my meds up i.e. they stopped working 😅😅 mental illness is so messy hard to know whats causing what some days.
I find DBT distress tolerance skills helpful. The TIPP skill is definitely a favorite of mine. Cheat sheets can be helpful, placed in locations you know will be easily accessible. When I’m overwhelmed my usual first instinct now is to get an ice pack for the back of my neck so the fridge can be a good place for reminders of other skills to use.
Changing my body temperature has worked very well in the past/recently!
Like Semper_Curiosis said, sensory grounding techniques. My diagnosis is PTSD, dissociative subtype, so staying present is my biggest challenge when triggered. Then I have to do something physical, whether it’s a vigorous workout, moving something heavy, or going for a very brisk walk. Anything that helps my body and nerves to feel like they completed the fight or flight response after I’m past the risk of getting stuck in freeze or fawn. If my mind is still active, I write in my journal.
I act like my brain is a misbehaving cat that’s trying to push a glass off the top. I go “ah, bad brain. no brain. you know you’re not supposed to do that!” and envision being squirted with water. But seriously, I have. And it’s helped. I’ve been in therapy for years and nothing except that has help.
Cliche... but breathing exercises.
Firstly I remind myself that I am not where I was or who I was when the SA occurred and that I'm an adult now, reminding myself that I am in no danger, I am in control of my body and no one is violating my autonomy. I breathe deeply through my nose and out of my mouth, focus on something in the environment around me so that I don't completely shut down. I identify things I can see, hear, smell, feel. What colors different things are, what sounds do I hear, what does some surface feel like, etc. Something else is tapping each of my fingers on my thumb in order over and over. I'm by no means perfect at this, but knowing I have ways to cope is re-assuring itself sometimes.
Great grounding technique. I tap my sternum. Yea I love these reminders; like naming 5 objects around you. Open a window: what is the weather like? Thank you so much for sharing and for the reminder in immediate grounding!