#PTSD #Triggers #Flashbacks #dog #BiteClub. This article might trigger an emotional response. Do not read unless you are in a safe place.
PTSD or any human behaviour is a complex issue. There are no easy answers, but it helps to understand and have compassion for those who have been through trauma, and those who live with or interact with them.
Above is the photograph that caused Bruce *, a six-foot-four, full of muscle, Australian man to experience a time travel flashback, coupled with a significant anger and anxiety response. How could that be?
It’s a sales receipt from a Flower Shop, for a stuffed dog, a miniature Schnauzer. The answer lies in not what you look at that matters, but what you see. Your experience at the moment is coupled with what you have experienced in the past.
I will cover Bruce’s ‘stuffed dog’ example, and it might open up some insight or understanding that will help you, or those with whom you interact. Our brain is designed to keep us safe, so it’s got this ability to remember dangers on a subconscious level. It doesn’t forget. The body keeps the score (Bessel Van Der Kolk).
Your brain pairs something that is dangerous with the fight, flight, freeze reaction. This instinctual response keeps us alive in the face of real threats, but sometimes, when it’s safe, our brain still pairs us with that dangerous reaction.
This is called triggers.
The psychological term is ‘paired association’ meaning that a neutral stimulus (like the above photograph) gets paired subconsciously with a physiological reaction like anger, fear, helplessness, avoidance or intense anxiety.
Avoidance that increases anxiety can take many forms. Staying at home, using substances, depression, endless distraction, or using blame, irritation or anger to escape that discomfort.
One can become trapped in cycles of fear and avoidance, but you can rewire your brain to no longer have that anxiety response around triggers. With the right support, you can unpair, or at least minimise and manage that danger response.
People respond to traumatic events in several ways. They may feel concerned, anger, fear, or helplessness. These are all typical responses to a violent, malicious, or traumatic event.
Let’s peel back a few layers of trauma and together work through the root cause in our case example with Bruce. Understanding the root cause allows us to find a way forward.
The photograph was taken approximately four years ago, but Bruce only recently viewed it. At the time, he was going through a messy divorce and was working remotely. His young child, a six-year-old boy, missed his dad and was lonely. Mom was allergic to cats and dogs, so that wasn’t an option. Dad bought the toy for the little boy.
A trigger from the marriage breakdown? No, there is more.
The dad was attacked by an Alsatian when he was six years old. Twenty stitches in his eyebrows are a reminder of that event. His mom can’t remember the incident.
The bite precipitated the trigger? No, there is more.
Who took the photograph of the receipt because it wasn't Bruce?
It was a government official from the serious offences unit. He pulled it out of Bruce's rubbish bin when Bruce was away. This official has the power to spy, break-and-enter without a warrant, use listening devices, examine bank accounts and phone records. He is allowed to scratch through the rubbish bin and photograph anything, real or imaginary, that might be evidence of a crime.
This abuse of power and invasion of privacy traumatised Bruce for many years to come.
Does this happens in Australia? Yes, sometimes to innocent people going about their daily routine. Bruce was suspicious about some strange people who he thought were following him. Usually, these thoughts are indicators of early psychosis.
In this case, Bruce applied for a court order and obtained some (not all) the government files on him. Included in the documents was this photograph. Imagine finding out that four government agents were following you around for years.
Years later, bang, a trigger occurs.
Bruce threw an old container of coffee into the rubbish bin because the grains had gotten solid. When his partner comes home, she notices the container in the bin, and reaches down to open it to check if it is empty.
The coffee container went into the bin on the day Bruce saw the above photograph. He doesn't see his partner's hand retrieving a coffee container. Instead he sees a spy agent retrieving a portion of his shattered life. Millions of seconds condensed into an instant of time. This trigger sets off a stream of emotions that Bruce was unable to control.
Now, do you understand what a trigger is? It’s complicated.
Together we can face that trigger, sit with it for as long as we have to, and we will not only survive but thrive. Reach out and give me a call. I’m here to help you.
* Bruce is not the real name, however the case details are accurate.