Good post. I have thought that I had cleared certain improvements and past some of the more horrible symptoms a few times now to have them be reactivated bagain. For me healing was slow and very incremental for two years. Some of the things that are being activated are stored in the body and just react. Other trauma is stored in the amygdala. You do not have conscious access to this part of your brain.

Ptsd is an anxiety disorder and very difficult if the whole nervous system is turned upside down, like yours seems to be. It drains you of energy by using up that energy stimulating the trauma response in a disorderly way
Hence PTSD.

Yes you there a way out in fact there are more than way out but it takes work on your part. Ptsd will repeat itself unless you change something. A pilll will not cure you or a therapist. They may help but the cure lies inside yourself.

Read my daily routine post and start working toward improving today. Good Luck

SeekingStrength...

I understand your position here; I look at your groups & although I am no longer in the same ones... I belong in all of them. And it is my belief that you have these unexplained triggers; because you are on the road to healing & of course it is a continuous process.

You mentioned that you have dealt with your flashbacks. GREAT! Now you have a new challenge & opportunity before you. I am finding that when we open ourselves & conqueor one of our struggles, hurdles, or demons then another one presents itself.

Recognize that that is what it is, so that you can do what is best for yourself, like NOT isolating yourself & drinking, because face it; you know it is NOT the answer. Pull from the strength that is within you that has allowed you to heal from your flashbacks & use that energy to also to control & discipline yourself so that you may continue on your healing path.

I am where you are with the unexplained triggers. What is working for me is to acknowledge each trigger or emotion, by allowing myself to feel it, not fight it, then dig deep & ask why.

Often it is little things that we encounter through our travels throughout our day, that upsets us, that makes us sad, that makes us relive our abuse or feel the emotions or sadness that we felt while the abuse was happening.

Credit yourself for no longer feeling just numb to everything. Now ask yourself why you are back sliding & isolating yourself. Separate each feeling & discover what happened in your day that triggered you.

I also agree that a physical routine is KEY to our healing. So when not working, I read to further my healing. There is great blog written by one of us has been helpful, www.healmyptsd.com. Also a good book that is a easy & practical read is: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT? DO THIS by Sam Obitz, (can only be ordered online).
I study TaiChi, Qi Gong is great for meditation, tho, I am doing a more fighting style, called Yang. I do intense workouts 3 or more times a week. & I continue to see a Psychotherapists once a week.

So put all that energy & blast of adrenaline to work for you that you have. It needs to go somewhere & your days of feeling like you just want to mope & not move at all... well you may still feel like that, for a time, but at least you have a routine established that will keep you motivated.

Talking to someone not familiar with our struggles is hard & is not always best; but making friends & socializing is important. We are not an island to ourselves... you agree?

love&healing...

I think a good therapist CAN heal you, but where do you find a good therapist?

Drinking is the worst you can do. Stop drinking. Think of alcohol as just another trigger... well, I know, first it makes you fell better, first it takes away your symptoms, but after you feel worse, a lot worse.

Maybe it is the drinking and the isolation that are hurting you...

- Al

Seeking,

Sorry you are experiencing a setback.

Although it's important to know and understand what our triggers are, there are times when triggering occurs without our seemingly knowing or understanding what the source/s was/were (I just had this happen, too). It makes perfect sense to me (as Wanderer also indicated) that trauma affects our whole system (not just the brain/mind). It also makes sense, from this that triggering can occur as overtly as seeing an image or hearing a neme, or as covertly as a certain smell or feeling the sense of being trapped. Regardless, I think that invariably "something" is triggering us on some level.

A good set of tools is important. Even for the triggering that occurs without knowing what the specific trigger is.
I could very much relate to the experience you described...especially when compelled to behave "as if" everything is okay, but inside you are not, the anxiety, adrenalin, the paralysis (at times). You're not alone.

I'm actually not doing so well this evening (post triggering today); so not feeling so adept at making suggestions.

I still try : (

Thanks for posting your thoughts seekingstrength. I am also experiencing what you are and you have put into words and explained something I was finding difficult.
I feel like I was sooo getting there and then without realising (to start with) the last couple of weekends I have got myself so drunk and have embarrassed myself, lost myself and felt disgraced at my behaviour. I've really let myself down thinking things were getting better only to be woken with a steep realisation I shouldn't be so complacent. I've been diagnosed with PTSD for 3 years although I'm sure I've had it since the initial catalyst of being raped some 14 years or so ago. All I can say is PTSD is like snakes and ladders, so very unreliable and yes I hate it too but you like me must keep fighting as it is all progress - both the good and bad. You have a choice you keep healing or you stay static and have problems and don't get the life you so very much deserve. Keep going, you are not alone.
Also like to thank everyone for their responses to seekingstrength as you have helped me too. Lots of love to everyone xxxx

PTSD can be very complex. I have been able to name my triggers, but every once in a while I will freak out (for a lack of a better term)and not know why. I try to arrange my life around any triggers. I have found this to be hard and also isolating. My goal of each day is not to be triggered. There is medication that can help this, but like everything else it takes a lot of work. I wish you the best. Thanks for the post.

Here's my issue...I can't figure out what triggers my nightmares. There seems to be little pattern or predictability. I've tried everything, been really paying attention to my activities before bed.

Eat/don't eat?
Excercise/Don't exercise?
Happy environment/Quiet environment?

It seems like my nightmares are 100%...have a mind of their own and just kinda show up when they feel like it.

I'm freakin' angry about the whole thing. It just destroys me.

WillZero,

There are a lot of symptoms that I am learning to manage (some better than others). Those I do not manage well include sleep issues (difficulty falling asleep or getting enough sleep, nightmares, waking in the middle of the night crying and the night terrors). I have found that when I get more exercise during the day I do tend to sleep better at night. Working with children previously, I learned that "bedtime routines" were helpful; however have failed to put this into practice myself.

Look forward to other replies/suggestions.

DON'T DRINK!!! EVER!!!

The lie of alcohol has always been that you will drink hoping that it is a stimulant, and it will never be more than a depressant...

I've been on the EDMR train for months now, and so far am the only person I know that hasn't really benefited from it... It had a similar effect on me... It worked for a while... and then it just didn't, and a slew of symptoms, and anxiety popped back up...

I am a fan of CBT, and small amounts of meds. LOW DOSAGES... I take Welbutrin, and it has helped during the road to recovery... but I also know that as I work my route to get better... Parting ways with the meds is part of it. You can't medicate forever... But, it can help you while you get you straight.

2mg of minipress controls my nightmares fairly well, but I am weening off of it as I post this... I can't hide behind it forever, but it did help to not have that burden while I was learning how to build a bridge out of this... Now, it's time to face the nightmares... It's time, and I feel strong enough to do it.