some transtraumatized/transptsd tips - ideas for triggers
certain songs, characters/character dynamics, and names are some things that you can turn into some of your triggers!
associate certain songs with your trauma and think about that trauma and how the trauma made you feel every time you listen to that song!
if any characters/character dynamics remind you of certain trauma or people who traumatized you, use that to your advantage!
has anyone you know the name of traumatized you? their name is now one of your triggers!
people who act similar to anyone who traumatized you can also be a trigger because what if they're just like the person who traumatized you? they both act the same!
certain scenes in shows, movies, etc. that you watch can be triggers as well if it reminds you of your trauma!
outfit styles could also be a trigger if the person that traumatized you has a certain aesthetic that they usually wear!
seeing, hearing, and being near the person who traumatized you can also be a trigger, even if they're not interacting with you!
I'll add more to this list when I think of more things, but I think that is is good so far!
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Of course, the severity and obviousness of symptoms may depend or fluctuate. You don't have to follow every single thing I wrote! I just tried to include many things, because I've seen that pwPTSD have varying experiences with the disorder and it may not be the same.
There is a lot of text. Do tell me if I said misinformation. 3:
β First, you need to choose what kind of trauma you have! While yes, many trauma survivors don't remember their trauma or only very vaguely, but it'll help you in the process by knowing what to base off your triggers and behaviours.
You can start with something from your own childhood, if you wanna make it feel more realistic. If you have transharmed identities, you can also take inspiration from those. Whatever is up to you! :3c
Hypervigilance.
β Anxiety, so much anxiety. Look around. Check your surroundings, doors, windows, weapons, anything else that may be related to danger. Check on your friends, pets and loved ones. Be easily startled. React at unexpected noises. Doubt other people. Think that there are undertones. Sit with your back to the wall. Hesitate to leave your house, etc.. (Some of those behaviors may depend on what trauma you have, feel free to ask!)
Do it a lot and frequently, especially if your triggers were involved or if you were having a bad day. Others may ask if you feel unwell or even get annoyed with you, take that as a bonus for transid euphoria! /hj
β Physical tension! Constantly expecting danger will take a huge toll on your body. Example behaviours may include fidgeting, crossing your arms or legs, leaning against something, trying to move or walk around, adjusting yourself, curling up onto yourself, etc. Struggle to relax and stay still, basically.
When you try to sleep, you may curl up onto yourself, constantly squirm, move the pillows and blankets, take your clothes on and off, because your body is so tense that you just cannot get comfortable enough to sleep!
^ Also I've seen many cisPTSD, including myself, sleep hugging something (pillow, stuffed animal, another person, etc). Get something nice to cuddle! Bonus points if it may help you through the nightmares. ^w^
Sleep issues.
β The sleep issues are often related to / caused by flashbacks, nightmares and hypervigilance... I personally don't experience nightmares. Nightmares don't have to be the main reason you're not sleeping.
Overthink, make yourself spiral or / and watch something scary. Drink coffee or energy drinks (if your health allows it). Doomscroll, play video games, listen to music and such, because if you can't sleep anyway, then what's the point in just laying there?
Complain to others about how you have trouble sleeping or how little you slept!
If you have nightmares, you may get scared or nervous when you try to / have to sleep. Ask family if they need help with something. Walk your pets. Water the plants. Seek activities that can extend the time you'll have to go to sleep and won't make you look "crazy"/"irrational" to others. (Though, if you just want to act batshit and openly in front of others, then ignore this part, lol.)
If you have close friends, you may also text them a lot during the night. β Because you have nothing else to do or you found some cool videos or want to share your game progress, or maybe you're having flashbacks and want to get reassurance / keep yourself distracted by texting them.
You can also (pretend to) text someone after waking up from a nightmare! Make up a scary dream and talk about it! Possibly text in small separate messages and / or with mistakes, so it seems like you're rushing or panicking! β If the dream is somehow related to your trauma, then even better, but try not to be straightforward or overly detailed. People typically remember their nightmares in short parts or the nightmares are not always about their trauma.
Try to sleep with something in the background or sleep in places with people (ex.: living room) β PwPTSD often use background noise to distract and soothe themselves in order to sleep. If they sleep in places with people, that also helps to ground them after bad dreams!
^ For example, you can turn on a fan and set it close to your bed. There are also a lot of videos on YouTube with background noises! You can search for sounds of rain, nature, cafe, train, fireplace, storm, snow, etc, but you can also listen to any kind of music if you enjoy that more.
Triggers and flashbacks.
β Okay, so those heavily depend on what kind of trauma you have. The conditions, place, time of the day, weather, smells, sounds, people that were there, emotional states, imagery, etc. Anything that may remind you of the trauma. (I recommend reading about other people's experiences to get the idea)
You encountered a trigger? Let your thoughts spiral and the trigger take over your mind. Repeat the trigger in your thoughts and the trauma related to it, possibly to the point of zoning out and not seeing the world in front of you (kinda like daydreaming, I suppose). Flashbacks can show through intrusive thoughts too. You're trying to distract yourself? Remember the trigger again! Overthink it! Let it ruin your day and completely switch your mood!
Avoidance comes in hand then. You don't want to constantly be distressed. β When encountering a trigger online, you may "overreact", type angry comments, block the author, block any possible tags related to it and such. Talk about it to your friends or generally, complain about people who don't tag their posts / don't use warnings properly, and such.
In real life, you avoid the triggers physically, obviously. The behaviors really depend on the triggers / the trauma, of course, so I don't have much ideas for how you can generally act.
^ Did the trauma happen in a specific place? Let's take bathroom for example. β Hesitate to use the restroom, try to use it as quickly as you can, get nervous or straight up expecting something terrible to happen whenever you're there, wash your hands in the kitchen instead, even avoid brushing your teeth or drinking fluids / eating food, so you have to use the restroom less. You get the idea.
Generally try to avoid staying still for long or letting your thoughts wander too much. Listen to music, keep your body and mind moving, talk with people, do stuff to avoid thinking! If you let yourself rest for a moment, your mind will wander to the trauma!
Dissociation and concentration.
I don't see many mention it, but yeah, PTSD comes with dissociation and inner time distortion. I don't have tips for specifically causing dissociation, but you can probably find something when looking for trans-plural tips. Take care of yourself!
When trying to concentrate, let your thoughts wander, keep looking around, fidgeting, shifting in your seat, making commentary in your head about what's happening. Your mind just cannot stay still and focus! It has to keep running and running to avoid any potentional triggers! (Also dissociation and sleep issues cause problems with concentration, lol.)
Talk to others about how you cannot focus, how you can't remember when you ate or when you woke up, how you thought it was 20XX and not 2025, how you confused your dreams with reality, how you thought you talked with a friend but you actually imagined the conversation, etc.
Have a hard time remembering time! The flashbacks and memories can really mess with your interpretation of time. Maybe the time is going too fast or too slow. Or you thought you were back in the day It Happened.
^ Age regression is also often considered a symptom of PTSD. I do not recommend intentionally associating it with traumatic events, but just getting into agere community can help you in the transition! Many pwPTSD use age regression to relax and reclaim their childhood!
