Often, the severe emotional distress triggers a physical response that may result in chills, headaches, shaking, or a sudden panic attack. You may avoid people or places that remind you of the incident responsible for your PTSD.
You may get icy hands and feet
During the fight/flight/freeze period (so all the time with PTSD) your blood flow is redirected away from your extremities and towards your larger organs in your torso necessary for your body to protect the heart and other organs essential to your survival.
Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Most people who go through traumatic events may have temporary difficulty adjusting and coping, but with time and good self-care, they usually get better.
Presence of one (or more) of the following symptoms of intrusion associated with the traumatic event: Recurrent, intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic event. Recurrent distressing dreams about the event. Flashbacks in which the person feels or acts as if the traumatic event is recurring.
Shaking or trembling, which comes from the limbic brain (the part of the brain that holds emotions), sends a signal that the danger has passed and that the fight-or-flight system can turn off. They are literally finishing the nervous system response to release the traumatic experience from the body.
Flashbacks can last for just a few seconds, or continue for several hours or even days. You can read some tips on how to cope with flashbacks on our page on self-care for PTSD. I feel like I'm straddling a timeline where the past is pulling me in one direction and the present another.
People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people.
The main symptoms and behaviours associated with PTSD and complex PTSD include: Reliving the experience through flashbacks, intrusive memories, or nightmares. Overwhelming emotions with the flashbacks, memories, or nightmares. Not being able to feel emotions or feeling “numb”
A person with PTSD has four main types of difficulties: Re-living the traumatic event through unwanted and recurring memories, flashbacks or vivid nightmares. There may be intense emotional or physical reactions when reminded of the event including sweating, heart palpitations, anxiety or panic.
People with PTSD may also experience physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, fatigue, muscle tension, nausea, joint pain, headaches, back pain or other types of pain. The person in pain may not realize the connection between their pain and a traumatic event.
Feeling jittery, nervous or tense.
Women experiencing PTSD are more likely to exhibit the following symptoms: Become easily startled. Have more trouble feeling emotions, experience numbness. Avoid trauma reminders.
Symptoms of complex PTSD
avoiding situations that remind a person of the trauma. dizziness or nausea when remembering the trauma. hyperarousal, which means being in a continual state of high alert. the belief that the world is a dangerous place.
The Intermediate Recovery Stage
As the last of the four phases of post-traumatic stress disorder, the intermediate recovery phase of PTSD refers to the transition back to everyday life. Once the person has addressed their needs in relation to their safety, they can then shift their attention to other problems.
What happens during 'freeze'? The freeze response involves a different physiological process than fight or flight. Research from 2015 describes it as “attentive immobility.” While the person who is “frozen” is extremely alert, they are also unable to move or take action against the danger.
While the stress response changes are active, they can cause a wide range of symptoms, including feeling chilled, chilly, chills, cold, and shivery. As long as this response is active, these types of anxiety symptoms can persist.
Cold sensations and chills are actually a common physical symptom of anxiety. Yet another interesting physical effect of anxiety is its ability to alter how our body temperature feels.
This includes war veterans, children, and people who have been through a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or other serious events. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.
Your brain is equipped with an alarm system that normally helps ensure your survival. With PTSD, this system becomes overly sensitive and triggers easily. In turn, the parts of your brain responsible for thinking and memory stop functioning properly.
Changes in mood and cognitive function
This fear, mistrust, and negative self-image can wreak havoc on how you handle everyday situations and relationships. On the cognitive side, not only can PTSD affect your memory, but your ability to concentrate and focus, which leaves you less able to handle school or work.
Triggers can include sights, sounds, smells, or thoughts that remind you of the traumatic event in some way. Some PTSD triggers are obvious, such as seeing a news report of an assault. Others are less clear. For example, if you were attacked on a sunny day, seeing a bright blue sky might make you upset.
SMI includes major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (VA).
Cognitive and mood changes: Not being able to remember crucial parts of the traumatic event or having thoughts and feelings that cause you to view yourself or others in a negative way. Changes in arousal and reactivity: Irritability, angry outbursts, reckless or self-destructive behaviors, or trouble sleeping.
Flashbacks sometimes feel as though they come out of nowhere, but there are often early physical or emotional warning signs. These signs could include a change in mood, feeling pressure in your chest, or suddenly sweating. Becoming aware of the early signs of flashbacks may help you manage or prevent them.
During a flashback, you may: See complete or partial images of the traumatic incident. Hear sounds or words associated with the event. Experience physical sensations, such as pain or like you're being touched.