Here are a few examples of complex PTSD triggers in relationships: Too much stimulation: Large crowds, loud sounds, and bright lights can be triggering for people with complex PTSD. This can be challenging for people who are in relationships with partners who enjoy live events, such as music and sports.
Avoidance symptoms may cause one to dissociate and neglect relationships. Hypervigilance can lead to sleep and concentration problems, which then can negatively affect one's relationships. A false sense of reality can completely take over one's life, including their relationships.
Medication: Some medications may help with PTSD symptoms. These include antidepressants, antianxiety medications, and, in some cases, sleeping medications. Couples counseling: Relationship counseling will not cure PTSD, but it may help with relationship problems, including those that stem from PTSD.
Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, massage, or yoga can activate the body's relaxation response and ease symptoms of PTSD. Avoid alcohol and drugs. When you're struggling with difficult emotions and traumatic memories, you may be tempted to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.
Some people may even experience a full-blown panic attack. Besides the physical and emotional reactions, a person with PTSD may also experience behavioral changes. They may become withdrawn, avoid people or places that trigger their PTSD, or use drugs or alcohol to numb their feelings.
Don't Push Them to Talk
PTSD is painful and difficult to live with. Your loved one may have shame connected with it. Let your partner come to you when they are ready to open up. Giving them space is important, and sometimes they may just want some alone time.
Flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive memories are all examples of re-experiencing symptoms. Avoidance symptoms: Avoidance causes people to avoid situations, places, or people that remind them of their traumatic experience. Hyperarousal symptoms: These symptoms can make a person feel like they're always in danger.
The symptoms of PTSD can include flashbacks, depression, anxiety, shame, anger and relationship problems.
An abusive relationship can lead to PTSD, Dr. Tendler said, because the traumatic events that took place during the relationship can cause the symptoms to stay present during and long after the relationship has ended.
Essentially, attachment trauma impacts our ability to feel safe with others and ourselves. We feel chronically unsafe, mistrustful, and anxious in relationships, and this manifests through the push and pull of desperately craving healthy connection, yet also fearful and ambivalent of connection and pulling away.
It is hypothesized that traumatic experiences lead to known PTSD symptoms, empathic ability impairment, and difficulties in sharing affective, emotional, or cognitive states.
Coping with PTSD symptoms can be extremely challenging, and can directly impact the health of a relationship. If you find that your loved one is pushing you away when you try to communicate with them or show support, it may be because those experiencing PTSD often: Find it difficult to regulate emotions.
External PTSD triggers might include media triggers such as TV shows, movies, and news, seeing people or traits of people that remind them of the traumatic event, or locational cues such as certain buildings or venues.
Your partner might avoid certain people (or types of people), places, objects, memories, discussions, or emotions that are in some way associated with their trauma or trigger distress. They might take active, conscious, steps to avoid these reminders; or, they might do it without realizing.
Anxiety can result in an increased heart rate, hyperventilation or panic attacks due to being yelled at. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Being subjected to constant yelling and verbal abuse can cause symptoms of PTSD.
The person who was cheated (sexually or emotionally) on may meet the criteria for PTSD and experience trauma-related symptoms such as rage, humiliation, intrusive images and flashbacks, preoccupation, emotional numbing, heightened anxiety to triggers, erratic behavior and sudden mood swings, and difficulty with sleep ...
Survivors with PTSD may feel distant from others and feel numb. They may have less interest in social or sexual activities. Because survivors feel irritable, on guard, jumpy, worried, or nervous, they may not be able to relax or be intimate. They may also feel an increased need to protect their loved ones.
For some people, loud noises, crowds, and flashing lights can trigger debilitating symptoms. For others, PTSD triggers may be subtler, including smells or locations that remind the individual of the traumatic experience. Saying the wrong thing can also trigger someone with PTSD.
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.
Traumatic events can have a lasting impact on your mental health. If you've experienced a violent assault or a serious accident, or if you've been involved in active combat, you may have an ongoing emotional response for days or even weeks.
Women with PTSD may be more likely than men with PTSD to: Be easily startled. Have more trouble feeling emotions or feel numb. Avoid things that remind them of the trauma.