Anybody else have weird triggers?

[Abbi]

hilary, I came by and glanced at this thread and read your comments. I literally gasped and got chills, because I too have an extremely hard time with the regular carmex smell!

I have a hard time with bright lights (live in a low-light cave feeling in my apt.)

Horns honked at me

Any sort of meat smell (I'm vegetarian although I don't think that's completely why)

Hearing people fight (in real life)

ANY candy or "fun" things that are out for this season, as well as the name of the holiday (highly triggering)

Little kids wrapping their arms around my leg (as in them giving a hug)

That's all I can think of at the moment.

~Abbi~

[TekamahAkina]

Men with long hair....he had long hair. And I remember feeling it all over my face while he was getting what he wanted. It smelled bad, I don't think he washed it as much as he should've, and it was greasy. I hate long hair, especially men of ethnicity (hispanic, american indian, etc) Dark complected men with long hair is a huge trigger.

[kitkate88]

Men wearing glasses

Men with dark short hair and glasses

Sometimes the smell of condoms

Awful techno music

Ottawa (where he moved to after he left college)

Touching my neck

Camera flashes

Fairly normal stuff I guess.

[HappinessOnTheInside]

Scope mouthwash and vasoline. Oh and being held down or restrained. I cannot take it, even if it is in a playful manor I just cannot deal with it.

Edited April 25, 2011 by HappinessOnTheInside

[hyperballad13]

laying on my back.... even if i turn over...

i have certain songs that are very popular at th moment as well..

and this may sound ridicuous but chicken nuggets...they now make me feel sick...

[amber85]

Young kids with an older man- especially little girls. I always wonder if they are safe, if they are being hurt by him, if he thinks about it. I want to run over and snatch her up and ask her if she is okay. I've gotten to where I just have to force myself to not look. It makes me want to cry, and it's hard to not stare.

And when anyone in my life leaves for extending periods of time. And in my romantic relationship now any time he isn't around. Maybe cause I remember begging my mom not to go out all weekend, just one night instead of two. I'd sit and cry and run after her, and she would always turn and leave. And I was left with him. So, I have this thing letting people go, afraid to be alone, afraid something will happen to me and no one will be there to stop it- even if I am all by myself with no one around.

[LucyandMusic]

A specific street by where I live. I have avoid, if I don't, I get panicky, and can't breather. It always gets to me, because thats where it all started.

[Sunflowermomma3]

being in a room w/o lights on (except at bedtime then I like it dark) or natural light coming in

Contact from my mom

Genessee beer (other beer doesn't) mom always drank it

Ironing clothes (always ironed mom's for her to go out)

Doublemint gum

cigarette smoke

hugging people other than spouse, my kids and my nephew

kissing on the lips except by hubby

the "Mommy Dearest" movie about Joan Crawford

snakes

[lucy]

I have a couple that I can write -

Squeaky trolley wheels

The Spice Girls - Say You'll be There (Music Video)

Horses

Lucy

[vacfmi]

Preparing Biscotti (you have to roll the dough into a "log", roughly the diameter of a p____.

the scent of Old Spice combined with cigarettes and a stong male scent

Alcohol on a man's breath

[TekamahAkina]

Let's see, another one that recently popped up is that memorylane.com commercial that comes on in the states. I stupidly went looking for an ex crush's father in a yearbook on that site and found him, but also found the father of my friend, the one and only. It was something like a guttaral reaction of sickness, sadness, shame, terror, etc. Now i hear that song I think of those pics of him in high school and I hate it. I hate that i found him there i hate that he's literally haunting me from the grave. So now thats a huge and new major trigger, and I know why but i don't know how to move past this trigger. Even piano music on other commercials are making me freeze, and I don't know why i'm letting this issuse have such a tremendous hold on me.

Edited May 19, 2011 by TekamahAkina

[phoenixfire]

Fruity flavoured gum.

When people get upset or frustrated with me or someone around me.

Cat collar bells.

Stairs.

For a long time, ankhs (it's an Egyptian hieroglyph) were super triggery and I couldn't wear mine.

Rings.

I couldn't see asterisks for a really really long time without triggering.

Text tones and vibrations. I have to have mine set to a very particular setting or I lose it.

Certain books and authors.

Laying on my back.

Most Hip hop music.

Navy Pea coats.

And whatever his cologne was (I don't remember what is was, but it's apparently really popular with how many people wear it).

[keypadangel]

my weird triggers: candles, bubbles, starbucks

keypadangel

[Lynn4745]

Between 1-2 in the afternoon, if I'm not busying myself, triggers intense sadness

Yellow lighting (that's the color the bathroom was)

Being manhandled firmly

My brothers

Compliments

[pinkshell]

Triggers are what I've been dealing with a lot lately; very scary to me. I am shaking just thinking about them.

There are several commercials on TV that make me really sick. They produce a horrible physical sensation in my body.

Anything involving different textures (I still haven't figured this one out) I saw a commercial for a cream that had spikes coming out of a chair. It was on everyday when I watched my soap opera. I can't get it out of my mind.

Any texture that is gritty or strange. Like a cactus or something.

Smells of different types. like medicinal ones.

Listening to people eat or drink (this makes me feel bad because I love eating and being with my husband)

Watching people chew food

baths

loose hair (not my own)

Some but not all body lotion...I finally found one that doesn't trigger me which is really strange.

okay, that's enough. I'm glad to write these out; but that was really hard.

How do any of you deal with triggers? Is there a way to stop them? I've tried meditation, etc. Nothing works!

[jsmooth1978]

closed doors

deep voices-odd one because my boyfriend has a deep voice-he doesn't bother me

beards

scratchy sheets

touched in my sleep

authority

any man speaking to my little girls or bending to their level-I can control this one well for about 5 minutes then I play off and move them along

old spice cologne/deodorant

touching-unexpected hugging/touching/kissing-i have learned to be somewhat ok with women(friends) on this one but I can not hug without the racing heart or dry mouth coming into play-i hide things very well

[Seanna]

The smell of black licorice

Color country Blue

Music Band Prodigy

[starrjulia]

Weird triggers. Let's see

*mouth's being full. Lots of gum or chewing tobacco.

*cable service vans

*hearing sorry over and over. Overused. Not genuine.

[Lyza]

I HATE petrolium Jelly and Vasoline.

Don't care for hot gum.

Wrestling and Boxing suck.

The airport by my house.

My house.

Im not good at being alone. lol

Normal triggers like movie scenes, etc.

The word pornography and other bad words like 'penetrate' which my coach uses a lot in basketball.

Cherry Chapstick.

And other things

Edited June 15, 2011 by Lyza

[pinkshell]

I wanted to share a recent trigger that embarrasses me. It makes me feel so badly because I was taught to think of all races as the same. So i am apologizing now because I don't want to offend anyone. My dentist that I've had for years is retiring and has been replaced by a young asian man. My abuser was asian and when I saw my new dentist I hated him on the spot! I found all of these things wrong with him. My mom paid for my dental work in advance and I don't know if I can go back to him. He said some (in my opinion) condescending things and I'm not sure if they were just my imagination. I'm so afraid to go back and I'm not sure I can get my money back. I feel like a little kid today.

Edited June 16, 2011 by pinkshell

[faithsdaisy4_21]

I read through a bunch of responses the other day. I appreciate the honest of the people on this forum Anyway, I went home that night and wrote a whole list of triggers. I had no idea how many I had. So... here is my list

~ the movie The Neverending Story

~ the TV sitcom That '70's Show

~ the movie Cool Hand Luke

~ dirty talk

~ anything that has to do with wrestling

~ fleece sweaters

~ my stomach being touched

~ the song The Dance

~ his name

~ being held down

~ single wide trailers

~ beds with no sheets on them

~ people coming up behind without making any noise or showing any indication that they are there

~ men wearing jeans that are too long

~ being touched in a sexual way with my clothes still on

~ feeling trapped

~ men I don't know that do so much as glance at me

~ shaved heads

~ some of my old friends

~ not having a blanket over me when I am lying down or having sex

~ hearing anyone say the word "redwings"

~ dirty whit tennis shoes

~ pictures on a wall with no frames around them

~ ice cream sundaes at Denny's

~ people smelling dirty. Not like BO, but like their clothes have been worn to many times without being washed.

~ the dentist.

~ going to the doctor alone. I truly do not remember the last time I went to a doctors appointment without my husband.

Edited June 24, 2011 by faithsdaisy4_21

[beckilucy]

hi - i am having some nightmares right now - i must be moving a lot in my sleep as i wake up and my duvet is on the floor and then i worry all day that someone has been in my room and raped me but i think that is more to do with what my father used to do. :-(

[Kaene]

The smell of freshly churned soil. (makes shopping for gardening supplies my own little hell)

The metalic scent of blood.

The NYU logo.

Anything that makes me feel trapped or cornered.

[jdam]

Anyone that tries to pressure me into doing something...feeling trapped also.

Body odor which I guess isn't weird but it'll come out of thin air which freaks me out.

Unlocked doors.

The closet door being open...I have no clue why...

[Sionnach]

this is a fantastic thread. I've never tried to put my triggers in a list form... and i had no idea that i had SO may things that just ruin...if not my day... at least a good portion of it. there seems to be triggers of varying degrees as well... which is only logical i suppose

the biggest triggers i have yet to be able to master are:

Being in the passenger seat of a car (unless it's being driven by one of only 2 people)

Having my seat belt on used to be a HUGE trigger, but if one of the same 2 people is driving, then I'm usually OK)

Anything right against my throat... even scarves and necklaces. Shirts with close necklines make me all kinds of uncomfortable.

Having my hair pulled… I still have to have my hair cut short for this reason

Being startled awake... this usually scares me to tears.

Movies/TV/Magazines/Books/etc that talk about/ deal with/ cover anything to do with r_pe, and A_sault in a nonchalant, uncaring manner, or as “entertainment”

People who Joke about r_pe and s_xual a_sault

Parties/Social Gatherings/Crowds of any kind... sometimes i can't even get through the grocery store by myself

Raised Voices... i cringe and have to fight the urge to hide whenever someone yells, even if it's not directed at me

Anger.. if someone's mad (even if it's just a normal, healthy kind of anger) i usually have to leave the room to stop a panic attack

Being on my stomach if someone else is near by... there's only one exception to this.

Being called dear, or darling.. it was one of my Ex’s favorite ways of being condescending, so when I hear it I automatically think I’ve done something wrong.

The forests, creeks, really any running water… sadly these are instant panic for me.

Sitting with my back to the door or most of the room... unless one of 2 people is sitting in a way they “can watch my back”

People standing behind me, especially men.

Being left alone in a crowded place… this goes back to the crowds, but it’s also a total fear of being abandoned as well as the press of people around me.

Certain smells, like dirt, or other earthy smells (which makes me extremely sad since I love to garden) but also Alcohol, cigarettes/cigars, and cat litter.