Do you listen to music?
Music and the Arts are wonderful pastimes, and many of us enjoy relaxing to songs streaming in our ears. I don’t leave the house without my earbuds. My kids have fun choosing and playing music in the car on the school run.
I wear my earbuds everywhere, whether I’m exercising, doing chores around the house, or doing laundry.
Music plays a significant role in my life, but it can also be bittersweet. Some days, music is my worst enemy.
Sometimes, a song will play on the radio or TV, and I freeze. My body instantly stops, like a robot that’s run out of batteries. I feel a twitch somewhere in my body, and I know I’ve been triggered. Seconds later, my brain hits me with unbearable pain.
I’m back there, decades ago, in a moment I want to forget, and there is nothing I can do about it. My brain has hijacked my body and is playing a private 3D movie inside my head.
No, I’m not sick or stupid, nor am I mentally ill. I have something called Complex PTSD as a result of witnessing and experiencing horrific things as a child, while also being abused in the worst possible way.
Trauma triggers can happen without any warning. I can only liken it to a seizure, in which your brain takes you inside your body, but you are completely aware of your surroundings. Your brain makes you remember, even when you don’t want to.
So, how do you come out of a trigger?
I may not be able to draw, but I can play the guitar and flute. If I’m having a bad day, listening to music doesn’t cut it for me.
I need more.
I need to feel the music emanating from my fingertips. This is when I turn to playing my own music. I feel much better after playing for an hour and have driven my emotions out through the beats and harmonies of the music.
How do you handle your feelings after a trigger?
Maybe you are like me and turn to music, but there are many ways to deal with triggers. You must try to find out what works best for you.
My most important advice is that you must take care of yourself after a triggered memory. They are exhausting, and it feels like your body has been for a workout afterward.
My name is Lizzy. I’m a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.
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For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com
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For more about me: https://www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com
Elizabeth Woods grew up in a world of brutal sex offenders, murderers, and inconceivably neglectful adults. Elizabeth is passionate about spreading awareness of what it is like to survive after trauma. She is the author of several books and has written her memoir, telling her childhood story: The Sex-Offender’s Daughter: A True Story of Survival Against All Odds, available on Amazon Kindle and paperback.
Elizabeth is also the author of “Living with Complex PTSD” and the Cedar’s Port Fiction series: “Saving Joshua”, “Protecting Sarah”, “Guarding Noah” and “Bringing Back Faith,” and “Restoring Hope,” available here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCBZQN7L/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=7e223b5b-1a29-45f0-ad9d-e9c8fdb59e9c&ref_=ap_rdr&ccs_id=931f96e2-c220-4765-acc8-cc99bb95e8bd
