#ptsd response

[diamondnokouzai]

if magneto knew what the internet was then he would post to r/aita as often as possible and all his posts would be the top posts of the year. thats the kind of drama hes going through. he also gets permabanned from r/mutants for advocating violence

[thatgaywizardoverthere]

Arthur “Disaster Bi” Pendragon learning about true loves kiss as a cure like:

Gwaine: For fuck’s sake, he’s not enchanted every time he smiles at someone else, Arthur! He was literally just laughing at my joke!

Arthur, aggressively frenching Merlin on the council room floor: YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL OKAY-

[letsdontdie]

I know its kinda ooc but i needed to see it

[neuroticboyfriend]

i dont think people realize how painful it is to constantly live in survival mode. like fight/flight/freeze/etc. is reserved for when you're close to fucking dying. people weren't made to live entire lives in that state. can you imagine the damage that does?

[the-torchwood-magician]

"I'm sorry" (don't hurt me-)

"I'm sorry" (I love you -)

"I'm sorry" (don't leave me-)

"I'm sorry" (I'm scared-)

"I'm sorry" (I need you but I don't want to admit it-)

"I'm sorry" (please stay-)

"I'm sorry" (are you upset with me?)

"I'm sorry" (please hold me-)

"I'm sorry" (please don't yell-)

"I'm sorry" (I'm bothering you, I'll go-)

"I'm sorry" (you're not upset but you're quiet and I must have done something wrong-)

"I'm sorry" (I need help but I don't want to bother you-)

"I'm sorry" (I shouldn't have bothered you, but I need someone-)

(eta: why does this have 100+ notes WHO HURT YOU DO I NEED TO FIGHT THEM?)

[boatcats]

Me, having a Bad Time: What if I did this exact thing to a fictional character? Would I feel better?

[autopsyfreak]

The ‘Fight Response’.

as someone who exclusively experiences the fight response as a trauma response, i’ve faced a lot of demonisation from others, including other victims of similar traumas to myself.

it seems apparent that there are still a large quantity of people who are only willing to offer kindness and understanding to victims if their trauma presents in the way of the flight response or freezing/fawning. the moment it results in lashing out, suddenly it’s perceived as cruel or you doing something abhorrent, despite the fact it comes from the same place as the other trauma responses.

i often see people giving more sympathetic and gentle responses to those who freeze or flight (this can lead to infantilisation, which isn’t appropriate either, however that is not the focus of this post), meanwhile i have almost never met anyone who has approached my reactions with that same level of caring.

if it is somehow hard to understand, think of it as an abused dog, which feels backed up against a wall. it’s common, in this instance, for that dog to growl and snap at you, perhaps even bite you in order to defend itself from a potential aggressor because that’s how it’s brain has determined is the best method to defend itself from this perceived threat. you don’t view that dog as malicious or mean. that dog isn’t cruel or evil, it’s traumatised. the dog in this scenario would be seen as something that just needs to be shown that people can be gentle and aren’t as dangerous as it’s been made to feel.

so why doesn’t this mindset apply to people?

why do so many people, including other abuse victims, still actively demonise those who’s brains do not cower in response to being triggered and instead yell or say things that may be upsetting?

i’ve met far too many people who have the freeze and flight responses, who will actively demonise people they meet who respond with the fight response. just because somebody’s trauma has led them to have a less conventional approach to feeling unsafe, doesn’t make them any more or less ‘evil’ than those who do cower and freeze.

you may be someone who freezes when triggered and someone else may be someone who lashes out when triggered, they both stem from your brain associating the situation with trauma and therefore perceiving a danger or threat and responding to that however it feels it has to in order to defend itself, to prevent the previous pain from being endured again. you’re not better or worse than each other for having differing responses, you just, like everyone else, have different brains.

do not demonise victims for developing so-called ‘negative’ responses as a result of their trauma.

[i-heart-head-gutz]

[alicentflorent]

Comparing Alicent and Helaena’s reactions during the funeral scene is really interesting because it shows us two different trauma responses. Alicent has been taught her entire life to sit there, look pretty and do her duty. We see her look deeply uncomfortable at first but she “stays calm” because in reality she’s dissociating, she’s keeping on the mask that she’s used to protect herself. We know she experiences dissociation when in a traumatic situation because we see it clearly in the marital rape scene and when she’s trying to look after two babies she had when she was still a child herself.

Helaenas trauma response is more clear, while she also experiences dissociation during this scene (we also see her dissociate during b&c and the scene right after in Alicents room) but as the crowds gather and they start to throw confetti helaena is triggered out of her dissociated state and becomes overstimulated and anxious and starts to become visibly distressed but she can’t remove herself from the situation and Alicent attempts to calm her are futile because helaena, being written as neurodivergent, CAN’T just push her anxieties down and put on a mask. It’s gone beyond being able to mask her symptoms. Her discomfort is clear, she’s becoming more overwhelmed and all she can do is sit there visibly distressed. Alicent has been dissociating for so many years and masking her own discomfort that she doesn’t even realise that not everyone can go into that state and not visibly react to trauma they are going through.

[rigormortisangel]

"but dont you understand how all this makes ME feel" no and i dont really care

[manyminded]

here’s to all the people who have trauma that would be ‘silly’ to anyone over the age, of like, 10. There’s not a set number here.

to everyone who has a legitimate trauma response, even disorders like PTSD, from something as simple as a bee sting or getting lost in the super market one time.

it may seem dumb. something that isn’t ‘real trauma.’ but it effected you just the same! and that’s okay! you’re completely right to be impacted by it, even if it’s ‘small’.

you might’ve been young. (too young to have a decent grasp of what was scary or not.) you might’ve already been a victim of trauma, and develop more easier than others. maybe it was some other thing.

everyone’s brains works differently. if that means developing trauma easier, then that’s that. you shouldn’t feel ashamed or like you don’t need help because of it. you aren’t alone. there are people out there who will listen. I promise.

[unwelcome-ozian]

[sadieshavingsex]

wow. there is no one who can love you the way you want and need to be loved except yourself. there is no one who can undo and replace the painful upbringing you received from your parents or your God but yourself. nobody is ever going to be able to provide the level of care, understanding, and due diligence required to help you heal. nobody. nobody else can fix you and help you. you are the only person who can fully love yourself, know yourself, understand yourself. it’s you. it has to be you. nobody else can ever give you that or be that for you

[saccharinetrash]

Fawn Response

[ultramagnys]

this ttg clip is how i feel every time i see a grown adult absolutely shitting on earthspark

[neuroticboyfriend]

hypervigilance is not irrational. you went through something awful, and it was real. so of course you're paranoid. of course you're anxious. of course you're scared. because it was real, it can happen again, and it makes perfect sense to not want that to happen. it makes perfect sense to sleep with one eye open when you've been through so much - especially if it's ongoing.

your brain and body are trying to protect you. it hurts because you were hurt - not because there's something wrong with you. not because you're broken. not because you're a failure. you were hurt. it was real. so of course, your reaction is real and founded, too.