Triggering During the COVID-19 Outbreak: People with Complex PTSD
March 17, 2020
Governor of the State of California, Gavin Newsom issues a “stay in place” mandate until April 17, 2020, for all of California except for essential activities and services such as food take out and delivery, grocery store shopping, obtaining essential healthcare services, mail delivery, going to laundromats, etc.
Week One
In my small corner of the world where I sit in my California psychotherapy office, still most of my clients have elected to come in for their regular therapy sessions. At initial check-in, some of my clients have been a bit rattled, but still doing alright. With dedication I have disinfected my sky blue pleather couch between sessions and offered Crabtree & Evelyn hand sanitizer before and after each meeting. I’m told my new ritual has had an effect of reassurance and caring.
Week Two Of The COVID-19 Mandate
My clients dealing with complex PTSD are mostly feeling pretty isolated and more triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Themes of isolation, helplessness, doom, lack of personal agency, and escalating anxiety are central. I look across my carved wood coffee table into red-faced countenances, forward-rounding shoulders, words of irritable disbelief about human nature, and eye sockets sometimes quickly tearing up at check-in.
Mitigating Triggers
With COVID-19 cases escalating, I see both obvious and subconsciously concealed similarity to threats and danger from past trauma; this all gets understandably triggered in a person’s complex PTSD.
What can people who suffer from complex PTSD do to mitigate the sometimes sudden and intense triggering these days?
I realize this blog may be bordering on therapeutic advice; however, I am simply trying to promote mental health and awareness in a time of crisis. People who may not have access to a therapist and who have histories of early, ongoing caregiver neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and/or sexual victimization need to know it’s really understandable that they experience elevated triggering in these unprecedented times.
Nonetheless, here are my thoughts.
1. Calm down the nervous system first.
Common knowledge is that a heart rate below 94 beats per minute maximizes access to higher brain functionality in the cerebrum versus absorption into the emotional brain’s reasoning and strong influence. Diaphragmatic breathing or any sustained controlled breathing techniques will do a relatively quick reset for the nervous system to set itself at a lower idle. This opens up greater conscious brain capacity to adapt to the situation at hand.
2. Hold in mind and sustain the most adult perspective (that is connected to the grounded reality of present life).
Allow the five senses to perceive the moment’s reality: name things of a similar color in the room, register different sounds heard in the room, make saliva in the mouth, plant feet into the floor with arms hugging the torso (repeat several times), notice any scents or have pleasant soap to smell.
3. Thank what is inside the mind and body communicating a sense of threat and danger.
Express gratitude for the ongoing attention and care promoting survival that has persisted all these years. Be non-judgmental, friendly and curious about the messages offered in whatever form they appear--as much as possible.
4. Help what’s inside to know the difference between what’s past and what is now true in terms of the adult self’s:
ability to protect what happens to the body, where the body is now in point of fact, and how much the adult perspective can help bring what’s inside up to current knowledge with the times. Allow what’s inside to communicate their different reality perspective, fears, way of protecting the body, etc. Remember to be curious and friendly to the messages received from within.
5. Be gentle with what’s inside please.
Through your adult perspective, offer calm and certain reassurance that the body will be protected and cared for; after all, that’s the job of the adult self. What’s triggered inside has successfully accomplished the job of sounding the alarm. Now it can be time to rest inside new understandings.
Get Help If Needed
If you yourself are experiencing triggering due to COVID-19 fallout and are in imminent danger of harming yourself or others, please call 9-1-1. And if you have been struggling with complex PTSD, the mitigation of triggers suggested in this blog merely serve as a starting point to deal with the situation at hand. Please consider getting professional help to alleviate your symptoms and struggles related to complex PTSD.
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation has as therapist referral link for you.
Be well, and please take all necessary precautions to keep your body as safe and protected as possible in these times of the COVID-19 spread amongst our global population. Your care and attention to this matter really makes a difference!
Photo by Amin Moshrefi on Unsplash