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| | Notices | Welcome to PTSD Forum. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a life threatening, debilitating disorder that can break down a sufferer’s body through anxiety and stress. Further it poses a significant suicide risk resulting from the brains neurological imbalance and chemical depression. Sufferers often live in denial, thus this community is aimed at helping PTSD sufferers help themselves through others experiences, guidance and education. We are here for the sufferer, spouse and families surrounding PTSD. Spouses and family are too often forgotten in this equation, and often they receive all the worst that PTSD has to offer. If you're involved in any way with PTSD, get registered and help yourself now. Non-active members will eventually be deleted. If you are not a sufferer, carer or someone within the mental health industry, and active, then there is little reason for you to be a member of this forum. Non-active members with zero posts are deleted periodically during the year. | |
View Poll Results: Does anyone else have involuntary muscle twitches? | |
Yes, I twitch
|   | 46 | 95.83% | |
No, I don't twitch
|   | 2 | 4.17% | 
14-11-2007, 07:59 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 1,776
| | In my reading, I saw that when someone is recoverying from PTSD, 'sudden startling' (which is a better word for me than twitching) is one of the last symptoms to disappear. It's related to our hypervigilance.
But I find it interesting about so many having facial twitches. When my stress levels go up, I find parts of my face go numb and I get the facial tics as well.
Lisa | 
23-11-2007, 06:19 PM
| | Moderated Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: South end of Sweden
Posts: 6
| | Yes since a few Years. I do regulary recive and give massage with a friend and thats very helpfull for me to get into my body. Every time My voice sinks deeper and gets fuller somehow. I have worked with various relaxation techniques and now when I rest deep, standing or laying down in the bottom of every exhale there comes various kind twists or crunches along my spine. Sometimes pulling the whole front together sometimes just shaking my head, sometimes shaking the whole body like o dog does when it's wet or sometimes like the crunch I'm told baby:s does before their first breath to emty their throat and lungs.
This has for a couple of Years limited my meditation and relaxation practices.
I'm really curious if anyone else experienced something similar. And if there is something behind that.
/Freddy | 
24-11-2007, 05:27 AM
|  | | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: T. Bay, Ontario Canada
Posts: 3,096
| | The sudden startle response is not twitching. Two totally different things. Sudden startling response is jumping, or being scared by loud noises, people coming up behind you, etc...Twitching is an uncontrolled muscle spasm that can happen anywhere in the body and can be brought on by different things (stress, excitement.. who knows? lol)
Just wanted to clarify the difference here...
bec | 
02-12-2007, 04:21 AM
|  | | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 1,776
| | Hmm...I have both. Startling and the twitching (uncontrolled muscle spasms). Thanks, Bec, for clarifying the difference. I was having trouble putting words to it.
Lisa | 
21-12-2007, 09:08 PM
| | | | Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 32
| | My wife hates to sleep to close to me. When I'm alseep I twitch jerk around arms, legs you name it. I've choked her once in my sleep. I talk in my sleep about combat and it scares the crap outa her also. | 
22-01-2008, 09:39 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: North of England
Posts: 187
| | My eye often twitches which I know is a stress thing and yesterday I had my cheek twitch. And no matter how hard I try to stop the twitch I can't. I also sometimes wake in the night because I have had an involuntary twitch - maybe from nightmares? Not sure though. | 
17-04-2008, 01:57 PM
| | | | Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 18
| | I only twitch when im feeling bad and my mind is racing , freaks me out. my whole body can give a unwanted jump | 
29-04-2008, 12:39 PM
| | | | Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 23
| | Marlene- I said yes to the twitch. I seem to get them after I have removed myself from the stimulus. Better sit down cause I'm about to get weird. Watch Animal Planet, watch the lions chase the deer. Notice that when the lion fails to get the deer in the chase (attack), when the deer gets to safety he will shudder-his entire body will shudder. This is their built in ability to shed the over abundance of adrenaline. (Fight or Flight) Adrenaline helps us survive but could it be that we shed it poorly due to our hypervigilance? Could our twitch or shudder be our way of helping ourselves? Just a thought.
Last edited by anthony; 04-05-2008 at 10:15 PM.
| 
23-06-2008, 05:32 AM
| | Moderated Member | | Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 13
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisB Marlene- I said yes to the twitch. I seem to get them after I have removed myself from the stimulus. Better sit down cause I'm about to get weird. Watch Animal Planet, watch the lions chase the deer. Notice that when the lion fails to get the deer in the chase (attack), when the deer gets to safety he will shudder-his entire body will shudder. This is their built in ability to shed the over abundance of adrenaline. (Fight or Flight) Adrenaline helps us survive but could it be that we shed it poorly due to our hypervigilance? Could our twitch or shudder be our way of helping ourselves? Just a thought. |
I too answered yes to havnig the twitch. I've had them for at least 20 years. When I was a kid my Aunt called them "Nervous Tension Relief", but my Mother would tell me someone was "Walking Over my Grave" I experience them in my eyes and cheek, I also have spasms that travel right up my spine, with my arms often flailing and my head twisting from side to side.
I was totally surprised to read so many others share this expience. Plus I really like the idea that its a coping method we've developed to help protect ourselves. Great thought! | 
24-06-2008, 01:04 AM
| | Moderated Member | | Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2
| | twitching I started having leg and foot twitches about 2 years ago. My therapist said that's normal. They were really bad while I was still working but since I lost my job, my stress is lower and the twitching has subsided quite a bit. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
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