Lately I'm having a lot of trouble with the telephone ringer. I turn it completely off or unplug the telephone all together. It just startles me so much whenever it rings. When it's connected, I spend most of the day worrying that it's going to ring and scare me. I also disconnected the doorbell. It drives my family crazy.

I have trouble with sounds too...like batgirl said, anything sounding like gunshots, bombs etc...although all sudden loud noises...

loud bass, like mac said, makes my body shake inside and too many noises at once puts me on overload. my trauma had nothing to do with a noise or noises, so I guess if one's trauma involved a noise, it would even have a worse effect on them.

Hi, I'm new here, glad to see you all.
Yes, the sound is a real problem for me. I HATE the sound of rap music (or whatever is called, I do not know much about it I just know it drives me CRAZY) :angry-fla :gunem-dow Probably bacause I was hearing the very similar music many years ago, when the story which brought me here happaned.

The bass goes BOOM and real bombs meant to kill you go BOOM. A real bomb blowing up out in the distance gives avery similar report to that of the car audio Boom. I don't jump for cover, I just freeze for a second and my mind starts remembering back over there. My attitude instantly starts to change for the worse and I am irritated towards using a weapon or simple confrontation to end the inconsiderate noisemakers!:boxem: :gunem-dow

Before I got out the military, I was assigned to go shoot the M-16. If the medical leadership new about it, I don't think they would have let me as I was awaiting discharge for PTSD. Out there at the range, we were all lined up side by side. Had to shoot different positions with/without Gas Masks on. The last time I shot was right before deploying in 2003... I had scored 'Expert' many times before. This day would be the last day I ever fire an M-16 as an active duty troop. As soon as the light went Red, everyone started shooting. I had my headprotection on, but everytime a shot was fired from the other guns it stalled me like I was in schock. Hearing the Boom, Boom-Boom from the other guns around me and feeling the small blast waves took me right back to Iraq. :redface: The first round of fireing, I didn't even shoot- I was like in too much schock and just layed still in the prone position. :frown: After everyone shot away their ammo, the armory instructor asked if I wanted to continue, and I told him "yea." So he let me fire off all my rounds and I scored perfect hits. I was pretty tweaked about the situation and my focus was sharp as hell. The armory instructor had the whole group go through a number of shooting positions, to include wearing a Gas Mask for one... shooting a total of 50 rounds. My adrenaline was kicking in full gear and I was able to concentrate keenly on those silhouette targets (simmed from 25m - 300m) that out of 50 rounds I missed once... it would be a highest score for students, and better than I ever done. I remember thinking proper sight picture, hold, breathe, and squeeze, to kill the target before it kills me. I think this is one time my symptoms worked fir me.:die:

I hate repetition. (a pencil tapping, a finger tapping, clicking, loud chewing of food, crunching).

I also hate loud boom noises, I too jump out of my skin. I hate balloons.

I hate the fourth of july. I enjoy the fireworks from inside a vehicle through the windsheild.

OMG, speaking of July 4th...those sons of....you know the ones -- they have to set off the fireworks right outside your window. You just want to :gunem-dow !

Or the idiots who start their celebrations early...like 4AM. Just after you get to sleep...:cussing:

I forgot...I keep my cell phone on vibrate or silent. I can't stand ringtones, even other people's ringtones get on my nerves.

The main sounds that make my anxiety worse are when i hear people yelling, fighting, screaming, hitting, swearing, slamming doors...i always end up having a panic attack when i hear those, even if its just one or two of them...
I also get really anxious/paranoid when i hear noises outside or around me that arent usually there, especially at night...
Both of them make me think that my trauma is about to happen all over again...its quite scary actually