PTSD and Extra Sensitive

lorrie · #1 25-07-2006, 05:45 AM

I know I'm not crazy, but I have the ability to hear conversations from far away, especially if they are about me. It's like my brain is wired with a built in antenna and I can't turn it off. My senses are so finely tuned it drives me nuts. It takes everything in me to stay in a room if I feel negativity. I know I'm going through ptsd because I was abused in my first marriage. But when will they start calming down? I'm going to school fulltime and it seems my mind and body are now comfortable enough to let me deal with some issues, but why now? I've got so much crap going on and now I've got this. Any advice from your end? And yes, I go to counseling intermittently, but money is tight.

piglet · #2 25-07-2006, 06:51 AM

I get like that too. It suddenly seems like there are too many conversations going on around me and I can't focus on any of them. I end up feeling unsafe and this starts me off into panic mode. My only option is to get the hell out and go somewhere on my own and very quiet for a while.

I'm guessing that if you've got a whole load of other crap going on, then the ptsd is bound to kick in. Take a look at the PTSD cup theory if you haven't yet, it might make you feel a little better about it?

lorrie · #3 25-07-2006, 03:11 PM

Actually, it can be very quiet, which makes the conversation easier to hear.
Now that I think about it though, I was always a part of the conversation.
This happened usually at work, but I would be down the hallway at the copier. When I re-entered the room they never understood why I had a weird expression on my face looking as if knew what had been said. I would smile, they would wonder, and I liked making them crazy with my coy personality. It would piss them off royally.

Anyway, if anyone is reading this and would like to answer questions and compare the meaning of life, please let me know. I am taking a college class on-line (stress mangement), which will soon mean the death to my instructor with me in the class. My questions and comments are driving him cuckoo.
And my soul needs some inspiration.

Lorrie

YoungAndAngry · #4 25-07-2006, 09:16 PM

I can sit there and think about the meaning of life for hours...

and I know what you're talking about with the super sensitive hearing.
When I'm downstairs I can still hear someone open any door in my house.
Like I can "feel" the sound waves
I think it's called "hyper-vigilant"?
Hell... I even hear the neighbours opening their outside doors.

Welcome Lorrie, and it's nice to meet you :)

Nam · #5 26-07-2006, 02:37 AM

I can hear things too, especially when the conversations are about me in some way. I do think it has gone away for the most part. I agree with YA that I think it's a part of hyper-vigilance, but I also think it's part of our survival mode. Maybe, for you, hearing negative things or even just talking about you without you in a positive way, may be a threat to you. I'm sure in your abuse you heard enough negative things said about you. So now that the trauma is over, your ears and hearing are on hyperalert for any sign of "future abuse". Does that make any sense? I'm having trouble trying to describe it.

The meaning of LIfe? To me, that is a very funny movie. (Monty python)

piglet · #6 26-07-2006, 04:48 AM

An excellent film that. The answer is also given in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (or one of the sequels). The answer is 42.

I often get asked how I manage to answer the phone or my door so quickly when I'm on call. If someone knocks or rings, I am out of bed and across the room before the second one starts. I react so fast that I often don't even know why I have got out of bed, as I haven't had time to conciously register what's going on yet. Most bizarre!

wildfirewildone · #7 26-07-2006, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorrie

I know I'm not crazy, but I have the ability to hear conversations from far away, especially if they are about me. It's like my brain is wired with a built in antenna and I can't turn it off. My senses are so finely tuned it drives me nuts.

This past March and April while I was in A PTSD group I developed very sensitive hearing...it was driving me NUTS!!! I mentioned it to my medical doc...she first asked me if I was sure that I was not hallucinating...when I said no....she set me up with an appt. with my ear/nose/throat doc...he had my hearing tested right there....and yes the test showed that I was very sensitive to noise....it has a name=hyperacusis....and he told me it's related to my hypervigalence of my PTSD....there's nothing wrong physiologically...the best thing he could offer me was to wear ear plugs when I needed relief from so much extra noise...he hoped as dealing with my issues that l the extra sensitiveness would go away...about a month after the PTSD group was discontinued my sensitivity lessened quite a bit...now the extra sensitivity comes and goes....and often relates to the intensity of what I'm dealing with in therapy....It still SUCKS!!!!!

:frown: ... wildfirewildone

Nam · #8 26-07-2006, 08:50 AM

thanks for the info Wildfire. Weird...a medical/scientific explanation to something we thought maybe was just a weird phenomena (spel?) Another point to the sane side!

nml · #9 26-07-2006, 11:00 AM

I noticed at certain times certain tones "bother" me....even sometimes my children laughing will have chills running up my spine! Also consistent background noise like water dripping or knocking. It will drive me bonkers! like the one yelling now at his little brother! Gotta go!

YoungAndAngry · #10 27-07-2006, 01:13 PM

Water dripping drives me CRAZY!!!!!!

I have to find the dripping tap and stop it.
ughh... just thinking about it gives me twitches:drugs: