Triggers are different for all of us

I was sitting in a class about PTSD & Moral Injury with other veterans when I realized something about myself. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it made a difference to me.

Here it is: different things can trigger us differently based on our past experiences.

For example, they often use the example of thunder sounding like mortar fire. That sound causes a lot of veterans I know to jump.

Or backfiring engines and pops can sound like fireworks.

I flew a helicopter in combat and had a rack full of 48 missiles. I WAS the “mortar fire.” I was in charge of it.

As a result, when I hear sounds like booms and bangs, it doesn’t cause me to lurch. I’m comfortable with the noise.

I get more anxious when it gets suspiciously quiet— when I see shadows and small movements in the distance that I can’t quite make out…

It just shows that the trauma impacts us all in unique ways.