((KYWoman)), it's very possible that when you were stalked and could not get away from that until you moved away from your state that it caused you to feel as unsafe as you felt as a child. That is what most likely triggered your very challenged childhood to come forward and incapacitate you the way it did. When someone experiences this the key word is that it's INTRUSIVE. It's not a challenge that someone chooses to experience either. Telling someone who is struggling this way to "just forget it, it's in the past, don't allow", CAN be triggering in that a person is genuinely NOT choosing to experience these intrusive flashbacks be it visual or emotional or even that feeling of childlike helplessness that can genuinely take over and I know you know exactly what I mean. I am VERY sorry that despite your efforts to reach out for help that you have been treated so badly KYWoman. I believe you that for a while you were very functional and successful too and that you experienced what you have shared and it triggered you to experience a challenge that you never imagined experiencing. No one chooses to struggle with this challenge. It's very hard when one's own family doesn't understand and isn't supportive too.

Actually, often what can trigger it is hyper-vigilance. Children that grow up in a dysfunctional environment can become very hyper-vigilant. Children don't understand this either and try to self sooth and disassociate just to survive. I think that if someone is put in a situation where they once again experience this hyper vigilant state of mind, that can be the trigger that brings up all the things that person experienced as a child.