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Lilly2
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Question Nov 10, 2019 at 07:38 PM
  #1
Does anyone have a delayed reaction to a trauma trigger?

For instance, say you KNOW what your triggers are, but when encountered by a trigger, you don't feel triggered until hours or days later.

Or, say you don't know what your triggers are, but you realize that you're feeling triggered hours or days later.

(If you don't have DID, ignore this next paragraph, as it will make no sense but only add to the confusion; and even if you do have DID or a dissociative disorder or dissociative symptom of another disorder, this still may not make any sense, but I'll put it here anyway, since maybe it's my DID causing the delayed reaction and not the PTSD, unless others with PTSD also experience this, too??): Or, say you have DID and another alternate personality is co-conscious with you during a trigger (known or unknown), and you don't feel triggered until hours or days later, for whatever reason - either a different alter reminds you, the same alter reminds you, or you yourself feel triggered even though the alters aren't, or some combination of anything since DID is so confusing.

Anyone experience any of the above?
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Default Nov 10, 2019 at 07:54 PM
  #2
I do get a delayed reaction (probably usually).

For example: I had a conversation that was quite adversarial with someone. I left the experience acting like all was well, even though I knew it wasn’t. (This was because it’s better to act like all was well). Then I percolated on the whole experience; everything that was said, and what did it all mean. Then I got upset once it all could be processed.

It was like there was way too much coming at me live in the moment to process, so I put on my best, had to process, then was able to ‘crash’ into being, yes, triggered.

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Default Nov 18, 2019 at 01:00 AM
  #3
I have delayed reactions all the time. I'm integrated but I do dissociate still. It's a dissociative response to survive the initial encounter. I wouldn't want someone to know they had triggered me because that gives them power. I keep it away from my consciousness till I'm safely alone and it's safe to feel it.
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Default Nov 23, 2019 at 12:57 PM
  #4
I can relate to the above.
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Default Nov 23, 2019 at 03:19 PM
  #5
YES! I often find that I can handle some pretty toxic situations and then when I am finally away from the toxic person and situation I struggle.
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Default Dec 19, 2019 at 09:26 PM
  #6
Toxicity lingers. That does not make us ''weak''..
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Default Dec 19, 2019 at 10:08 PM
  #7
I don't know that I'd call it a delayed response. I'd just say that I don't "see" the effects of it until a while later. The trigger, rather than releasing a bullet from a gun, in this instance sets off a more nuanced and subtle chain reaction. When I get days beyond the whole trigger and eventual response, I'm able to see small responses to that trigger that happened immediately, but the very obvious response took longer to culminate. So, for example, sometimes something happens and that thing, rather than have an initial response to it, begins to fester in our mind, causing us to get more and more dissociated or irritable or anxious or whatever. Eventually there is a blow up from the building pressure - whatever constitutes a blow-up for you - not necessarily anger or outburst, it could be depression or shutting down, etc.

@Lilly2, is this sort of what you mean?

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Default Jan 11, 2020 at 03:59 PM
  #8
It depends on the situation, but I have delayed responses sometimes because my other "systems" override the trauma response. For example, if I'm in a room of strangers, my social anxiety is going to keep me acting like everything is completely fine. I don't experience the trauma response until I get home and feel safe enough to do so (I realize it's ironic though).
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Default Jan 18, 2020 at 07:39 AM
  #9
Good thread. We all experience basically the same thing with this.

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Default Jan 18, 2020 at 08:41 AM
  #10
Yes. Frequently.
I think it is sometimes a protective reaction, later, when I look back, it seems almost like an initial shock reaction (first step denial)---

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