Is this Threat a danger to me?

Scroll down or click to read: 1️⃣ Reaction to a threat 2️⃣ Faulty threat response 2️⃣.1️⃣ Response to a threat Info-graph 3️⃣ You are more likely to feel threatened if: 4️⃣ Threats in a healthcare setting 5️⃣ Behaviour/s response to being over-threatened

“When we get hurt, our bodies immediately start trying to heal that hurt. This works for emotions as well.”

Vironika Tugaleva

1️⃣ Reaction to a threat

Your defence system warns you of the presence of danger by throwing up feelings of fear and anxiety. It’s the if ‘i smell burning’ response. If you smell burning, the human threat center response is to walk towards the source of the smell and find the smoke and/or fire.

Based on your actions, your threat investigation will decide:

▶️ Nothing is burning so there is no threat, you were mistaken.

▶️ Smoke was seen so there is a threat and the fire alarm is activated. This causes your body to ‘ring loudly’ to make Stress aware that the threat is real.

Your survival depends on your brain being able to react to a threat as quickly as possible. So although you may think your reaction to danger is conscious. This is not always the case.

2️⃣ Faulty Threat response.

If enough threats are fired in your direction, you will begun to see threats everywhere and you may start to mistake shadows and reflections for threats.  Where a threat is any person, event or sensation that makes you feel that you are in danger.

And begin to launch your defence stress missiles before you realise they are not needed. Once the stress missiles are primed and ready for action, it is difficult and takes time to reset the stress missiles. This tricks your brain into believing that safe places&events are dangerous. 

2️⃣.1️⃣ Faulty feedback to Threats info-graph

When you begin to misinterpret ‘safe or good’ behaviours as ‘bad’ or ‘harmful to you, no place is safe and you live in constant fear. Causing you to feel things that are out of your control and you can’t cope. 

This ‘emergency brake’ activation system is designed to respond to danger to survive and then to return to the rest and digest state. Once the danger has passed. It is not designed to be used for long periods of time and the batteries becomes drained.

If the threat system switch is stuck on ‘go’ and you are constantly defending yourself from potential crisis and dangerous situations. It will eventually affect your ability to deal with the threat calmly and rationally. 

3️⃣ You are more likely to feel threatened if:

Care Trauma: An event of receiving poor healthcare, being repeatedly misdiagnosed or a complaint not being listened will begin to feel as if you are walking into a war zone every time you have any from of contact with healthcare. 

4️⃣ Threats in a healthcare setting

Under normal circumstances your brain would assess the situation and decide to respond to the threat in a fight or flight option. In a healthcare setting, neither of these options are possible, so the body shuts down. And responds in Appease or Freeze mode.

▶️ the behaviour/treatment is unexpected.
▶️ you were not listened to so you felt powerless to prevent it
▶️It has happened many times before. 

5️⃣ Behaviour/s response to being over-threatened

As the name suggests, your reaction anticipates that a previous experience that has caused you emotional pain and suffering’, will be just as painful thus time. So your reaction to the merest suggestion that this situation is about to be repeated, is more exaggerated than would be the case if your last experience was not associated with any bad memories.

5️⃣. 1️⃣ Threats response behaviours Info-graph

⏯ Feel worthless

⏯ Blame and self shame

⏯ helplessness.

⏯ Depression

You begin to respond to all ‘threats’ by upping your fear levels and you become preoccupied that your anxieties will be used as evidence to bolster others negative opinion of you. You just know that any health related meetups and appointments are going to be a disaster.

The confusion generated by the catch-22 of needing healthcare to survive but you need to avoid healthcare as it may kill you. Overpowers your normal responses, and to your brain and body react automatically by responding with physical and emotional ‘distress and stress’ behaviours.

6️⃣ Reactions to trauma that cause the Physical response of:

▶️ Lack of energy
▶️ Nausea
▶️ Tightness in chest
▶️ Difficulty breathing
▶️ Headaches
▶️ Rapid heart rate
▶️ Grinding of teeth

▶️ Dry mouth
▶️ thirst
▶️ Vomiting
▶️ Visual difficulties
▶️ Feeling shaky
▶️ Profuse sweating
▶️ Chills
▶️ Sickness

5️⃣ Reactions to trauma that cause Psychological responses of:

6️⃣.1️⃣ Emotional behaviour response to threat overload Info-graph

Behaviours of

⏯ Irritability

⏯ emotional dysregulation

⏯ shame and self blame

⏯ Anxiety

⏯ depression

⏯ powerless

⏯ Dissociation and auto pilot

▶️ Questions of Who? What? When? Why?

feelings of:

▶️ Shock,

▶️ disbelief,

▶️ Denial

⏯ Thoughts:

▶️ Recurrent thoughts,

▶️ Scattered” thoughts

▶️ Poor concentration,

▶️ Poor decisions,

▶️ Poor problem solving
▶️ Nightmares,

▶️ Intrusive images,

▶️ Hyper vigilance

6️⃣ Reactions to trauma that cause the Emotional response of:

▶️ Anxiety
▶️ Sadness & despair
▶️ Guilt & blame
▶️ Numbness
▶️ Panic
▶️ Vulnerability
▶️ Helplessness
▶️ Anger
▶️ Irritability
▶️ Loneliness
▶️ Regret

7️⃣ Reactions to trauma that cause the Behavioural responses of:

▶️ Outbursts and irritability.
▶️ Change in activity
▶️ Insomnia
▶️ Changes in appetite
▶️ Drinking and/or alcohol Taking drugs
▶️ Pacing
▶️ Avoidance Crying
▶️ Sighing Restless activity