Relief for Experiencing Emotions and Feelings Through Hypervigilence

Hypervigilence... it's what life is all about when dealing with post traumatic stress disorder. Everything is extreme, intensified, all or nothing, and it's incredibly difficult to simply relax upon demand, but it's what we must learn to do if we've been diagnosed with PTSD. The plague of hypervigilence automatically magnifies anger, fear and other negative emotions and feelings causing an "overwhelm" situation in a few minute seconds of time. So what's a person to do?

This is where the majority of people who experience this horrendous symptom of post traumatic stress sit back, roll their eyes, exhale strongly and think to themselves - "not likely." Understanding the extremeness of the experience of hypervigilence and emotion I can empathize, but I must compel those of you with PTSD to utilize a very simple technique, relaxation command. It's mind over matter with post traumatic stress. You must train your body to follow the commands of the mind; which need to be in times of triggering or extreme stress, "to relax."

It is through extensive practice that I scream out to you sufferers, " relaxation breathing and techniques!" They work! Combined with a simple question of, "rational feeling?" or "irrational feeling?" will change your level of hypervigilence in a very short timeframe. Asking yourself to concentrate on the simple intake of oxygen through the nostrils, slowly, raising the abdomen, while thinking, "Is this rational or irrational?" then exhaling through pursed lips slowly but surely will immediately change the intensity of the moment.

It takes practice though. You must practice relaxation breathing until you feel like you're always doing it. It's good for you anyway because it allows oxygen to enter into your bloodstream and your body instead of the small puffs of air you get with hypervigilent shallow breaths. If you're practicing relaxation breathing correctly you won't feel dizzy, you'll end up with a strange sense of healthy invigoration.

The best part of using the command, "breathe!" is that you can actually condition yourself to go into the deep inhalation mode through the nostrils as soon as you realize you are being triggered into a hypervigilent state of mind. If you continue through this programming including the question of what is upsetting you is a rational situation or irrational situation will allow you to gain control of yourself which is solving the most maddening symptom of post traumatic stress disorder - loss of self control. You must believe and you must practice to become conditioned.

Taking relaxation a step further for those extremely difficult triggers where you feel overwhelmed with emotions and feelings laying down and tensing just one part of your body for one minute and then releasing until you have tensed all body parts is a wonderful tool. Thinking of nothing but tensing and relaxing through this task will allow you to feel the tensing and relaxing of your body which will encompass your thoughts and you will find you have regained control of yourself leaving behind a sense of accomplishment. And celebrate each tiny step of accomplishment you produce! It's certainly well deserved.

Recognizing that you are feeling something, then identifying by naming the emotion or feeling will also keep your mind occupied. Asking yourself if the anger you're experiencing is rational or just a "PTSD automatic irrational reaction" is important for processing your emotions and feelings. If you breathe through the initial reactionary period and regain control you can further process your emotions and feelings by sitting with them for a few moments to think about why they existed in the first place. With post traumatic stress disorder it's all about controlling the reactions you seem to be compelled to produce.

Practicing your relaxation breathing can be done at any time and any place. Educate your family and friends about relaxation breathing because there's no need to feel singled out that you're practicing it. Everyone needs to learn how to use this handy tool for pain control, and self control. It's amazing how such a simple tool can relieve the most intricate of processes. If you're not feeling well and you're not sure if you're coming down with something or not, try relaxation breathing and reinforce your mind/body connection to be surprised how useful oxygen to the body is.

Another time our emotions and feelings may bog us down is at bedtime. Your mind is racing with thoughts of helplessness, lack of control, disappointment and most likely anger which is a secondary emotion that is covering up another emotion or feeling you're experiencing. If you can put your relaxation breathing or relaxation techniques into practice at this time you will feel your body relaxing first and if you continue to use these methods, your mind will follow and you might be able to relax enough to get to sleep.

Frustration is a predominant feeling with those of us who have PTSD because it is extremely frustrating to be suddenly thrown out of control and although we know in our minds what needs to be done, it's ever so difficult to begin the relaxation process while suddenly thrown into full fledged hypervigilence. You can breathe away that frustration if you just continually practice and put your mind to it. I've done it so I know it's possible. Keeping yourself conditioned by continual practice of the relaxation methods is key. You must continually practice.

All of those diagnosed with PTSD must begin to condition the mind ahead of time to relax. There will be times when you know you will be confronted by an emotional situation that may trigger hypervigilence to appear. That process happens automatically so it's crucial that you can condition yourself to breathe and question what you're feeling as being irrational or rational. Once you know if it's irrational, it's easier to just drop the feeling giving it its due and let it go. If it's normal for people to feel the emotion you're experiencing or rational to experience that emotion then you can let yourself feel the emotion, sit with it and let it go when you're ready to.

I could repeat this process over and over and most people will surely shake their head and say, "It isn't so." "It can't be that easy." It's not easy. You must practice and you must practice continually and never cease. Once you can say to yourself, "relax" and you go immediately into relaxation breathing and your body and mind begins to calm down within a very few minutes, you'll understand what I'm talking about. It truly is mind over matter.

Don't let this be the extent of your emotion and feeling work. It is easier to do emotion and feeling work, pulling out those unresolved emotions and feelings once you have mastered this task. Recognizing that there are buried emotions and feelings within you, identifying what they are so you can process them is a forever process. It never ends. If you can learn how to process your emotions and feelings you won't have to stuff them when they happen. It's important to get rid of those buried ones. They will affect the intensity of your post traumatic stress reactions as well!