One of my trauma triggers is the sound of gunfire. For me, it stems from the sound of gunfire in places I had lived in during my childhood years, during moments of chaos and pain.
For my best friend, her intense startle response stems from the man who assaulted her when she was a young woman holding a gun to her head and threatening to take her life if she screamed or fought.
She still experiences an exaggerated startle response because a “stuck” part of her is still waiting for a gun to fire and her life to end.
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