Hey everyone

Question: Has a song you ever heard either on the radio, on a television show, out in public, etc set you off to have flashbacks of what happened to you?

I know it has for me. I am not going to mention the song, but it does bring back those memories very clearly.

Hugs
Wes

Wes,

I am trigger not neccessarily but a "song" but the theme music to Sonic the Hedgehog for the old Sega Genesis. That is a trigger for me. My emotions are tied heavily to music, so I dont think its uncommon for us to be triggered by music.

And yes.....A few weeks back we were ini games top and the had "Senoic the Hedgehog" for the XBox 360 and its started up in the store and boom....straight into a flashback!

Its not silly at all....difficult but by no means silly.

Brian

Anything by Jimmy Hendrix, certain early 70s Stones are instant trouble for me. There are more, but I dont even want to mention them.

Thats what they played on the stereo in that basement.

WesQ,

I used to get that 10 years ago, but I realized I could "undo" the association with the music and a nd the specific memory and thus create a new reality for the particular song. It wasn't easy but it was kind of like immersion therapy for me at the time. Hope everything is doing better for you.

Not silly at all, there are songs that have different meaning to me, not neccessary triggers, but have a meaning just the same.

I want/need to find a record album by I believe Grand Funk Railroad that offers as referance point to when my abuse started with one of my abusers.

The cover is gold trimmed and has the band sitting in a barn buck naked with black spots covering their privates. I remember wanting to see what behind the black spots. That is one of my eariest memories of having an attraction to the same sex.

If anyone knows this ablum and/ or can tell me more please help me out.

Thanks!!!

WesQ,

Nope! It doesn't sound silly at all. I think it's to be expected that anything associated with the abuse might set us off. In my case it's a certain aftershave the abuser wore, and I also used to get flashbacks if I was alone in a quiet room.

Knowing these triggers of course helps us. I make sure I stay well away from aftershaves in a men's department in a store, and once I started playing music whenever I was home alone and trying to work, that helped reduce the flashbacks.

That is, once we get a handle on things we can take something that was once scary and intimidating and turn it into a useful tool in our recovery.

Much love,
Larry

there are certain songs that i can't listen to. when they come on i have memories that i can't forget. and music has always been a calming influence on me.

Jake,

Just a word of welcome to Male Survivor, and I'm glad you're able to talk about this one. I know what you mean about avoiding certain songs - I can't even (or don't want to) write down the titles.

Don't feel pressured to post or to do anything else here, for that matter - just take your time and do what feels safe and comfortable. Put yourself first.

Much love,
Larry

for me its not music, but sports rather. because the guy first started touching me sexually when he was teaching me to play sports. my dad was never involved. so as a fourteen year old, he offered to teach me what my dad didn't. and i was tired of being made fun of as the only fourteen year old who can't throw a football, etc. so i went to stay the summer with him. so yeah, sports is an immediate flashback for me. i had to find another sport that we didn't do together. i LOVE paintball, and volleyball! :-)

wes -- i don't find that odd at all.

has ever eating a banana given you triggers? it has me. i also try not to stuff my mouth to full of thick foods like peanut butter...which is hard b/c i LOVE peanut butter... but when i do so i have a trigger/flashback.

i think we respond differently - since our experiences although similar to some are unique -- it makes sense our bodies would respond in unique ways.

- nate