Can getting a massage be a trigger for PTSD?

Written by a licensed therapist trained in PTSD treatment.

Can getting a massage be a trigger for PTSD?

There are many different ways you can get triggered for PTSD.  When you have experiences in life, whether they are traumatic or not, your body “records” the experiences in all of your senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).  When one of your senses comes across a familiar experience, memories/feelings may come up.

When you think of your grandparents, you may think of the smell of the lavender bushes outside of their home, or you may remember the taste of freshly baked cookies in the air at their house, or the sound of a certain type of music playing.  Chances are that if you were to come across a lavender plant (or cookies, or that music) somewhere else in the world, you would have memories or experiences that would remind you of your grandparents.  If you had a good relationship with your grandparents, you may come across the smell of lavender and have a big smile on your face.  You may know why you got happy feelings all of the sudden and you may not know why you feel like that.  Just because your senses take them in and have a reaction, doesn’t mean that you know what was taken in and why you have the reaction.

Getting a massage, dancing, working out, and other activities that engage your muscles can be a trigger to PTSD, even if the massage therapist, personal trainer, and dance instructor are completely appropriate.    This is because we store memories in our muscles just like we store memories in our senses, and things that engage the muscles at the spot where we are holding the PTSD memories can cause a trigger.

So how do you identify and get rid of these triggers?  The main thing you can do (other than working with a therapist trained in PTSD treatment) is to identify when you have a chance of mood or trigger and stop for a moment, take a few deep breaths and pay attention to what all of your senses are experiencing.  Write down what you notice.  Once this happens enough, you can sometimes narrow down what is triggering you so that you can then try to get rid of that trigger.    What I am suggesting is very hard to do and may cause additional triggers to occur.

Ultimately, it is a good idea to get into therapy with a professional therapist for PTSD near you.

At Long Beach Therapy, we believe the best therapist for PTSD is the one who you feel safest with. If you call looking for a therapist for PTSD in Long Beach, we have options of different therapists so that you can get the one you feel the most safe/comfortable with to start your journey of healing.  If you are ready to take the first step, give us a call Long Beach Therapy to schedule an appointment.