Hyper vigilance in PTSD

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Let's talk about hyperarousal, aka hypervigilance. In my last video, I talked about how CPTSD greatly affects the nervous system and it can cause you to shut down your senses. In this video, I'm going to talk about how the opposite can also be true and your nervous system can be overactive. So, when you have PTSD, your brain is constantly looking out for danger to make sure that the trauma does not happen again. For a lot of people, this can cause hypervigilance, aka hyperarousal, where your brain is constantly looking out for any type of danger, any signs that the trauma's going to happen again.

[00:00:30]Externally, this can look like a lot of other disorders, but internally, it's a lot different than other disorders. It can look a lot similar to generalized anxiety disorder or possibly even other anxiety disorders. It can look similar to autism. It can look similar to ADHD.

[00:00:44]But, at the end of the day, those are completely separate disorders and the cause and internal experience are completely different. Hypervigilance often shows up looking like anxiety, but for some people, because everybody reacts to trauma differently, it can show up as aggression. It can show up as a adrenaline and irritability. And while for people like me, where it shows up as anxiety, I tend to avoid any signs of danger, there are some people who feel familiar with danger and seek it out instead as a response to the trauma. As you might be able to imagine, if your nervous system is constantly in overdrive, it can be hard to rest. It can be hard to sleep. It can cause you physical health problems. It can be hard for you to relax because your body is constantly jumping at the slightest sound. Your body is constantly scared of the trauma happening again. It's constantly looking out for danger.

[00:01:30]Everybody with PTSD is different.

[00:01:32]Everybody responds to trauma differently. So, this can come in different severities and some people feel hypervigilant more than they do um with hyperarousal, but other people experience hyperarousal and dissociation more. Some people experience anxiety and hyperarousal more. It just all depends on the person. Other people alternate between the two. Everybody's different.

[00:01:52]Everybody reacts to it differently. And it also shows up in people differently, so it can look different externally for for different people.