Why Do Some People With C-PTSD Stim? Understanding the Connection Between Trauma and Self-Stimulating Behavior
Tuesday, December 3, 2024.
If you’re familiar with the term “stimming,” you might associate it with autism or other forms of neurodivergence.
However, folks like me with complex PTSD (C-PTSD) may also engage in stimming behaviors as part of their journey to regulate emotions and cope with trauma.
Far from being a “problem,” stimming often serves as an adaptive strategy to navigate the challenges of living with C-PTSD.
So, why do some people with C-PTSD stim?
Let’s explore the science, the behaviors, and how they can be understood as part of a trauma survivor’s path to healing.
What Is Stimming?
Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behavior, involves repetitive actions like rocking, tapping, or fidgeting. These movements might seem purposeless to an outside observer, but they serve important functions for the person engaging in them.
While commonly observed in autism, stimming is also a coping mechanism for individuals with C-PTSD, helping to regulate overwhelming emotions and sensory experiences.
The Connection Between C-PTSD and Stimming
Stimming as a Self-Soothing Mechanism
C-PTSD often involves a dysregulated nervous system.
Survivors may swing between hyperarousal (feeling overly anxious or agitated) and hypoarousal (feeling numb or dissociated). According to Porges’ Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2011), these swings are linked to how the nervous system responds to perceived threats.
Stimming provides consistent sensory input that can help bring the nervous system back into balance, offering a sense of calm and predictability.
Grounding During Dissociation
Dissociation is a common experience for trauma survivors, especially during moments of high stress.
Stimming behaviors like tapping fingers or squeezing a stress ball can act as grounding tools. They help folks reconnect to the present moment, counteracting the detached, "floaty" sensation of dissociation (van der Kolk, 2014).
Releasing Pent-Up Energy
Trauma survivors often carry a significant amount of nervous energy, a remnant of being stuck in a fight-or-flight state. Stimming offers an outlet to release that energy in a controlled, repetitive way, which can prevent escalation into panic attacks or other distressing symptoms.
Meeting Sensory Needs
Trauma can heighten sensitivity to sensory input (like noise or touch) or lead to sensory under-responsiveness.
Stimming helps regulate this imbalance. For example, repetitive movements can create a sense of order amid sensory chaos, providing comfort and stability.
Habitual Coping From Childhood
Many folks with C-PTSD experienced trauma in childhood, when they lacked the resources or tools to process their emotions. Stimming might have developed as a natural way to cope, becoming a familiar habit that persists into adulthood.
Emotional Regulation
C-PTSD often makes it difficult to manage intense emotions like anger, sadness, or fear. Stimming behaviors can act as an emotional release or distraction, helping to regain a sense of control.
Common Stimming Behaviors in People With C-PTSD
While stimming behaviors vary widely, here are some common examples:
Rocking back and forth (my go-to stimming behavior).
Repeated tapping or fidgeting
Playing with textured objects like stress balls or fidget toys
Humming or making repetitive sounds
Pacing or engaging in repetitive physical actions
The Science of Stimming and Trauma
Research underscores the importance of stimming as a regulatory tool.
For instance, van der Kolk (2014) emphasizes the role of body-based coping mechanisms in trauma recovery. Trauma "lives" in the body, and physical actions like stimming can help survivors process and manage their emotional and sensory experiences.
Porges’ Polyvagal Theory (2011) also highlights how consistent, rhythmic behaviors can calm the nervous system by activating the parasympathetic response—our body’s "rest and digest" mode.
Is Stimming Bad?
Not in the slightest.
In fact, for many folks like me with C-PTSD, stimming is an adaptive and helpful behavior. It becomes a concern only if it leads to self-harm or interferes with daily life and social interactions. Otherwise, it’s an adaptive and often subconscious way to manage the lasting effects of trauma.
How Therapy Can Help
For those who want to better understand or expand their coping strategies, therapy might provide some additional tools such as:
Somatic Therapy: Focuses on the body’s role in healing trauma, teaching techniques for grounding and self-regulation.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): Offers strategies for managing intense emotions in a safe, constructive way.
Grounding Techniques: Can serve as alternatives to stimming when sensory input or movement is not accessible.
Closing Thoughts: A Compassionate Lens on Stimming
Stimming in the context of C-PTSD is a testament to the human capacity to adapt and survive.
Far from being a problem to “fix,” it’s often a signal that someone is navigating their healing journey the best way they know how.
With understanding and support, trauma survivors can continue to build a toolkit of strategies that meet their unique emotional and sensory needs.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W.W. Norton & Company.
van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.