★ PTSDIY · Field Manual ★ Part II ★
Chapter 07
Triggers in public
Recon, position, exit
FM 07-TRG-101Prep time 10 min
7-1.Mission brief
Crowds, fireworks, a restaurant with your back to the door. Public triggers are where many people's world starts to shrink. A plan lets you go anyway.
7-2.Intel
These are practical bridges drawn from clinical and peer experience, not tested treatments. The tested treatment for avoidance is exposure therapy (Chapter 18).
7-3.Field procedures
| 01 | ReconLook up the venue beforehand. Know the layout, the exits and where you'll park. | 5 min |
| 02 | Brief your buddyAgree on a code word that means "I need to step out," no questions asked. | 2 min |
| 03 | Script your exitOne sentence ready to go: "I need some air, back in ten." | 1 min |
| 04 | If triggered, run Ch. 5 and 6Step out, sigh twice, ground. Decide calmly whether to go back in. | 3 min |
| 05 | After-action reviewLog what hit and what helped. Patterns show up fast. | 2 min |
7-4.Rules of engagement
These tools are bridges, not permanent rules. If you need more of them each month (always the seat facing the door, never without a buddy), your safety behaviors are growing, and that's the signal to work on avoidance directly.
7-5.Common faults & corrections
| ✕ | Fault: Avoiding everywhere that might trigger youCorrection: Avoidance brings relief today and a smaller life next year. Go, with a plan. |
| ✕ | Fault: Leaving and never debriefingCorrection: The after-action review is how one bad night becomes useful intel. |
Companion episode — [IN PROGRESS]
PTSDIY · FM 07-TRG-101 · Part II07