If someone was tortured or abused in some way, and there was a mirror where it happened, then could the person being abused see their own reflection in daily life and have a panic attack or something like that?
Can one's own face be a trigger if abused?
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I would think so, if they were forced to look in a mirror while tortured, say, and could not see their assailant, so their only focus would be the face in the mirror. This would especially hold true if it happened in a systematic way, for instance, a person locked away without a mirror, forced to look in a mirror at every occurrence of abuse/torture.
Kind of like Clockwork Orange with mirrors.
Kind of like Clockwork Orange with mirrors.
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Strictly anything can be a trigger. Which is why I never use any trigger warnings, because I don't do "safe, warm blankie" when the whole world can be triggering.
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I would think it would have to be more than just their face. Going through life having to avoid all reflections of yourself would be problematic to say the least. Even walking down a city street with all the mirrors one would come across, or just the reflections off the windows could be triggers.
Were there scars left by the abuse? Does the character take pains to cover these scars even from themselves? What about if it were a specific facial expression that they saw in the mirror while being abused or tortured?
ETA: Maybe there was a crack in the mirror where they were abused. Maybe that distorted, off kilter reflection in another mirror might be the trigger.
Were there scars left by the abuse? Does the character take pains to cover these scars even from themselves? What about if it were a specific facial expression that they saw in the mirror while being abused or tortured?
ETA: Maybe there was a crack in the mirror where they were abused. Maybe that distorted, off kilter reflection in another mirror might be the trigger.
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Well, the problematic aspect would be okay, it wouldn't be too much of a problem, I think. Eventually he could get used to it. Or even if he didn't, that would be okay, as he isn't meant to have a normal life anyway.
There are scars, and they would be hidden from everyone, but not himself, he gets used to it. Hmm, the idea of a specific facial expression being a trigger could be a thing. What if his face was quite distinct, even unique? Might that add more strength to it being a trigger?
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His face wouldn't be unique to him though, would it? Maybe when he looks in a mirror intentionally he's careful to keep his scars hidden. How depends on where they are.
An abnormal life is one thing, but someone who's triggered every time they see their own face? You'd end up a nervous wreck.
You don't like my cracked mirror idea, huh? I kinda like that one.
His face wouldn't be unique to him though, would it? Maybe when he looks in a mirror intentionally he's careful to keep his scars hidden. How depends on where they are.
An abnormal life is one thing, but someone who's triggered every time they see their own face? You'd end up a nervous wreck.
You don't like my cracked mirror idea, huh? I kinda like that one.
Well, he had teeth and eye replacement well before the torture, so he looks different to other people. And he wouldn't have any facial scars. Perhaps if several factors come into play at once? Like, if he were waterboarded at the time, then only if he saw the reflection while having water spilled on his face would it be a trigger? But psychology does play a large part in the story, and he is not normal. I think perhaps a combination of factors together could be it, all the stars aligning as it were.
Well, I hadn't see the cracked mirror idea at the time
But it could work as well. Perhaps one of the factors. If that route is the chosen one.
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I avoid my own face in public/shop mirrors, forgetting I'm absolutely gorgeous because bullies used to set me on fire and try to murder me for allegedly being the opposite. Somehow seeing myself in public scares me as if I might find them right. So hell yeah?
It's actually not that hard to avoid your own reflection. You can clean your face and brush your teeth in the shower, without a mirror. You can learn to unfocus your eyes from your face when trying on clothes. You learn to only register outlines, but never your actual face.
That's what I was thinking, it shouldn't be too difficult. I think it is more like the enormity or something of one being unable to see their face because they can't...face it.
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Believe me, it is enormous. It's tragic because you know it's nonsense and you're alright and so is your face, but you just get all clammy and stiff at the thought of risking that glance...
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The reaction to a traumatic trigger isn't 100 percent either. Unless the person is completely clueless about their reactions, which is possible but unlikely, they would know that reflections cause them great discomfort. They would see a shiny building up ahead and shy away, turn their head away. They would often do this unconsiously. They also would not freak out and have a full-blown panic attack every time they see their reflection a little bit. Their pulse would simply start to go, they would start to breath fast, stop thinking clearly and sound irritable to someone who was with them. If it was just a fleeting glimpse, that would probably be all the reaction and they might not even realize why they feel irritable or anxious. There are things that could trigger me to the point of a panic attack but it doesn't usually happen. Usually I just don't think real clearly and do or say things that are a bit unwise and then realize later that I should have been on guard because of the trigger issue. It is very very very hard to resist a full-on trigger and in the view of many psychologists it is impossible to simply train yourself to not react. They claim that you have to reduce the underlying anxiety, period. Otherwise that "being on guard" is a very flimsy defense.