When it comes to certain holiday celebrations like the 4th of July, it can be common to use fireworks. However, the noises, smells, and lights from fireworks can be distressing for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can affect war veterans, first responders like paramedics or firefighters, and those who've experienced other traumatic events.

Fireworks and other loud sounds can trigger PTSD symptoms. However, it is possible to plan and use strategies and techniques to cope.

What Is PTSD?

PTSD is a condition that can develop as a result of trauma. The clinical definition of trauma is experiencing a threat of death or serious injury, sustaining serious injury, or actual or threatened violence. PTSD can develop if a person:

• Directly experiences the trauma.
• Witnesses someone else experiencing it.
• Learns that it happened to a close friend or relative.
• Is indirectly exposed to trauma, like first responders.

The signs and symptoms of PTSD include:

• Experiencing disturbing intrusive thoughts, such as nightmares or memories of the trauma.
• Avoiding things related to the trauma, like people, places, and thoughts.
• Having negative feelings or thoughts, like excessive self-blame.
• Being highly reactive, highly irritable, hypervigilant, or easily startled.

Going through a traumatic event does not necessarily mean that PTSD will develop, and different experiences can be traumatic for different people. Research suggests that up to 32% of first responders, more than 30% of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and as many as 12% of adults in the general population have PTSD.

Effects of Fireworks on PTSD

Fireworks during Independence Day or other celebrations may cause a person with PTSD to become highly reactive, especially if the traumatic event they experienced involved  loud noises like explosions, gun fire etc. This is why fireworks are triggers, because they can set off a memory or a piece of the traumatic experience.

During a firework display, those with PTSD may:

• Feel on edge.
• Have a strong reaction to the flashing lights.
• Be easily startled by the sound.
• Experience flashbacks of the traumatic event.
• Feel numb or emotionally distant.
• Feel a lack of control over the situation.
• Use drugs or alcohol to cope with unwanted thoughts and feelings.

How Trauma and Triggers Affect the Brain

A traumatic event like an explosion can cause an intolerance to loud sounds. For veterans, in particular, blast exposure has been shown to significantly increase the chances of sound intolerance, including that of fireworks. This is a result of how the brain operates during a traumatic experience.

Fear Circuitry

Trauma impacts what scientists call the "fear circuitry" in the brain, an inherent protective mechanism. During a traumatic event, the fear circuitry kicks in, and the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain involved in thought and planning — works less.

This means that the person re-experiencing trauma goes into survival mode and is not able to think through the situation and rationalize what is happening.

Furthermore, during a traumatic event, the brain encodes memories differently than it normally does. For instance, the brain may recall the sounds and smells of an explosion but not the time of day it occurred.

Emotional Responses

When a person with PTSD hears fireworks, their brain's fear circuitry kicks in. It mostly connects with the sounds, smells, and sight, and not the context of the situation. As a result, a person cannot easily tell themselves that a celebration with fireworks is occurring and that it is not a life-threatening situation. Instead, they feel anxiety and fear and survival mode kicks in telling them to act to protect themselves.

Strategies and Tips to Prepare for Fireworks

If someone experiences PTSD symptoms from fireworks, it's important to follow strategies like planning ahead, creating a safe environment, leaning on social support, and seeking professional guidance.

Plan Ahead

Some tips on how individuals can effectively prepare for holidays and events include:

• Practicing self-compassion and remembering that trauma reactions do not indicate weakness. Rather, it is how the brain has learned to cope.
• Reminding themselves that it took them time to train to be on alert for threats. Therefore, it will take them time to retrain themselves so that they are not on high alert when no threat is present. This protective reaction is normal and okay.
• Using ongoing reassuring self-talk, such as telling oneself that the current environment is safe and that upcoming fireworks are for a specific celebration.
• Finding out ahead of time if fireworks will occur.
• Using self-care to feel and function as well as possible, such as good sleep, journaling, and avoiding the use of substances.
• Having calming techniques prepared that can be used when triggered, like mindful breathing exercises.

Create a Safe Environment

Creating a setting that feels safe can help people enjoy the holidays. Ways to do this include:

• Staying inside and watching fireworks on television.
• Staying in a comforting room without windows or where blinds or curtains can be drawn.
• Sitting in a comfortable chair with a weighted blanket.
• Being surrounded by trusted loved ones and mementos from loved ones.
• Listening to music or sounds that are calming

Lean on Social Supports

Reaching out to loved ones can go a long way toward mental and emotional well-being. Consider the following actions:

• Talk with trusted people about thoughts and feelings as the event approaches.
• Invite a trusted person to join at an event for moral support.
• Invite loved ones to spend the holiday or celebration in a way that does not involve fireworks or other triggers.

Seek Professional Guidance

Meeting with a mental health professional can help develop coping strategies tailored to the individual. Different people with PTSD can have different triggers, and a therapist can help understand someone's unique situation.

Help a Loved One With PTSD

When someone is struggling internally, it is not uncommon for them to feel like they have to remain silent. Taking the initiative to help in various ways can mean the world to them. This can include:

• Showing them compassion.
• Using supportive and comforting words like, "You are safe, and I am here with you."
• Sitting with them away from the rest of the celebration and talking them through calming techniques
• Asking guests how they feel about fireworks and avoiding them when planning a celebration.

Tools and Techniques for Immediate Relief

It is also possible to manage unexpected fireworks or other loud noises with mindfulness exercises, technology aids, and medication to help feel safe.

Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques

Calming or grounding techniques can help to bring a person back to the present moment when they feel anxious or panicked. Here are two techniques that can help.

5-4-3-2-1 Exercise

Take these six steps to connect with the senses and return the mind to the present surroundings:

1. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take deep breaths.
2. Open your eyes. Then, name five items present in the area and state their colors.
3. Try to identify four different sounds.
4. Touch three different things and notice how they feel.
5. Try to identify two different smells.
6. Notice and identify one taste, perhaps the lingering flavors of the last meal or the minty flavor of chewing gum.

Deep Breathing Exercise

When feeling anxious, breathing tends to be shallower, as the air does not reach the belly, and the brain receives less oxygen. This makes it harder to think clearly in a difficult situation. When experiencing stress or a trauma trigger, follow these five steps:

1. Close your eyes and lay one hand on the chest and the other on the belly.
2. Pay attention to and visualize the air entering through the nose, into the lungs, and the belly.
3. With each breath, be sure that the hand on the belly comes out further than the one on the chest.
4. Pay attention to and visualize the air leaving the belly, then the chest, and then the nose.
5. Repeat these four steps with subsequent breaths.

While doing grounding techniques, it can also be helpful to remind oneself that the current situation is safe and temporary and that it will pass.

Technology Aids

Distractions from fireworks or other upsetting noises can help ease anxiety at the moment. For instance, using noise-canceling headphones or earplugs can help reduce sound. Another tip is to use a smartphone app that provides calming sounds and visuals.

Medication

Medication can help manage anxiety or panic. Some medications are prescribed on a daily basis, and others are to be taken as needed in an anxiety-provoking situation. You should always talk with your provider about medication changes, uses, and the best options suited to your individual needs.

Long-Term PTSD Management

It is important to note that short-term strategies to avoid fireworks or other triggers are not meant to be the ultimate solution for managing PTSD. While it may feel more comfortable in the moment to avoid triggers, doing so can actually worsen the problem in the long term. The key is to not only prepare for the day itself but to also take actions that can promote recovery in the long run.

Community Resources

Support groups for trauma survivors can provide a sense of community and solidarity, as well as a place to give and receive support and coping strategies. Such groups may be located within the community, such as community centers, hospitals, and mental health resources.

Mental Health Treatment

Ongoing behavioral therapy is fundamental to treating PTSD. It can help people identify their triggers and develop coping strategies that are uniquely helpful to them. Moreover, evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies can help alter a person's fear structures and help to retrain their brain’s processing.

Telemynd is here to meet the needs of those who deal with PTSD. Both treatments and therapy are available through virtual appointments. These allow for convenient and private services from the comfort of home.

Long-Term Emotional Safety Is Possible

It is possible in the long run to respond to triggers rather than just react to them, and it is never too late to reach out for help. Telemynd is here to support military members, their loved ones, and anyone dealing with PTSD or other mental health conditions. Click here to get connected with Telemynd's services.