Inability/High Stress to Visit Places Of Bad Experience?

Post Reply New Topic

I've noticed that unless I have an outside related reason, such as work, I am unable to visit certain places, alone.

My aunt once during a horse training excersise explained the exact same theroy by explaining the horse.

The horse some years earlier, while walking through a 'lock' (a gate formulated for horse passage but only while under supervision) at an arena park, had come into contact with a rattle snake.

That day, taking the horse to the same lock, he freaked and would not pass. She explained the above story as being why. He didn't have problems with other locks as I remember. Just that lock. He will never ever forget it, she said. Though still she tried comforting him in the vicinity.
The experience with 'the lock" left him unable to easily trailerload, cross bridges, things that 'resembled' to the horse, similar circumstances. But he could get through them.

He could not however pass the lock. (maybe he did, I dont remember remember but I remember-as this)

I think it's more of an animal thing. Places don't bother me, more likely people do.

Many places and things can remind people of bad experiences...that's why the medical establishment call it, "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." When it affects a person or animal severely, they will do anything to avoid the place or things that cause them
discomfort. Some people may always find certain places or things better to avoid...it is only through time and "de-sensitiving" oneself that a person or animal can manage such "bad" experiences and fears.

are humans not animals?

i know i have had a similar experience...

years ago, when my husband and i were still living in the city, we were driving back to our apartment and some guy ran out into the road, and was missed by the southbound vehicle, and we 'hit' him...actually, he saw it coming and pretty much jumped onto the hood of the vechicle, and smashed his head into the windshield right in front of me. i was a little traumatized by this whole thing, and to this day, probably a good ten years later, still cannot drive that street without having a panic attack. so we just try to avoid that street whenever we're back in the city, or take alternate routes around that stretch of the street. i do find it a little bizzare myself.

oh my!
Nice you can still look out the winshield

Places, people, memories, thoughts, you name it.

Temple Grandin mentioned a lot about this in 'Thinking In Pictures',it's memory associating with a thing/place,and it's common in Autistics,as well as animals.

I think this could happen in both animals and humans. Do you have bad experiences with certain places that makes it distressful for you to visit them? Maybe you just don't like needless contact with people in general.