On the topic of realistic conditioning/deconditioning,
If the trigger is something whumpee wouldn't hear often when they're with caretaker but whumpee still wants to break it because they might hear it elsewhere (like kneel being taken as a command)
Would whumpee ask caretaker to casually trigger them so they have the opportunity to challenge it in their own head and in a safe place? Would this be a good idea for recovery?
And of course being there with the praise everytime whumpee makes just a little bit of progress, or comfort when they don't.
Heads up, anon: your ask was an EXCEPTIONALLY good one, and I ended up writing another mini TED talk (~3-4 min read) in response. Thank you so much for sending it in!
...on Conditioned Whumpees - Part 3
[ Part 1 - Part 2 ]
That is a very, very good idea! You're spot on with all of it, particularly operating in a safe environment where whumpee is ultimately calling the shots. Having that comfort/support readily available will make a huge difference in how well whumpee can tackle the matter. And while the process isn't fun, approaching desensitization with this much intent is much, much more likely to result in success.
I can offer a few pointers that can add another few layers of realism, as well as some other things to think about while tailoring it to your story:
if whumpee is actively working through their conditioning in this way, memories of their trauma will become closer to the surface. As a result, all of their other PTSD symptoms will be elevated during the course of their practice sessions, as well as for at least a few weeks after.
flashbacks are a very common experience during times like this. engaging with triggers like this is going to cause their flashbacks to become more frequent and intense.
during such flashbacks, it is almost a given that whumpee's mind and body will enter a similar state to the one it was in during the time when the flashback was taking place. By that I mean that the fear they felt in that moment, where it was physically located in their body, will echo into their body in the present moment. Same goes for other all other emotions, and sometimes even phantom aches surrounding any injuries they received at the time...
while the emotions tend to be identical to the ones felt during the trauma, in my experience, the pain comes out distorted in a similar way to the way it does in dreams: less intense, and more "blurry" and imprecise in location. When we say that someone having a flashback is "reliving the moment", we mean that their body literally feels as though they're in the same immediate danger that it was in back then.
this is true even though they'll be aware to at least some degree that they're presently with caretaker and safe.
the flashbacks don't always happen immediately after the conditioning trigger is used. Often they flare up hours or days later, sometimes without warning, sometimes as a result of encountering a different flashback trigger. The whumpee's thresholds for what counts as a trigger will drop, which is part of what causes the flashbacks to happen more often. Something they could normally ignore is going to affect them much more while they're like this.
your whumpee is more likely to experience severe mood swings while in this heightened state. Especially feelings like irritability, frustration, anger, loneliness, and grief. This stuff ain't pretty, folks. Even your sweet cinnamon bun is most likely going to lash out at someone as a result.
PTSD episodes are also exhausting. your whumpee is going to feel mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. And, to add insult to injury, being tired amplifies the emotions listed above.
Now all of this said, your whumpee may or may not know that this is to be expected. If they've worked on processing their trauma before this, they'll have figured out that one often leads to the other. They'll go into the deconditioning practice knowing this is coming, and will approach it carefully, but with a fairly level head. Knowing that it'll suck, but they'll come out the other side okay.
If not, they're in for a rather nasty surprise.
For the latter, they will feel at first that the deconditioning practice is making everything worse. They're suddenly struggling the way they did when the trauma was fresher, and it can be tempting to stop and refuse to touch it again because the mental/emotional pain gets so intense.
If they do give up at this stage, it will make trying again far more daunting in the future.
But the trauma being stirred up is actually a sign that it's helping. It means that the whumpee is starting to process what happened to them, which is a fundamental step in being able to heal.
Note: All throughout the process, crying is a very good thing. It lets them physically get rid of a lot of the brain chemicals associated with these surges of emotion. Letting themselves cry over things they couldn't cry about back then can actually help them let go of those feelings in a similar way to if they'd been able to process them in the moment. [Which is the basis for much of EMDR, a specialized tool used in trauma therapy.]
Okay. So now we know what other effects can cascade from the actual deconditioning practice, now we have some things to consider.
First off, what time parameters are whumpee and caretaker working within while deconditioning? There are three basic options:
they sit down together and practice repeatedly using the trigger for [X amount of time; usually <45m at once] back to back. Once that time is up, caretaker will no longer use the trigger at all, the excercise will end, and they'll get up to do something else.
whumpee sets a specific window of time [X number of hours] within which caretaker will use the trigger word at random points. Once that time has elapsed, the exercise is over.
over the course of days, caretaker uses the trigger word at random points without giving warning. the excercise only stops after being ended by whumpee.
Now why is that important? Because of something called hypervigilance. It is another symptom of PTSD which, to put it into the simplest words, is whumpee waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a heightened state of tension and wariness in which whumpee is expecting that something bad is going to happen, and is constantly searching for any sign to indicate when it's coming.
It is beyond exhausting.
Imagine knowing that someone is about to slap you as hard as they can, and you have to sit there with your eyes closed, waiting for it. The breath-holding, the flinchiness, the rigid tension in your body as you strain to listen for when they're coming.
Only now, stretch that moment out into hours. Days. Weeks. That is hypervigilance.
A hypervigilant whumpee is not going to be able to relax. Or rest. Or decompress. Or readily trust much of anything around them. They're MUCH more likely to flinch at sudden movements/sounds. They might start biting their nails or showing other signs of nervousness and distress.
These methods above have a gradually increasing chance of setting off whumpee's hypervigilance. If they know exactly when the next trigger is coming, as in example 1, then their 'waiting for it' tension will be low. But the more uncertain they become of exactly when it's going to happen, as in examples 2 & 3, the worse the hypervigilance is going to get.
The trade off is that the later examples are more effective in desensitizing them toward the trigger. The more their practice mimics encountering an unexpected trigger in day-to-day life, the easier it will be to fall back on that desensitization when the time comes.
Therefore, it would be a very good idea for a whumpee who's new to this to start with number 1, then gradually progress to 2 & 3 as time goes on. They should be the one to decide when the next step is made, and if/when they need to dial it back.
Other questions to ask yourself while plotting:
how mentally prepared is whumpee for worsening symptoms? what about caretaker? did either of them know it was coming?
how much of this heightened PTSD stress can your whumpee take before it becomes too much? how do they react when they do hit that tipping point?
if caretaker feels that whumpee is getting too distressed during practice even though they're not tapping out, would they call it off themself? Or would they ultimately leave that decision to whumpee?
based on the answer, how would whumpee feel about caretaker's decision? Relieved? Belittled? Betrayed?
does whumpee have any grounding tools they can use while practicing?
how does caretaker handle the mood swings and instability that come with whumpee's heightened PTSD? You should consider both their internal and external reactions on the matter.
how does whumpee prefer to decompress after a practice session? what things would help them calm down and recover?
how long do they need (hours or days) before the next attempt?
Even with all I've just written, there's far more to the resulting hightened state of PTSD than flashbacks and hypervigilance. PTSD symptoms that they're most likely to encounter in the background while doing deconditioning practice include:
Yes, usually many of them at once, even those that contradict. Your whumpee is going to have a LOT going on at once, and it is not going to be a fun time. I recommend looking up any of the above symptoms you don't recognize, and looking for whump inspiration in what you learn.
(Because everyone experiences PTSD episodes differently, there's a lot of wiggle room in which ones whumpee will encounter. Don't feel pressured to use all of them, find what you want to write and have fun with it!)
Thanks again for the incredible ask, anon. And again, I want to congratulate you on how spot-on your original ask was. You nailed it. I know this was a lot more than you asked for, but I hope this provides helpful context for your whump! My inbox will always be open if you think of anything more <3
If you have a lab rat character, please consider the following:
If they've been captured for experiments, why? Is it for medical research? Military research? Ecological? Biological? Pick a real discipline if you can, it shows far more attention to detail and care than just "experimented on".
If they've been captured to be vivisected, why? If it's to see what makes them tick, then vivisection, or an exploratory surgery if you want to be merciful, is a very ineffective way to go about mapping anatomy. More likely, they'll be undergoing MRIs, CATs, and x-rays to map out their body, without risking damaging anything in the process.
Think of some experiments beyond torture. Think back to what you decided the discipline is. If they're studying, say, a dragon for behavioral reasons, it wouldn't make sense to just torture the creature. Get creative, maybe it's a test of learned helplessness regarding an impossible to solve puzzle dangling a tasty drumstick, maybe it's even letting them drive an appropriately sized car.
Real world testing on animals is never done lightly, the chain is roughly "If it must be done, must it be done on a monkey? Why can't it be a dog? And if it must be done on a dog, why can't it be done on a rat? And if it must be done on a rat, why can't it be done on a mouse? And if it must be done on a mouse, why can't it be done on a fruit fly? And if even a fruit fly is an appropriate model, why can't it be done in a simulation?", with only as much life sacrificed as needed, because the committees wouldn't allow anything unnecessary.
Besides, I always find a lot more interest in reading about detailed experiments with inspiration from real science than the generic "cut open by secret government labs".
found these instructions in a notes file of mine and figured someone here might appreciate it
For when your whump has lost its bite
step by step guide:
choose a victim. whatever character you currently want to rotate in your mind.
identify Traits. how they present themself, and how they tend to solve problems. things you can pull apart like stringy cheese. do they have a brave front? do they tend to talk their way out of situations?
identify fears and stressors, and strum them in ways that target relationships. things like trust issues, or uncertainty in a relationship.
in a stressful situation, how will they act Exactly Like Themselves? how will they act differently? will a façade crack? will a fast-talker bargain or will they go quiet?
mess around with details to see what changes.
the emotional response to a kidnapper vs hostile environments vs horror monsters vs eldritch horrors vs completely alien aliens, etc, can be very different. maybe they’re used to the elements but targeted malice is foreign to them. maybe they know how to bargain but something they can’t talk to is horrifying, be that a monster, an alien, or a storm. see what happens when you take away their favorite tools. what happens when the manipulator can’t speak, or the one who relies on friendship is alone?
always keep pushing it. ignore the instinct to give them a better time. see if you can take it further. dreams and fucked up nightmare dimensions can be helpful for Pushing if you don’t want to actually kill a character or similar permanent damages.
I want to try writing whump about my favorite character but have no clue how. Do you have any suggestions?
🤔 Are there specific tropes you want to explore? Or things that happened in canon that were whumpy that got glossed over? Are there places whump could be inserted that would just be really fun? Those are kinds of the places I would start.
And oh! Pick a type of conflict/whump. Is there a whumper? Or is it more environmental whump? Incidental whump like an accident? Sick whump? Battlefield whump is also something I’m incredibly fond of.
I guess it comes down to: what is calling you, my friend?
