Because of a birth trauma, a woman can
become hypersensitive to stimuli around
her. As a result, her behaviors can become
exaggerated in an attempt to detect threats
in the environment. Her sympathetic nervous
system was likely activated for an
extended period of time during the trauma,
and her instinct is to protect herself at
signs of threat. A traumatized individual
can react instantly to stimuli that might
not bother others, such as sudden noises
or movements. Signs of exaggerated startle
response include jumping, fl inching, shaking
and accelerated heart rate in response
to stimuli, such as sudden speech or
movements by others, noises from hallway,
alarms or beeping and physical connection