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What is Emotional Flooding?

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BrownEyes

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I was wondering if someone could explain "Emotional Flooding" to me. I had an experience the other night and I think that may be what it was, but I'm not really sure.

I woke up in the middle of the night with such intense emotional pain, and I cried for two hours. It was terrible. I can't even really describe the feeling. It was like my heart was breaking. It was just complete and utter emotional pain, and I felt like I couldn't take another second of it, but it just kept coming and coming. I couldn't seem to stop it no matter how hard I tried. I finally managed to get myself together when I had to get up for work.

Does this sound familiar? Has something like this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know what causes it? Thank you for your replies.
 
For me, emotional flooding are overwhelming and intense feelings, that I can't control. They eventually turn into panic and fear, fight or flight. Takes a long time to come down from this heightened state, and after I am completely drained, to the point of exhaustion....
 
I went through about a year and a half of intense emotional flooding. Yes, what you described is what it is............very overwhelming and painful.

It's like all the pent up stuffed crap, the anger, the pain, the sadness...........the horrendous emotional pain gets felt at a very deep level, and hopefully, released from the body.

It's very intense and it takes a tremendous amount of energy..........take very good care of yourself during all this.............
 
i don't know if it's the same thing, but things being real bad for me right now, i get something like that all the time.. too much.. wrenching pain, real physical pain deep in the gut wanna vomit, if i'm en route i'll just stop,, exhausted, drained, can't move, barely feel my muscles even, if it weren't for the crutches i'd be sitting on the floor but instead just sink into them, even my head drops just too heavy, and just cry hard.. it sux too..

:wall:
 
Yes, I think intense emotional flooding is just that, and for me it might start with one emotion, or include several, but it it is overwhelming and intense, all right. And yes, it definitely is hard to fathom when it will stop. But it will.

I think it has a lot to do with being really triggered, either lots of them, or severe ones, combined with exhaustion.

I find the most important part, is what I decide to do during, or after, that, whether I will "choose" something constructive, accepting this is part of ptsd, at times, or self-destructive, and feed into it/ give up.

Much luck to you. It sure sucks.
:Hug_emoticon:
 
I was thinking I was alone on this one - when I consistently wake up from a dream and can't stop crying. I thought I was going mad, and so I haven't even told my partner about it. Now I know that I am not alone, and that it has a name.

I tend to agree with you, Junebug, it seems to be when I am really triggered combined with exhaustion.

It does stop, and that is what I find I need to focus on when it happens. If I tell myself that it will pass (and it does become a chant: 'it will pass, it always does') it helps me to see my way clear.
 
Weight lifted: Emotional flooding

Hi Everyone,
I was just recently diagnosed with PTSD from a couple traumatic events happening much too closely together. I, too, got flooded about a week ago and had the worst panic attack I have had yet.

But, I do feel much lighter after falling apart like that. In your experiences, are the emotions so intense the next time they bubble up or was this the worst of it?

Thanks and take care!
Meagan
 
For me "emotional flooding" is definately anything that triggers my flight response. If, for example, someone untentionally hurts me or I think they have, then my flight response can kick in within minutes and I am all adrenalin and making huge life changes and big decisions and this can last for a 1 to 8 hours. Afterwards, I am exhausted and can't believe I went wherever the adrenalin led me. It is very consuming and frustrating with short breaths, pounding heart. I would describe it as pure fear and my body feels like it's on fire. For me, perceived betrayal is the absolute receipe for this disaster to occur.
 
So far I've had two experiences of emotional flooding. It usually feels like all or part of the abuse is happening all over again and usually feels like a spiritual assault. Trying to process hard feelings is often the trigger. Medication helps some. Keeping busy if I'm able helps. Taking my shoes off and feeling the cold ground or tiles helps. Reminding myself that this isn't real, that I am physically safe, that this will pass helps. Totally agree with the exhaustion afterwards.
 
Thanks for posting the question, Brown Eyes, as I really like to have a term to pin on the PTSD stuff I've suffered from for years without knowing it was PTSD behind it all.

May I share what it was like for me, to see if it's the same thing?

In marriage counseling once, I was unable to stop tears from coming, (usually in public I work really hard to show only pleasant emotions) because I was physically very tired (yes, the physical fatigue).
Once I began to cry, more and more just kept coming and I could not stop although I really wanted to. I gasped an apology. The counselor asked what I was feeling, and all I can remember saying was that "I am falling into a bottomless emotional ravine, and I'm sliding down and can't stop." Thinking about stopping it felt like I was sliding so fast that my thoughts of control were like reaching out for rocks and trees that I just was sliding too fast to grasp. So the slide just continued, and yes, it was a very raw, painful experience. After that episode, I was afraid to go back to counseling as I was so embarassed to walk out of there with such red eyes, and I felt so afraid to subject myself to it again and that going would simply trigger another one.

Is this close to the same thing?

Thanks!
 
I think I used to experience this too but I didn't know what it was. I would feel such intense emotions and I could feel the tears behind my eyes. There was nothing I could do to stop the tears from coming, it was excuriciatingly painful to go through and many time I really just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. This went on for months.

The medication that I'm on now has helped to make the emotions a lot duller (thank goodness).
 
Is this what it is called??? I get NO relief from it just more more pain. It's a pit that is impossible to stop the tide unless I depersonalize or dissociate. I didn't know it had a name, I'm glad you brought up this post. I tried to explain this to my tdoc yesterday, that it is always with me, I've lived with it just below the surface for years and I just can't do it anymore.

It is exhausting and in no way relieving. She suggested, if I ever feel comfortable about it, taking something from her office to remind myself (I imagine as a step to getting into my mindfulness practice) how it feels to be when I am much calmer and safer. A method to step back and away from the rim of the pit of the emotional nightmare 'flooding'.I think it is a very good idea, however, I just wasn't ready to do that just yet. Actually, the item I wanted was her name plate, coming from years and years of office working, I have every one that I ever earned - not that I'm into it for a freaky reason for it :p!

Of course it's inappropriate to ask for hers but I love that it's made of light and dark green tiles and by someone's loving hands, perhaps I will take a picture of it or ask if she has a tiled object of similar material. Many of her items tend to be made by children which is very warming.

Now that I have a name for it gushing painful emotion, I feel some empowerment. Thank you. I can at least feel I have some power over choosing to walking into it or stepping away, I know the difference when my gut starts aching and I feeling myself balling up in sheer unimaginable gut wrenching pain...that is not productive, it is without end.

Please take care,

Rain
 
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