Childhood Can a flashback be made up ?

[Lis2075]

Hi,

A year ago, I started to suffer from what I would call panic attack : short breath, random crying, feeling that my body is being touched or abused and I need to protect it, but without any clear memory, etc. Because of this, and other trauma-related issues such as dissociating, suicidary and prostitution thoughts, etc. I started EMDR.

Yesterday night, I lived a whole different thing. I started freaking out because I thought someone was about to enter my room. I tried to brush it off, but I suddenly had a flashback of a man entering my room as I was between 4 and 7 years old, and then being on top of me in my bed. I've been through the most powerful and longest panic attack : I was living that memory again, struggling powerfully while crying all the tears I had, trying to protect my genitals so he wouldn't enter them, choking under his weight and out of panic. Living again such pain and fear that I had buried for so long was unbearable.

Now I can't really make my mind to believe such a thing happened. Can a flashback be all made up ?

 

[Rumors]

I don't think so however I hope you have a therapist to talk to about it. Sorry that you had that feeling! I know it is scary and leaves you feeling horrible, but try and breathe. Remember, what happened when you were 4 isn't happening today.

 

[shimmerz]

No. A true flashback isn't made up. It is the memory attempting to be repossessed. What can get messed up is the meaning we give to it in the present.

ETA: lol. Reprocessed. NOT repossessed. Been there, done that, wasn't much fun.

 

[Freida]

According to my T no --- you can't fake a bodily reaction. That's how you know it's a true memory and not some kind of bizarre imaginary thought (yea - I ask her that ALL the time!)

Talk with your T -- it could be that your brain is ready to process something new so it is letting you know this memory is there and is ready to be worked on.

 

[alfa]

Yes, it is possible... Try reading Mark Pendergast's Victims of Memory: Sex Abuse Accusations and Shattered Lives. It's a long, but interesting read on "repressed" memories and sexual abuse.

 

[EveHarrington]

Yes, it is possible... Try reading Mark Pendergast's Victims of Memory: Sex Abuse Accusations and Shatt...

Flashbacks cannot be faked.

You are confusing memories with flashbacks.

 

[alfa]

Flashbacks cannot be faked.

You are confusing memories with flashbacks.

You're acting as if they have no correlation whatsoever. Flashbacks include bodily reactions, yes, but if someone falsely believes that something traumatic has occurred to them, psychological and physical responses are normal.

 

[Muttly]

My T and I have had long conversations about this. The best answer, in my opinion, is the flashback is based on something. The details can get confused, because memory is a tricky thing, especially if you are young. But your brain is bringing it back for a reason, Something traumatic did happen that is causing the flashback.

I have similar sort of flashbacks. I insisted it couldn't be true. I have worked through stuff enough now, that I know it is. If not the exact nature, the overall picture is true. The denial was to protect myself and I probably needed that when it first started coming up.

I am sorry you are dealing with this. i know it's very hard.

 

[EveHarrington]

You're acting as if they have no correlation whatsoever. Flashbacks include bodily reactions, yes, but if...

Please don’t tell me how I’m acting.

I have experienced many different kind of flashbacks.

The body isn’t going to react unless something actually happened.

You just can’t fake that kind of thing.

Do you have PTSD?

 

[alfa]

Please don’t tell me how I’m acting.

I have experienced many different kind of flashbacks....

Yes, I do have PTSD. I'm not implying that anyone would purposely fake a flashback, if that's even possible.
Some people flinch when there isn't an incoming threat. Some people have flashbacks to things that have never happened to them, causing a great deal of confusion.
I'm not trying to say that the OP or anyone here did not go through whatever trauma occurred in their lives. I'm simply answering the question that was asked based on psychological studies that I have read.

 

[EveHarrington]

Yes, I do have PTSD. I'm not implying that anyone would purposely fake a flashback, if that's even possibl...

Link?

 

[alfa]

Link?

I'm not allowed to post links yet, I guess (lol) but here's one of the first articles that sparked my interest on memory. It's quite general, but it's a short and simple read. It's called "Reconstructing Memories with the Stories We Tell", on Psychology Today.
Really, if you're skeptical of this whole idea, I'd strongly urge you to read Mark Pendergrast's book. It goes very in-depth and opened me up to a whole new perspective on my PTSD and how it affects my life.