Flashback Coping Options: Including Body Psychotherapy And Mind-body Techniques.

[Seasounds]

I have somatic flashbacks. As I can avoid triggers, and as I can find my way to back to 'sanity' quicker, I still go through challenges. Life is life, and some encounters are hard to predict.

For example, this week, I was next to a semi-truck, while it blew a tire on the freeway, on my way to my therapist. (The sound, of the blow, created the sound of a shotgun-a trigger.) After arriving at therapy, my therapist, (indirectly and innocently-while gathering information), criticized me for the time it was taking to deal with a flashback-that involves relating to reality, using my hands.

The trouble started then: inner body and psychic tension, and anxiety, with an abusive memory, to boot. I had difficulty 'being present' for 48 hours. I managed to go to work, and get through the motions.

As I averted the threat of a car accident, and, as I can educate my therapist (who listens well and adapts to my needs) next week, I still had my precarious world of safety, shaken. It took using all the mind-body and body psychotherapy skills, I knew-Craniosacral Therapy and The Alexander Technique.

I'd appreciate learning if this process, of being thrown off your center, happens to others and what you do, to move into and regain your mind-body health.

.

 

[franciemarnie]

Will you forgive me for being mad for a moment at your therapist for having any kind of time line for you in finishing a flashback or processing trauma or for any mind-body-spirit response that has a life of its own. No doubt it came from a good place. T probably wanted you to feel better fast. And I think that is a nice way to look at it as educating your therapist, but I can't help responding with a feeling of anger. Momentary but real. Perhaps I misunderstood.

It reminds me of the paradigm of anyone telling anyone else how long anyone should take to process any emotional experience.

I used to do it to myself. I learned how from others.

I know the techniques you use and think you and they are awesome. I use some of the same grounding techniques. Also having my compassionate understanding husband on hand is fantastic. I didn't have anyone like that my whole life (I'm 56 and got married for the first time 3 years ago) so I am ever amazed by his healing presence.

 

[Hashi]

Hi change,

I'm also very taken aback by your therapist's response. Following what happened, I'm not surprised that threw you off centre.

I think I understand your other post in the Body Psychotherapy thread better now I've read this. I hope I didn't confuse things with my response there. I do find mind/body work very important in many ways. For me personally, my approach to a flashback itself wouldn't be mind/body based, and my approach to distress and anxiety afterwards would be a mixture of things.

I have to explain first that I use psychic protection (mostly visualisation and guided imagery) to stop things like flashbacks and nightmares from happening. When I used to have flashbacks before I did that, I didn't take a somatic approach to them. That's because I think a flashback, even though experienced physically, is different from a somatic memory.

How I see things is that a somatic memory is something that happened directly to the body, is held in the body, and needs to be listened to, worked with, and released from the body. I see a flashback as being manifested through the body by the subconscious mind, in an attempt to process the impact of an event on the subconscious mind. The event happened to the body too, of course, but I believe the flashback originates with what's held in the subconscious rather than what's held in the body. So I felt I needed to address it at the level of the subconscious.

Since the subconscious "thinks" in symbols (like with dreams) I used imagery such as me driving the fear/my attackers out and away from me. I also imagined light burning the flashback to ashes and carry the ashes away. These worked because they were images of things that were more powerful than the re-emerging trauma, and therefore more powerful (symbolically) than the fear and helplessness.

When I'm dealing with anxiety or distress, including from memories or body memories, I do include some physical strategies. These include consciously bringing myself back to my physical centre by putting my hand on my centre of gravity (lower abdomen), breathing "into" my centre and calmly saying things like, "come back to centre, come back to balance, come back to the present". Also self-soothing such as stroking my hair or arm, weight training and full body relaxation.

If it's not directly from a body memory, like generalised anxiety, then my main focus would again be on visualisation, plus relaxation. Also on my conscious mind (managing my thinking and using calming and distraction techniques), and on my subconscious (staying connected to a safe reality and not a fearful, traumatised one).

If it's from a body memory, then I would do much more somatic work. In particular, focussing on expression of the somatic feeling through writing, art or finding a metaphor for it.

I think expression is important for several reasons. Just listening to the body can calm it, and I believe body memories can be an attempt to communicate information as much as to do processing. Expression helps to contain the feelings - my writing or drawing can be locked away for a while, symbolically setting the processing to one side for a time. I also find expression helps me to both feel more power over the situation, and to give me a little more detachment from it because it shifts me to observing.

If it was following a flashback, then I would definitely not try to focus on or express physical feelings. Personally, I wouldn't see that as healing, in fact I would see it as the opposite, because I believe flashbacks are an expression of damage rather than a manifestation of healing. I would protect myself from that rather than explore it.

 

[Hashi]

I'd be interested to know what you find helpful in a mind/body sense, if you'd like to say.

 

[Powder]

Could you define "somatic flashbacks," or do you mean the same thing as "body memories?" That is the only term I've heard. Sounds the same, but you have my attention. :tup:

I usually take 20 minutes minimum for a mild reminder of abuse to process through my body (that is the mildest). From there, it's usually 2 hours, several hours, 1 day, or 2 day for medium triggers. However, I had a 2 week set of body memories from a major flashback, so there is no sense of time with major triggers.

I think it also really depends on the state of stress levels (like Anthony's stress cups model) when the trigger comes. I have had some good years when overall stress levels were at a low and physical health was at an all time high.

I would not have even gone to therapy if that happened. I think my PTSD "homing" device would kick in. When I'm highly triggered when driving, I find myself going home, every time.

Muse

 

[Hashi]

Maybe I should clarify that by flashback I mean an uncontrolled reaction to something external that triggers a re-experiencing of trauma. We're currently unable to defend ourselves against the associations of the trigger, and it flings us back into a trauma feeling or experience.

To me, a body memory is part of the body/central nervous system's natural healing process. It happens on an internal cue, when we're "ready" to process it. We might not feel ready to face something so challenging, and it isn't in our conscious control. It might happen at a really difficult time, when dealing with a lot of stress for example. But it's orchestrated by our own system which is presenting it at the time it decides is right for us.

Body/somatic memories can also come with a flashback, and be set off by a flashback, but I see that as brought out at the wrong time by the external trigger we can't defend against. That's why I work with body memories but didn't try to work with triggers/flashbacks, I would only work to get myself away from their effects.

When I was little and standing at the edge of the swimming pool trying to summon up the courage to dive in, there would be a point where something inside made the decision for me and my body would dive. For me, that would be like a body memory - something inside decided it's time to dive in. A flashback would be someone pushing you before you were ready and you hit the water badly as a result.

 

[ashdawn8287]

Honestly, I do yoga and meditate and that keeps me present and in the moment. It forces you to relax so you really have to match your mind and body up in order to do the poses for yoga.

 

[Powder]

That was a great description, Hashi.

I am sort of confused on one point of body memories. Maybe someone on this thread can comment.

My body memories included both my body re-experiencing the trauma (pain in parts that were attacked) AND then after that, general aches and pains that I have long believed were due to my bad back but which are either partly or totally psychosomatic (headaches, lower lumbar pain, and sciatic nerve pain running down my leg). These last three pains seem like nerve pain that operated due to physical injuries in the past, say after a too intense workout, I felt a pop in my back.

However, after an auditory flashback, a body memory flashback, and some mental processing of those, I got these other body memory pains that cycled really fast, like 30 seconds. We're talking a 30 second headache, switching to a 30 second backache, to a 30 second leg nerve on fire, and back again, for about 6 cycles, and then totally stopping!

In the past, I would have one of these pains, or a combo of them, run fairly continuously, for a few days, so the chiropractor and I would assume they are normal pain due to injury, but now I see they are also the result of triggers.

The chiropractor did think, after a while, that they were mentally put there due to trauma, and had me do a form of EMDR with the tip of my tongue in my mouth, side to side, to process the adjustment, which worked well.

Hmmm. Muse.

 

[Seasounds]

Responses for Hashi,
My responses to your ideas, agreements overall. Perhaps, just looking at the same things, with different language, is the only difference.

I'm also very taken aback by your therapist's response. Following what happened, I'm not surprised that threw you off centre.

Your support was fantastic! :tup:Yesterday, saw therapist again, and discussed everything. This week, my therapist 'got it' and responded appropriately. At times, my rather unique PTSD symptoms aren't understood, and I need to educate my therapist. This time, with this therapist, it was a great success.

For me personally, my approach to a flashback...psychic protection.

Intuitives have been extraordinarily helpful to me, in my journey. I have tried psychic protection in the past for nightmares, but found it ineffective. Haven't tried it for flashbacks. Do you have any suggestions, for better success with psychic protection?

a somatic memory is something that happened directly to the body, is held in the body, and needs to be listened to, worked with, and released from the body.] [I see a flashback as being manifested through the body by the subconscious mind, in an attempt to process the impact of an event on the subconscious mind. The event happened to the body too, of course, but I believe the flashback originates with what's held in the subconscious rather than what's held in the body. So I felt I needed to address it at the level of the subconscious.

Good distinctions and approaches; especially that the mind and body are in-seperable. After much mindbody work (Craniosacral Therapy-CST, Alexander Technique-AT, and studying of health and psychology), I distinguish, less and less, between the mind and the body. I believe that what is experienced in the body, is experienced in the mind, and what is experienced in the mind, is experienced in the body: mindbody. I experience that both flashbacks and somatic memories can be held subconsciously, and that both can be visual, auditory, olfactory, or sensory in nature. I do benefit from working through 'somatic' memories, through the body.

Since the subconscious "thinks" in symbols (like with dreams) I used imagery such as me driving the fear/my attackers out and away from me. I also imagined light burning the flashback to ashes and carry the ashes away. These worked because they were images of things that were more powerful than the re-emerging trauma, and therefore more powerful (symbolically) than the fear and helplessness.

Loved this! :smug:What your response reminded me to do, is to address the subconscious aspect of the mindbody, by using symbolic language, through visualizations. (One of my favorite workshops dealt with this topic.) I use to do this routinely. So, I can add working with visualizations and symbols to my private art and imagination time, and to my therapy sessions. Great suggestion!!

When I'm dealing with anxiety or distress, including from memories or body memories, I do include some physical strategies.

You suggestions, added to my repertoire :).

Just listening to the body can calm

Isn't this the half of it! Just to this, starts me in a better direction.

expression helps me to both feel more power over the situation, and to give me a little more detachment from it because it shifts me to observing.

Yup. I believe expressions, of all kinds, help my mindbody shift. Hormonally, too. The detachment is crucial, for reclaiming my psychic integrity.

If it was following a flashback, then I would definitely not try to focus on or express physical feelings. Personally, I wouldn't see that as healing, in fact I would see it as the opposite, because I believe flashbacks are an expression of damage rather than a manifestation of healing. I would protect myself from that rather than explore it.

Good point. And I agree. During a flashback, rather than following the pain, what is helpful is integrating, grounding, and calming activities. Releasing, and working with the origin of it, in the mindbody subconsious or imaginary work, lays the foundation for the body's manifestations to heal, at their core. Afterwards,I might explore it, consciously, in a CST or therapy session, with self-care monitoring (making sure I was not retraumatizing). I can add that the use of the AT, in a flashback, provides those aides. In releasing the old mindbody neurological pathway, it opens new neurological pathways, so I can pick up a glass of water, or touch a piece of paper, comfortably.

Hope to continue being in touch.:geek: As you suggested, we can post in our threads and get the alerts.

 

[Hashi]

Hi change,

Thank you so much for understanding my response. I worried about it afterwards, especially since a very supportive group that I'm a member of gave me some gentle, helpful but difficult-to-hear feedback on how not everyone sees things the way I do, and about the way I present things. :oops:

I think it's essential to me to make a distinction between conscious mind and subconscious mind, and perhaps that distinction isn't so vital to you, and/or I've slightly misunderstood what you mean by mind.

I'm so impressed at how you're using Alexander Technique together with other techniques. I've never really clicked with AT although I've been interested in it for a long time. I think for various reasons it has been too complicated for me given the effect of physical injuries and how I work with those. But I'm glad for you. You seem to be manifesting the very best of what of AT can offer.

Would you be willing to say a little more about the psychic protection you've tried in the past?

 

[Seasounds]

Responses on a few things:

1. AT: I happen to work with a woman who simplifies it, and makes it easily practical, for anyone.
2. Language for trauma experiences: You've really got me thinking of how I can distinguish between flashbacks and body memories, with my mindbody concept. Like the challenge.
3. Subconscious, etc: I too, find it helpful to speak of the destinations of consciousness levels, when describing my experience to others.
4. Psychic protection: I used imaging angels and light around me, at bedtime, to prevent nightmares. And I used white and gold light, to protect me, from chaos at work. Neither actions were helpful.
5. Imagery 'sticking': You seem to have a means to really ground the imagery, let it take root, in your psyche.

Appreciate the help.

 

[Seasounds]

Hashi, any thing you think I might add to psychic protection work?