Would This Be Classified As A Flashback Or Hallucination?

[Sarah___k]

I was wondering if anyone has ever had an experience similar to mine. A few months ago, I was robbed, beaten up, and a few other things I don't want to mention on the side street next to my apartment building. It's been very hard for me to recover from the trauma, but last night I was walking home (with a friend this time thank god) and I saw a man and a woman across the street. It was kind of dark but I imagined or hallucinated (I'm not sure exactly) and essentially saw what happend to me exactly but it was happening to her. I told my friend that we should call the police and she said why? It looked like they were laughing and fooling around. Would this be considered a flashback ? It was very vivid I almost felt my chest collapse but It wasn't happening to me again, I falsely saw it happening to someone else.

 

[Riot]

For what it's worth, either way, you should tell your therapist. (If you have one.)

 

[Deleted member 17302]

I was wondering if anyone has ever had an experience similar to mine. A few months ago, I was robbed,...

Did it look like them but in the action you were in or did it look like you in that situation all over again with the same clothing and such?

 

[Kintsugi]

It's hard to say... Sounds hallucinatory to me, but if you dissociated during your trauma to the point of seeing yourself from a third person perspective, this has flashback qualities.

My own flashbacks are very stark. I do have intrusive thoughts/visions of terrible things happening to others, but I never think it's real, although it affects me internally a lot.

I agree with Riot.

 

[Sarah___k]

Did it look like them but in the action you were in or did it look like you in that situation all ov...

I wasn't seeing myself. I saw the other people, but all the noises and smells and senses I experienced were exactly the same from that night. I was watching the situation unfold with others in it. I had a little panic attack, and my friend saw absolutely nothing and blamed it on my lack of sleep (she doesn't know what happend)

 

[Sarah___k]

Did it look like them but in the action you were in or did it look like you in that situation all ov...

It looked like them, I wasn't seeing myself from afar but everything else (besides those people) reminded me of that night(smells,sounds, etc.

 

[Kintsugi]

I don't know... it does sound more like a flashback with the sensory stuff. Best I leave this to people who experience a wider range of flashbacks that they can identify. ;) Lots o' smart people here.

 

[Riot]

@Sarah_K, this might help you:

http://www.livingwell.org.au/managing-difficulties/dealing-with-flashbacks/

Some prefer to a more narrow definition, but this is a good 'general' place to start on flashbacks/intrusive thoughts. (Also, not sure why it's directed at just men, but yeah.)

 

[Deleted member 17302]

It looked like them, I wasn't seeing myself from afar but everything else (besides those people) remin...

I have DPDR and when stress is really hitting me, I tend to mix memory information with what I am seeing much like sympathy but on overdrive but with visual distortions more like a heavy duty daydream vs a hallucination but overlaid on reality. So like a low low grade hallucination perhaps. For instance, someone acted like they were throwing a knife at me but they had not but it all played out in my visuals enough to freak me out quite bad and duck out of the way as if it really had happened. I imagine it is similar. Hallucinations are full blown new visuals overlaid on reality but with those items doing their own thing. That is my take on it at least.

 

[RussH]

Seeing them in that situation may have caused you to have a flashback.