Are These Emotional Flashbacks Or What Are These?

[Jen93]

This happens in times of high stress when my PTSD cup is already overflowing.

Thursday was a really tough day for me. I was foggy, and my friends waved at me like "hello" and I looked at them confused. I remember saying "Where's my Mom? Where's my Mom?" I also think to myself when I'm dissociated, "Maybe if I sit here my mom will find me and bring me home" and I won't move for a period of time. I also ended up crying on Thursday, I don't know what happened. I started crying "I want to go home." It was after class, and they told me I could go home.

I'm not sure what this was- was it an emotional flashback, or dissociation? When you start thinking the way you did during your trauma or you start feeling really unsafe and child-like and as if you really need a hug? It's weird when it happens. When it happens, I feel like I'm a ten year old in a group of grown ups. Is it normal? Does this happen to anybody else? I can't catch when it starts to happen, and I can't stop it when it does happen. It's quite scary.

 

['91 Girl]

Sounds a heck of a lot like a flashback if you ask me.

 

[Tinyflame]

I'm not sure Jen, but my understanding of an emotional flashback is the presence of rather inexplicable feelings that arise without warning usually, but that one then cognitively tries to explain in the present.

A flashback if I have one is as you've described in terms of no warning coming, but I have no conscious sound or visual or reality of anything but being 'within' the relieved flashback, during it.

I don't have a proper understanding of dissociation.

Perhaps others will be more helpful but best wishes to you anyway, lousy as it is to get through.

 

[Pietro]

Wow. So there is such a thing. I haven't gone so directly into past memories, but I am often dealing with negative emotions that don't seem to have any association with the present. And then there are the fleeting "hit and run" images and emotions that occur -- usually only a couple of tenths of a second -- but they feel like getting smacked. Often, they seem like they are coming from dreams, not memories.

Are these things considered "flashbacks"?

 

[JustBe]

Yesterday my Mom gave me some old papers to look through to see if they should be kept or thrown away and BLAM! The world started shifting, anxiety spiked, things went a bit foggy and I couldn't concentrate on anything except getting rid of those papers and the feelings they were producing.


Was this an emotional flashback or a trigger? Today I still feel as though I'm on an elevator or on a ship in rough seas. Everything is rolling and I feel nauseous and headachy.

 

[Pietro]

Was this an emotional flashback or a trigger?

My understanding is that a "trigger" is an event that starts a PTSD-related response in motion, and an "emotional flashback" is a flashback that carries only emotional memories, without corresponding visual/audio memories.

Thus, you likely had both. :) The papers (or, perhaps, the sorting?) were the trigger and your reaction was to have an emotional flashback. About as much fun as having a tooth pulled.

 

[JustBe]

Thanks Pietro, this is still all so confusing.:confused: