Flashbacks And Disassociation

[Oppressed]

How do I know if I am having a flashback?
Or if my disassociation is really just that or me just feeling like life is a blur.

I'm asking because I went through hell my entire life. I've barely touched on it and I'm not sure if I'm having them or not.

How can I know for sure?

 

[Bristol]

I always find that flashbacks are unrelated to whats going on so any intense feeling can be a flashback, like washing up and suddenly terrified as an example. Dissociation for me my brain feels like a balloon feels like it might float away. Im not sure if that helps! I think its different for everyone

 

[Gs172003]

I always find that flashbacks are unrelated to whats going on so any intense feeling can be a flash...

There is always a reason for my flashbacks. It's just a matter of finding out what it is.

 

[Bristol]

There is always a reason for my flashbacks. It's just a matter of finding out what it is.

I just meant that the feelings didnt fit the present moment, i didnt explain it very well, there would always be a reason for the flashback just a way to identify that feeling as a flashback

 

[BlueOrange]

Asking yourself the question"Is this a flashback?" can work really well, if you build the habit of asking the question.

 

[Pixielicious]

Best way to find out is to read the topics about flashbacks on this site and see if you can recognise any similarities in what you go through....We all experience it in different ways so there is no right or wrong way.... in my flashbacks, depending how severe it is, or full blown it is, I lose sense of reality...even time and space are twisted......Everything And everyone else around me, Except the flashback itself, becomes unreal, distorted, vague, dream like, slow motion..... A nightmare .. Except that, I'm fully awake...

 

[BuckarooBanzai]

I wonder if you are confusing flashbacks with dissociation?

How do I know if I am having a flashback?

A flashback is a visual, auditory, or emotional experience that has nothing to do with the present.

Examples:

1. I brushed my teeth just before leaving home. About an hour later, the toothpaste aftertaste suddenly tasted like semen and reminded me of a past event.

2. I was on the phone with my therapist. Suddenly, I was a small child in bed in a dark room and I could hear the sounds of a man breathing quickly and deeply next to me. Then, just as suddenly, I was back in the present holding the phone to my ear. It took me a minute to figure out were I was and what I was doing.

Those were classic flashbacks.

Or if my disassociation is really just that or me just feeling like life is a blur.

Some types of dissociation, like derealization, feel like that.

 

[Pixielicious]

I wonder if you are confusing flashbacks with dissociation?
I just have to give you a :hug:
Oh my goodness what you've been through..

 

[BuckarooBanzai]

"I just have to give you a :hug:."

Thanks, Pixie!

 

[Gs172003]

This is from the book I have :

Flashbacks are a particularly upsetting form of re-experiencing the traumatic event. In flashbacks, we feel that we are going back in time and reliving the trauma. Typically, flashbacks are visual re-experiences. However, they can also involve other sensations, behaviors, or emotions. For example, a war veteran hits the ground when a car backfires; sees a battle recurring; begins to hear sounds of battle; and feels hot, sweaty, and terrified. Later, he does not remember the incident. Flashbacks can last from seconds to hours, and even days. They are usually believed to be real and are then forgotten, but sometimes the person will realize that the flashback was not reality. Insomnia, fatigue, stress, or drug use makes flashbacks more likely.