Flashbacks.

[KAT]

Does anyone one know if the flashbacks ever stop?

 

[alixipain]

Not really. I still get flash backs from all sorts of stuff.

 

[Hlost]

I went through quite a long period of time (years) without them. They came back and now I am in the process of confronting them and addressing them. As I am doing this and attempting not to Dissociating while doing so they are lessening once again. As to whether or not they ever stop, I can't answer that but I do know that they can subside for 10-20yrs. with flickers here and there.

I hope this helps.

HLost

 

[KAT]

O.K. Thanks. I'm having quite a few. Right now I feel a little sad, I cry very easy. I'm not really depressed more like grieving.

 

[Nyx]

That grieving part can be fallout - that's how I experience it most of the time. I haven't had a strong episode in a long time, but it usually happens when you tackle difficult parts of you trauma. And as I see it, it's only normal, given the fact that we pushed everything down and didn't allow ourselves to feel what we needed to feel - those feelings need to be processed sooner or later...

In my opinion, if you're crying that means you're on the right path. At one time the crying will stop and you'll be able to see the sun. Unfortunately, crying comes first..

 

[Nyx]

And to answer your initial question, I think there is a chance they stop once you've tackled everything. After all, flashbacks are things we don't want to remember/accept that our mind is trying to make us remember/accept so it can finally move on.

 

[KAT]

I'm having a lot of flashbacks even when I'm around my family. I try to act like nothing is happening but in side I feel like screaming. How do any of you handle this? This happens at family dinners, picnics or just watching TV.

 

[cherryblossom]

Flashbacks will get easier to handle, and stop eventually, the more you deal with your trauma. I forget whether you are in therapy or not, but the more you discuss the things that bother you, the lower the emotional impact will be when you 'remember'.

The other thing is to try to remind yourself that this is just a flashback, and it was in the past, and that you are safe now. Try grounding techniques, and slow breathing techniques

 

[Hlost]

I am working on not dissociating while having the flashbacks and as a result they are coming less and less. The result is feeling more as I am able to deal with the traumas themselves. That is what is my current experiences are while in therapy.

HL

 

[KAT]

O.k. Thank you guys. Just knowing that they will slow down and even stop is very helpful. I am in therapy,I go once a week. I guess I'll just try to ride them out and not be so hard on my self. I can get very negative about myself sometimes, that is one of my issues. Denial-even though I was very badly abused I should have no lasting effects from the abuse. My counselor calls this thinking pattern- critical parent. Some of my memories where I have acted oddly, really bother me. I'm trying to be more generous to myself, I have to fight the self- hated. I hope one day I can learn to love every part of me. Does this make sense?

 

[cherryblossom]

It makes perfect sense Kat, and I can totally relate to what you have written. It is something that I am currently working on in therapy. I think that I 'should be over this' by now, and beat myself up over it, and generally don't have a very high opinion of myself. My therapist prescribed a week of "being nice to myself", but I'm struggling to be honest.

I totally 'get it'.

 

[KAT]

I'm having a lot of flashbacks.