• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

I'm not sure what type of flashback

Status
Not open for further replies.
The only way it would be PTSD is if you meet the current diagnostic criteria of PTSD, which these experiences that you have spoken of already do not qualify for. Take a look over the diagnostic criteria and pay attention to criterion A, which is an actual or perceived threat to your physical wellbeing or sexual trauma. If you meet crit A, these could be trigger responses relative to PTSD. If you don't meet crit A, they may be trigger responses relative to adjustment disorder, OCD, depression, substance use disorder, or any number of other things that would require professional (so, you're not going to get an answer on an internet forum) assessment to suss out.
Since being on this 'internet forum' I have now learnt that I do not qualify for PTSD but may for Rumination. This understanding has in itself been helpful so I will look elsewhere. I have only even wanted to get some pointers in the right direction. I didn't post here to get some therapy or medication, I can assure you.
 
As an example of a bad episode, I could be sitting at a desk with my laptop and then a few seconds later find myself walking around the room during the playback of this episode and not really remember leaving the desk. There is never any outward aggression shown, it’s all self-contained and other people do not see this. Sometimes I can be within a group of people when this occurs, and they are not aware of my episodical event.
This phenomenon is called Dissociation, and it's something that everyone experiences to some degree. Being deep in thought, and then not being able to recall how you got from point A to point B - this isn't outside the realm of common human experience. But it can be disconcerting, especially when the thoughts one is having are unpleasant memories of past events. I'd just encourage you to not pathologize this aspect of what you're experiencing, without being able to get a fuller picture from a trained diagnostician.
I never really did a full analysis of this, but should do, so that I can understand the condition better. Writing now on this forum, I can see how difficult it is to relate this to others but it’s something I need to be able to do especially if I move into therapy at some point in the future.
A good place to begin on your own would be teaching yourself the basics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide by David Clark is a solid place to start. The concepts of CBT are fairly straightforward, and can be applied usefully to a number of different mental health issues.

This understanding has in itself been helpful so I will look elsewhere. I have only even wanted to get some pointers in the right direction. I didn't post here to get some therapy or medication, I can assure you.
I understand - and you've been completely respectful of the members here, which I appreciate. It's not unusual for this forum to see people who are dealing with aspects of traumatic experience post here, sharing what's happening with them and wondering if they are dealing with PTSD. Sometimes, it seems like they want to have PTSD, which can get frustrating.

But you didn't do anything like that - so, thank you. And I hope you can find some relief. Give CBT a try, it could really help.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top