Is it normal to feel disconnected from memories emotions?

[binchilling]

I remember my memories but I have little emotional attachment with these. Is it normal in ptsd ?

 

[Sideways]

Yep, totally normal.

Totally normal without ptsd as well.

 

[Friday]

Ditto… normal with or without PTSD.

With PTSD in play that can either be a healthy, or symptomatic, or both thing. Largely depending on what’s in play.

For example?

- I have fully processed trauma I DGAF about. Because it’s fully processed. I can think about it, talk about it, remember it… with zero emotional involvement. I’m not reliving it. It doesn’t have its claws in me. I’m not all tangled up in guilt/shame or rage/fear or fight/flight or regret/remorse or, or, or. <<< That is the absolute JOY of fully processed trauma. It doesn’t hit at all, much less hit hard.

- I have unprocessed trauma I feel nothing about… because disassociation creates a “distance” &/or it’s so “big” my emotions shut off (or numb, which is not as effective) in response to it.

- I have unprocessed / partially processed trauma that I am being veeeeeery careful with when/how/where/why/& for how long I handle it. So my distress &/or feeling about it? Is durn near non-existent.

The first one? Is a totally healthy thing.
The second one? Is a ticking time bomb / potentially a major problem.
The third one? Is an unhealthy thing, being managed in a healthy way.

 

[mszl]

I have complex ptsd and unprocessed trauma with completely suppressed emotions towards it. For some time I considered it processed but my last therapy session showed me I was wrong (and left with therapy hangover). So as @Friday wrote, totally normal thing but preferably processed.

 

[brokenpony]

Ditto… normal with or without PTSD.

With PTSD in play that can either be a healthy, or symptomatic, or both thing. Largely depending on what’s in play.

For example?

- I have fully processed trauma I DGAF about. Because it’s fully processed. I can think about it, talk about it, remember it… with zero emotional involvement. I’m not reliving it. It doesn’t have its claws in me. I’m not all tangled up in guilt/shame or rage/fear or fight/flight or regret/remorse or, or, or. <<< That is the absolute JOY of fully processed trauma. It doesn’t hit at all, much less hit hard.

- I have unprocessed trauma I feel nothing about… because disassociation creates a “distance” &/or it’s so “big” my emotions shut off (or numb, which is not as effective) in response to it.

- I have unprocessed / partially processed trauma that I am being veeeeeery careful with when/how/where/why/& for how long I handle it. So my distress &/or feeling about it? Is durn near non-existent.

The first one? Is a totally healthy thing.
The second one? Is a ticking time bomb / potentially a major problem.
The third one? Is an unhealthy thing, being managed in a healthy way.

how can you tell the difference between 1 and 2?

there is stuff i thought i was “over” because i could talk about it like nothing and it turned out i was just numbed/“cut off” from it. i talk about most trauma like it was nothing. is it the presence or absence of other symptoms that tips you off? how did you eventually process the trauma that you truly processed?

 

[anthony]

how can you tell the difference between 1 and 2?

You need to be super honest with yourself, is the simple answer.

We lie for all sorts of reasons, often to ourselves... but if you want to heal trauma and learn to control PTSD symptoms, you have to not lie to yourself at the bare minimum. You need to really learn, understand and recognise negative behaviour and its consequences, and work out how to change it uniquely to you.

 

[binchilling]

Ditto… normal with or without PTSD.

With PTSD in play that can either be a healthy, or symptomatic, or both thing. Largely depending on what’s in play.

For example?

- I have fully processed trauma I DGAF about. Because it’s fully processed. I can think about it, talk about it, remember it… with zero emotional involvement. I’m not reliving it. It doesn’t have its claws in me. I’m not all tangled up in guilt/shame or rage/fear or fight/flight or regret/remorse or, or, or. <<< That is the absolute JOY of fully processed trauma. It doesn’t hit at all, much less hit hard.

- I have unprocessed trauma I feel nothing about… because disassociation creates a “distance” &/or it’s so “big” my emotions shut off (or numb, which is not as effective) in response to it.

- I have unprocessed / partially processed trauma that I am being veeeeeery careful with when/how/where/why/& for how long I handle it. So my distress &/or feeling about it? Is durn near non-existent.

The first one? Is a totally healthy thing.
The second one? Is a ticking time bomb / potentially a major problem.
The third one? Is an unhealthy thing, being managed in a healthy way.

I haven't processed any of the trauma, but this emotional disconnection doesn't just apply to traumatic memories, it applies to almost every memory. Where does this fit in?

 

[mszl]

I haven't processed any of the trauma, but this emotional disconnection doesn't just apply to traumatic memories, it applies to almost every memory. Where does this fit in?

In my opinion it's same as for mine: type 2 ticking bomb that needs to be taken care of.
It's hard. I've already spent 1 year on it and turns out I'm back to square one.

 

[binchilling]

In my opinion it's same as for mine: type 2 ticking bomb that needs to be taken care of.
It's hard. I've already spent 1 year on it and turns out I'm back to square one.

Yes, that's why it took me so long to realize that I had trauma. My brain had severed the emotional connection so well. But I don't have any emotional ties to any memories anymore, I used to experience emotions very fully.

Yep, totally normal.

Totally normal without ptsd as well.

So, is it possible to recover from dissociative symptoms caused by PTSD?

 

[katz]

I was so young when the first person hurt me. Then a little older for the next. (both in the immediate family) Then as the years went on, I was able to "not feel" anything. When the other people (outside the family) hurt me, one by one, as I got older. I just went on with life. (I can remember running home from one attack, while thinking to myself "that wasn't so bad.") When I got home, I set the table for dinner. How sad. :(

I had decided that this is what my life was going to be. Now all these years later I still struggle trying to feel any emotions. I have confirmed -for myself only - that they all happened. No one believes me anyway. When I tried to reach the family, they all erupted at me. Like being abused all over again. Only this time it was mental instead of physical.

As old as I am now, I still can't tell the stories with any emotions. I know exactly what happened, each time...but no emotions. I can't even grieve for that little girl inside me anymore. She is alone, as she always was - and will be. It hardly seems worth telling anyone now. Nothing will come of it..

I thought my husband would be able to be there for me. I don't think he wants to hear or help me either. I am seeing a Counceller again. But I don't seem to find safety anywhere, even if I could convince myself to try and tell my stories.

 

[binchilling]

I was so young when the first person hurt me. Then a little older for the next. (both in the immediate family) Then as the years went on, I was able to "not feel" anything. When the other people (outside the family) hurt me, one by one, as I got older. I just went on with life. (I can remember running home from one attack, while thinking to myself "that wasn't so bad.") When I got home, I set the table for dinner. How sad. :(

I had decided that this is what my life was going to be. Now all these years later I still struggle trying to feel any emotions. I have confirmed -for myself only - that they all happened. No one believes me anyway. When I tried to reach the family, they all erupted at me. Like being abused all over again. Only this time it was mental instead of physical.

As old as I am now, I still can't tell the stories with any emotions. I know exactly what happened, each time...but no emotions. I can't even grieve for that little girl inside me anymore. She is alone, as she always was - and will be. It hardly seems worth telling anyone now. Nothing will come of it..

I thought my husband would be able to be there for me. I don't think he wants to hear or help me either. I am seeing a Counceller again. But I don't seem to find safety anywhere, even if I could convince myself to try and tell my stories.

Actually I feel some kind of emotions like anger anxiety and love but not strong as before. Did u use antidepresannts ? I heard it can also cause.

 

[Charbella]

I had to work for a year in therapy before I could recognize anything but anger and something akin to happy. When you’re abused you just learn to shut it off so it doesn’t get in the way of survival. Then later when the abuse stops you’re so used to it you just let it continue, you don’t even realize you’re doing it.

So my T would get out the stupid emotions list, or threaten to anytime I said I don’t know. That bugged me but also motivated me to be more curious. I can identify way more now, I still struggle to sit with any of them instead of just walking them off.

I recently found an emotion wheel I wish id found sooner. It has how your feeling and then the emotion that describes it.