Panic Attack Vs. Emotional Flashback??

[alis]

sorry if this thread has been made before or if it's a really obvious or stupid question..

.. is the only discerning difference between a panic attack and emotional flashback or flooding where one is triggered by a trauma reaction vs panic that comes out of the blue with no specific cause?? Or what? what is the difference even ? that one has more physical aspects? (I don't have flashbacks of any auditory or visual nature or anything resembling how any tv/film portrays a flashback..) My T named an experience I had as an "emotional flashback," which involved body sensations/emotions which I had never thought of it like that before and seemed rather odd to me because I just called it a panic attack after the fact.

And i'm not really sure how to tell the difference or if it's even important to tell the difference at all. Maybe it doesn't matter what it's called.. certainly in the moment of it happening the only important thing seems to be to try to get it to stop!

any thoughts/opinions?

 

[Muttly]

I'm not thinking well, so hopefully I will make sense. I had the same experience with my T and the same confusion and surprise after. Certainly in the moment it doesn't matter what the difference is... or is that true? It may make a difference if you can employ coping measures that specifically deal with trauma... ok, I'm still muddling that through

I think after the fact it does make a difference. understanding why you get triggered and the thoughts that happen while you are triggered can help you heal from the ptsd. It really stinks but part of the reason you get the flashbacks is because your brain is trying to get you to deal with the old baggage. So flashbacks provide a lot of (really crappy) information.

ok, I have no clue if I made sense. I will *try* to remember to come back to this when I can actually think

 

[Fadeaway]

When I get emotional flashbacks I feel a very specific emotion. Panic is very much apart of it, but I also will feel emotions that clearly do not relate to the here and now. This like a very strong desire for my mom (like a child crying I want my mommy type thing), a woman that I had no bond with before she died. Even if she was still alive I wouldn't give her the time of day, so I know that is purely an emotional flashback from my child. Sometimes, I have certain thoughts or feel the need to act on a certain behavior that would not be appropriate now, but would have bee at the time of trauma.

This is not my trauma but an example. Let's say for example you were trapped in a vehicle after an accident and during that time, you felt if you could just kick the door hard enough you could get free. For me, an emotional flashback might include a strong desire to kick open a door that wasn't
there accompanied by fear of what might happen if you don't kick the door open i.e. car exploding or never being found and drying trapped there. Those would be real fears that someone in that situation would have.

 

[Butterfly129]

Something I have learned during my therapy is that when my body goes into panic mode, it is a flashback, but without the mind being aware. The body is experiencing it, but the mind totally oblivious to the memory. Something triggered the body reaction...the details of the memory are repressed, but the body is remembering and experiencing...now, just to tie the two together.

I am learning to be aware of what is going on around me, being talked about or atmosphere that could be the trigger that causes my body to go into panic mode. I was never able to see the connection before, but now I can and it is making a difference. It used to seem there was no causation for my panic and anxiety, but oh how there is...

 

[GwenDR]

This is something I'm trying to figure out myself. I have panic attacks, but I don't otherwise have flashbacks. So are my panic attacks an emotional flashback, or just a panic attack?

 

[Deadman]

OK I'll give it a shot.

Flash Back = A sense that you are reliving the trauma. It can be partial as in part of you knows you are not there but you can see, smell or otherwise sense as you did at the time. In bad flashbacks you know you are back there. There is some degree of hallucination. Feelings and facts if you will. Some call these explicit flashbacks.

Emotional flashbacks = sudden and often prolonged regressions to the frightening circumstances of childhood. Feelings of helplessness, fear, or despair at the fear. Some call these implicit flashbacks.

Panic Attack = a sudden feeling of acute and disabling anxiety. It doesn't have to be related to any past event. It can be triggered by anything a person is afraid of. Fear of feeling afraid can trigger an anxiety attack.

 

[Deadman]

I have had flashbacks that have included visual and auditory hallucinations. I actually saw and heard sounds from the trauma events over again. My triggers are the smell of burning diesel fuel, the smell of decaying flesh, hot dust and sometimes the sound of a helicopter.

I've never had an emotional flashback.

I have had panic attacks since the PTSD started to get better. They seem to happen when things are going well. Its as if something inside me is saying this can't last, something bad is going to happen, get ready. I can feel the adrenaline releasing inside. So basically anxiety induced by feeling OK.

 

[GwenDR]

@Deadman I like those definitions. I'd be leaning towards panic attack in my case, as fear is the primary component, though there's also shame, self loathing, and a sense that people are dangerous (which ties back to fear), a sense that I have to do what people want or they'll hate me, as well as imagining self harm, thinking abuse thoughts towards myself, and suicidal ideation. Is complicated, and would need a therapist to sort out.

I think I'm triggered by yelling, personal failure (or the perception thereof), social situations where I feel like I have conflicting obligations, sudden noises, people behind me, and probably other stuff I can't think of. And sometimes just at random, or at least when I can't identify a trigger.

 

[Isobel Wolf]

Emotional flashbacks - stuck in a scene from the movie of my past. It's mental, but painful. Crying. I can't get out of the loop, I have to ride it out. Blood pressure is high.

Panic attack- I'm in the present, but experiencing different and more physical symptoms which are totally distinct from any vivid recall. Blood pressure dropping suddenly symptoms.