Preflashback Warnings.

[Wyakin]

Does anybody else get them?

I have regular short flashbacks, snippets of time but I have also had the occasional big flashback where I relive a large portion of the main trauma I went through (sorry I am not good at writing the word). For a few days before I get warnings, a pressure on my wrists like someone is holding me, pain in my ribs which were broken during the incident and I have moments where I can't catch my breath.

When I am having these warnings my anxiety starts to increase, I'm not sure if that is directly linked to each feeling or the knowledge of what is coming. I am also a lot more sensitive. One of my triggers is feeling trapped, I hate being in enclosed spaces. For instance I find the aviary at work too enclosed especially the tiny corridor in it that stops the birds escaping, normally I can push through and feed/clean them but when I start getting these warnings I cannot bring myself to go anywhere near the aviary because I know it will set me off.

Eventually it all gets to a point where I can't cope anymore and it only takes one little thing to push me over in to a big flashback. I am just wondering if this is something others experience? I get pressure and pain elsewhere but my wrist and ribs tend to be the first ones.

 

[arfie]

Never really thought about it, but you could be right. I know I have learned the signs of a repressed memory fighting its way into my consciousness. If I can work with that process instead of fighting to keep it repressed, the flashbacks don't happen.


I think of flashbacks as sudden take overs. Like being zapped into another universe.

So I think reactively. Repeat, I haven't really thought of it before. Strikes me as a potential awareness that might be worthy of some meditation hours. Thank you.

 

[Alex Callen]

Hello.

I somewhat get warnings from my body ahead of time, if I'm about to have a flashback. My body tenses up, I breathe in and out quickly, my fists clench, it seems to happen on its own. Every case is different, I presume, I'm 16, so I might have milder warnings then someone who is older. Or maybe it simply depends on the case, or circumstances. I'm not sure. But now that you mention it, those symptoms I listed above tend to occur every time. This could be an interesting topic to discuss. :P

 

[Wyakin]

It is interesting to hear from others. I spend so much of my time trying to hide what is going on with me that I have found I am very aware of what my body is doing and feeling a lot of the time. I don't know if this has contributed to my awareness of these early signs.