Question About Flashbacks

[Lsquaredw]

I have a question about flashbacks. I have had them for almost a month now and they can be pretty intense at times. I have learned some ways to keep myself grounded and to make them a little less scary. What I want to know is, do they ever go away? Will they be like how my nightmares were and just eventually lessen and leave and only come back when I am stressed out or anxious? Thank you for the help!

 

[anthony]

Can I first ask you... what do you deem a flashback?

 

[Lsquaredw]

Well, I have moments when I lose all sense of reality and I either a) see what happened like a movie or as if I am reliving it b) feel all of the emotions of what happened c) hear everything that was going on when the abuse happened or d) all of the above. They are pretty intense and it can take me up to an hour sometimes to get back in touch with reality and feel better.

 

[anthony]

What you describe also sounds like normal memory to me... simply thinking about the event. A flashback is typically a very short burst of memory, like what you describe, except it is triggered by something similar to what happened during the event itself. For example, you don't just lay in bed and suddenly start having flashbacks... you have memories, which include all five senses that get recorded into memory. That is how we associate smell. You know what a sausage smells like, so if you think about it, you can actually even remember the smell... as an example.

It could be a little of both... sudden memory combined with flashbacks. Don't really know for sure.

What I want to know is, do they ever go away?

Yes... they go away as you heal your trauma.

Will they be like how my nightmares were and just eventually lessen and leave and only come back when I am stressed out or anxious?

Flashbacks are very very rare... they are not something that typically hangs around... they are like short bursts of the past that usually occur during moments of being startled by something. When something hangs around, and you begin to lose memory of time and space or such, that is more into the dissociation areas.

Its very difficult to pinpoint what you experience, unless watching you within it. End of the day though... regardless what is happening to you, whether one or more of the above aspects, they are just symptoms, and symptoms go away / severely lessen as you heal the trauma itself.

I am more interested in why suddenly from a month ago! What happened in your life that put you under stress to begin having flashbacks or becoming distressed suddenly?

 

[Lsquaredw]

I am more interested in why suddenly from a month ago! What happened in your life that put you under stress to begin having flashbacks or becoming distressed suddenly?

Well, I am a college student and at the school I am going to, in order to graduate in 4 years you have to take a large credit load. Eventually, in April, finals came around and I got very stressed out. Then, one night I went to a Wal-Mart and saw the guy who abused me. He came up to me and said, "I should have raped you when I had the chance," in my ear and kept on walking, like nothing happened. It shook me up. I was already on edge from finals and that just did it. I have discussed this with my therapist, about how why all of a sudden I kind of cracked and lost it. If you think about it though, wouldn't you? With so much stress and then him saying something like that so only you can hear, it doesn't suprise me.

I know for a fact that these are flashbacks. I discussed this with my therapist too. When they happen, they are in bursts. Certain words, smells, sounds, his name being said, or something he used to wear even on a different person, sets me off. I asked her if they will ever go away and she said that everyone is different and that was it. I just wanted to know what it is like for other people, so that maybe I can have some hope and actually look forward to a time when I don't have these happening to me, especially at the most inconvienent times.

Thank you for your answer! :)

 

[anthony]

They will go away... I think to achieve this though as quickly as possible, what you need to focus on is reducing the fear around that encounter as quickly as possible, thus they will stop quickly. This event triggered the fear within... and as you acknowledged... has thrown you over the edge.

Focus on that event and trying to reduce all other stressors in your life right now, and they should stop quite quickly. The problem with college though, is reducing stressors can be easier said than done.