Really Sore

[Lolly]

On Tuesday I was eating tea with my family and I had a flashback, normally I can hide it but this one was too painful. I felt being punched all over my stomach, the tops of my thighs and my groin. The memory that tagged along with it is when my Dad took me out during church to the disabled bathroom (8yrs old), made me get naked so he could beat me "properly", but he hit me in places so that people wouldn't see the bruises. It was so painful, I was on the verge of tears. Immediately after the flashback finished, I felt sore and bruised in all said areas. As if it had just happened. I woke up the next morning, and I still felt sore and bruised, and this morning I still feel sore.

How do you cope with really bad flashbacks like this? Can you get rid of that sore feeling or do you have to just wait it out? This is all very new to me, so any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Ice_Fire]

(((((hugs))))) somatic flashbacks are horrible. Sadly I haven't really found a good way of dealing with them, except by using something comforting such as a hot water bottle. The muscles that were affected at the time 'remember' just as much as your mind does, so they tense up when you have a flashback of that sort, so relaxing them with something warm helps. That's how I think it works anyway. So, give a hot water bottle or those 'warming' patch thingies a try? I guess I'd err on the side of caution regarding using painkillers or something because there's nothing physically wrong, even though it feels like it.

 

[Lolly]

(((((hugs))))) somatic flashbacks are horrible. Sadly I haven't really found a good way of dealing with them, except by using something comforting such as a hot water bottle. The muscles that were affected at the time 'remember' just as much as your mind does, so they tense up when you have a flashback of that sort, so relaxing them with something warm helps. That's how I think it works anyway. So, give a hot water bottle or those 'warming' patch thingies a try? I guess I'd err on the side of caution regarding using painkillers or something because there's nothing physically wrong, even though it feels like it.

Thank you!! That all makes a lot of sense! I'll go make a hot water up now :) I hope you're ok, take care :hug:

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I always use heat packs for my pain that is from flashbacks or body memories. I try to tell myself it's not real, but that doesn't often work. Snuggling up in a nice blanket is always comforting too.

 

[Lolly]

I always use heat packs for my pain that is from flashbacks or body memories. I try to tell myself it's not real, but that doesn't often work. Snuggling up in a nice blanket is always comforting too.

I've been wandering around the house today doing chores in my own little cocoon - a big, soft blanket and a hot water bottle. Lol, works a trick!! Take care! :)

 

[Starlite]

I often have flashbacks and nightmares of me being raped when I was little and times when I was a little older. Recently been having really bad flashbacks of my most recent attack. I also wake up feeling sore and have bruises. Unfortunately the places that are sore I cant use a heat pad to help with the pain. A couple of days ago I had a nightmare of my most recent attack and woke up with bruises all on the inside of my thighs and on my arms. The bruises on my arms have went away but the ones on my thighs are still there. The bruises are in exactly the same places I had them after the attack. Almost like handprints of when they were holding me down. It really drives me crazy since I'm trying to get over it and this keeps happening.

 

[Lolly]

A couple of days ago I had a nightmare of my most recent attack and woke up with bruises all on the inside of my thighs and on my arms... The bruises are in exactly the same places I had them after the attack. Almost like handprints of when they were holding me down.

Sorry to hear this Starlite, how horrible for you :( Take care of yourself, ok? :) :hug:

 

[Starlite]

Thank you @Lolly I've been trying my best to do so. Hope your flashbacks get better.

 

[Ed Norton]

My complete flashbacks have been in remission for two years but I noticed that during exposure therapy my wrists start to hurt a lot. I didn't chalk this up as a type of flashback but I now see it is. I don't know of anyway around it because during therapy I can't use grounding techniques. Even if I could I somehow doubt that they would work.

I don't have any suggestions. I replied just to also say that you are not alone in this.

 

[Lolly]

Thank you Ed. Sorry to hear you're experiencing it too. Take care!

 

[Intrepid]

I have had similar flashbacks. I've had my own beatings and feel it 40 years later. I call them physical memories. I think they are part of dissociation. My therapist calls it phantom pain.
To cope I've used plain old Ibuprofen. It works sometimes. I use a heating pad. I also just dissociated again, which isn't really coping.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I wish you didn't have to go through such horrible stuff, the original trauma, or your current flashbacks.

 

[Lolly]

I have had similar flashbacks. I've had my own beatings and feel it 40 years later. I call them physical memories. I think they are part of dissociation. My therapist calls it phantom pain.

Sorry to hear that you're going through the same thing! Thank you for sharing, it helps to know we're not alone in this. Take care of yourself :)