What Do You Do During Flashbacks?

[livergirl70]

This probably sounds really stupid, but what do you actually do when having a flashback? I must admit. I have been pretty lucky up until a few weeks ago that I have had flashbacks either at home or somewhere I have felt safe. I was on my way to therapy and walking along a parade of shops and I don't really know what triggered it, but I was by one shop and then came to by another shop some 100 yards away. I assume I didn't do anything stupid, but it's pretty scary that I wasn't aware of that walk

 

[BloomInWinter]

Hi livergirl,

This sounds more like dissociation to me...STILL scary, though!

Glad you came to so quickly...it's this kinda thing that scare the #$#@!!!! outta me. One of these episodes is what drove me finally to seek out answers and landed me in this diagnosis.

Normal stuff for PTSD, though.

 

[livergirl70]

Hi BloominWinter
What the F*** are you supposed to do then, if I wasn't scared enough going out into public places in case I see him or an "acquaintance" then this could happen and I wouldn't have a clue what had happened to me

 

[starshine]

Do you have a therapist? If so, I'd work on this with him/her.

I can empathise. I get pretty much constant 'low grade' dissociative flashbacks when out in public, due to how the girls who abused me would do their worst to me on the way home from school or in the pathways around school. Shops and streets have become like 'the playground' for me.

What I tend to do when the flashback/dissociative experience spikes is to find my way to a public loo and hide in a cubicle there for a while and talk myself down and maybe take a dose of Rescue Remedy.

 

[Froggie]

Hi Livergirl70. Each one of us has to find our own tricks, starshine's trick is a good one. What I do is lock myself on something that is material and real : like a door, flower, anything and I start to mentally analyse it - exemple : flower is mauve, has "X" petals, has "X" leaves, etc. It's a battle between the reality and the dissociation. But I do agree with you, the first times that you experience dissociation can give you the whillies and it can sometimes be dangerous. I was almost hit by cars because I didn't realize that I had stepped of the sidewalk. Some thought I was suicidal ... not at tha moment, just very dissociative.

 

[Srain]

What do I do when I get them? I get out of the public immediately and into a safe space by myself, I immediately set to reminding myself to breathe and ground myself. My first reaction is to panic if I don't. I always carry a phone so if need be I call someone on my support team and have them help me with getting back to reality, or what some call "grounding". If I don't feel the need to call, I have a mantra that use to settle myself and know that I AM okay and to get home quickly as I usually run the risk of Depersonalizing at this point to protect myself. I am working hard to stay in my body and deal with life as it is. Not so easy for me but I am trying.

I am finding there seems to be signs of them coming on for me that I am now being able to track as my tdoc 'catches' fading out during our sessions. I didn't even realize this while it's going on. This a real eye opener for me and I'm amazed at how often I Dissociate and don't have a clue, if only for a moment. We then break down where I "went", what we were discussing, etc.It might be very helpful to have that kind of support and tools to use to learn more about yours and why you are having these, I don't know.

I'm sorry this happened to you

Rain

 

[KP the nut]

I don't disassociate out of the house. I am too hypervigilant. I am constantly aware of who or what is around me. I think the main problem is you don't realise you have disassociated until you come out of it. At home that is usually my dog licking my hand or face.

I would try and carry something with you to hold and focus on whilst out and about. I carry a moss agate turtle.

Take care
KP

 

[Bordo66]

I don't really know when I have a flashback tbh

 

[Tinyflame]

A FB and dissociating are not the same, forgive me this is not a 'technical' proper explanation but dissociation is 'checking out' whereas a flashback is re-experiencing something from the past [also different from a 'trigger' which reminds you of the past and has (it's) symptoms attached] but is not a (literal) 're-experiencing' of a past event in time like a FB is.

 

[Bordo66]

so you keep thinking about it?

 

[Tinyflame]

Keep thinking about what Bordo?, -I'm sorry I'm lost here, lol :confused:

 

[Bordo66]

about the past and all the things that happend