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Possible flashback- what does this mean for me?

User Profile: facingthesun
facingthesun December 5th, 2020

Hi,

I've recently come to terms with my C-PTSD. I've been denying that it is something that I've been dealing with for my whole life and recently I've had a break through in therapy.. I understand that labels don't matter but I was denying my symptoms as well but now I'm really making great strides in coming to terms with it all. (so, that's a plus lol laugh) But.. just the other night I had a lets just say an "unusual" panic attack.. This one wasn't like my normal ones that I have from time to time, this one lasted a lot longer and I felt things I've never felt before. I believe that I suffered from a somatic flashback. Earlier that day I was focusing on what my life was like growing up becaue my therapist's hypothesis is that I have repressed thoughts, feelings, and potentially memories from back then (essentially I've blocked out anything I thought was negative and only focused on postive things) and that they have been resurfacing over the years. So when I really objectively reviewed my childhood, I started to remember things I had long forgotten about. Nothing bad, just random thoughts, smells, emotions, experiences, that sorta thing. But like in an instant, it was like my body remembered somethign that I didn't. I felt like.. now this is very uncomfortable to put out here but.. I felt like a physical arosual down there? and that immediately reminded me of other times I've felt that as a kid, no specific memories just memories of that feeling. I tried to put it out of my mind because it was a very unpleasant feeling and I didn't want to think of it's implications at all for the rest of the night and possibly forever. But as I tried falling asleep my heart just started pounding out of my chest.. like i've never had a panic attack like this before it was so much more intense and so much scarier crying I felt like I was dying and that I had to run out of there like I was just so scared. My panic attacks usually subside after ten minutes but this one was just staying and maintaining its intensity. Luckily my therapist taught me some grounding techniques that helped a ton (I think he called them bilateral tapping?) and I had some xanax on hand prescribed for occasions such as this one. I'm not sure if what I just experienced was some sort of flashback or if it was just a bad panic attack, but I know that it must be related to that feeling I remembered. That's the part that frightens me to most. That feeling... would it imply some form of sexual abuse? I just can't comprehend that at all, like I just can't believe that. How could that be possible? How could I forget something like that? Did it even happen?? Was what I felt real? I don't know.. I'm just so scared its going to happen again, another panic attack like that. I talk to my therapist next week but I need some form of reassurance now.. if anyone knows if this is a flashback or if I'm just freaking out for no reason please let me know. I don't know a lot about ptsd or c-ptsd and I didn't even realize some of the things I experience are actually symptoms. I know this is a lot of writing, haha, I just don't know how to put this in words great. ;-;

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User Profile: adventurousBranch3786
adventurousBranch3786 December 5th, 2020

@facingthesun Hi I have had this type of flashback so I know that they do exist. It sounds like you did a good job in calming yourself down until you can talk to your therapist about it. I'm not the greatest at explaining things but if you have any other questions ,I'll try to answer.

4 replies
User Profile: facingthesun
facingthesun OP December 5th, 2020

@adventurousBranch3786

Thank you for replying ;u; flashbacks are horrifying!! There are people out there so much stronger than me who deal with this on the regular, and that is amazing to me. People are so brave. If I experienced this somatic flashback on the daily I think I would just curl up into a ball in the corner of my room and stay there crying My question is: does having a flashback of just physical and emotional feelings -with no apparent memories tied to them- mean that I have experienced these sensations before and they were repressed? My therapist made it sound like I have repressed something (emotions, experiences, etc.) but he's just hypothesis testing he doesn't want to confirm anything and just wants me to naturally figure everything out. But if I recalled this very very unpleasant physical feeling, does that imply it has happened to me at one point or another? Are flashbacks always 100% real? Thank you for indulging my questions, you are so kind to do so!!

3 replies
User Profile: adventurousBranch3786
adventurousBranch3786 December 6th, 2020

@facingthesun I think that you are brave too, It's very hard to talk about and go to therapy regarding this subject! Since I am not an expert I can only give my personal opinion based on my own experiance. In my experiance flashbacks have been from things that did happen. I do remember most of what happened to me. There is one event (from childhood) that I can't remember what happened to me while I was sleeping. I know that something did happen because there was evidence of it when I woke up in the morning. I have never been able to remember what happened to me in that incident but I do get sensations(down there) when thinking about it. Through therapy I have been able to lesson the impact that these flashbacks have on me. I hope that this helps.Feel free to ask any other questions.

2 replies
User Profile: adventurousBranch3786
adventurousBranch3786 December 6th, 2020

@adventurousBranch3786 *Sorry forget to say Trigger Warning*

User Profile: facingthesun
facingthesun OP December 6th, 2020

@adventurousBranch3786 you are incredibly brave too, oh my goodness. Thank you for sharing with me, that can't be easy and just know that i'm giving you a virtual hug right now because I can't give you a real one crying What you said makes sense to me.. that flashbacks are based off real things that have happened. That's the only way to make sense of them because you can't be scared of nothing and our brains are so weird with how they share information with us. I've tried focusing on what triggered my flashback before (probably a bad idea I know, but I really want to understand) but I don't think my brain will let me right now.. I keep dissociating every time I try. I think I will wait until I speak with my therapist and i'll recount everything to him and hopefully I am to start unrepressing and fully feeling things again. It feels like I'm half a person most times because all my other emotions are like locked behind this thick wall of fog and even if they are bad I want them back. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to try to help me make sense of things and I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with me even though they must cause you so much distress, you are a wonderful human being!! we will be okay!!

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