Take Control
Tell yourself you are having a flashback. Talk to yourself (literally) and note where you are now and that you are safe. Remind yourself that the traumatic event is over. It happened in the past and you are in the present.
DO NOT TOUCH someone (even a loved one) in an active flashback. This may be extremely triggering for them and the physical touch may inadvertently be experienced as part of the traumatic memory/flashback.
Face your feelings.
It's normal to want to avoid thinking about a traumatic event. But not leaving the house, sleeping excessively, isolating yourself from loved ones, and using substances to escape reminders are not healthy ways to cope over time.
PTSD can be worsened due to the kind of trigger involved. A trigger reminds you of what happened, activating memories, emotions, and physical responses, leading to a severe reaction.
The physical and emotional pain of trauma can also lead to unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking to numb emotions or overeating as a way of self-comforting.
This can sometimes be like watching a video of what happened, but flashbacks do not necessarily involve seeing images, or reliving events from start to finish. You might experience any of the following: seeing full or partial images of what happened. noticing sounds, smells or tastes connected to the trauma.
Symptoms of complex PTSD
dizziness or nausea when remembering the trauma. hyperarousal, which means being in a continual state of high alert. the belief that the world is a dangerous place. a loss of trust in the self or others.
Self-talk during a flashback can be part of your grounding or be used to keep you calm and steady while you employ other techniques. It can be hard to access your grounding skills (or other tools) if you're in a panic and can't remember what's even happening to you or who you are.
PTSD flashbacks are often triggered by things that remind the person of the traumatic event they experienced. These triggers can be external, such as sights, sounds, smells, or locations that are associated with the trauma.
Such an interaction could likely cause stress. And yelling can be a trigger for PTSD. However, if you do not have PTSD, making this comment can be insensitive to those with the condition. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, PTSD is a disorder in the DSM-5.
Women with PTSD may be more likely than men with PTSD to: Be easily startled. Have more trouble feeling emotions or feel numb. Avoid things that remind them of the trauma.
Reliving the experience through flashbacks, intrusive memories, or nightmares. Overwhelming emotions with the flashbacks, memories, or nightmares. Not being able to feel emotions or feeling “numb” Dissociation, that can include disconnecting from yourself or other people.
If left untreated, complex PTSD can become life-threatening. It raises the risk of developing anxiety, depression, addictive behavior, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. Chronic pain, fatigue, and changes in eating and sleeping patterns are all possible physical health problems.
People tend to remember more trauma than they experienced, and those who do, tend to exhibit more of the “re-experiencing” symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our own research suggests that the likely mechanism underlying that distortion is a failure in people's source monitoring.
People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people.
People can have PTSD even though they do not recall the experience that triggered the problem. As a result, such people may live with PTSD for years without realizing it.
Adults may display sleep problems, increased agitation, hypervigilance, isolation or withdrawal, and increased use of alcohol or drugs. Older adults may exhibit increased withdrawal and isolation, reluctance to leave home, worsening of chronic illnesses, confusion, depression, and fear (DeWolfe & Nordboe, 2000b).
The final stage of recovery is about empowerment. You might worry that you'll never be the same as you were before the traumatic incident, but the trauma you endured doesn't need to define who you are.