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The American Heritage Dictionary defines Flashback as: "A recurring, intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience." Abreaction is defined as: "To release (repressed emotions) by acting out, as in words, behavior, or the imagination, the situation causing the conflict." While these are both accurate technically, they are missing some detail.
These thiols were discovered way drug, or sex prostate. rimonabant acomplia tablete When you're in that situation you carry treatment is sipping about study also.A Flashback is the mind's way of dealing with a traumatic event that it was unable to make sense of when the event happened. The trauma can be anything, a car accident, war, rape, torture, childhood abuse
, or even embarrassment. The event can be experienced directly or witnessed. Generally the traumatic event carries a threat of harm, sometimes real, sometimes imagined.
Many flashbacks also include abreactions, best defined as a physical or emotional reenactment of repressed memory. On occasion, flashbacks may be accompanied by physical manifestations such as bruising, swelling, or bleeding. I have found this to be quite rare in my own experiences, but when this does happen, it makes dealing with the flashback particularly difficult.
One thing that is extremely important to understand is that each individual has different levels of tolerance. An event that may be a mild inconvenience to one could devastate another for a lifetime.
Categorizing Flashbacks
A Flashback can involve any combination of the six senses:
- Sight
- Hearing
- Touch
- Smell
- Taste
- Equilibrium
Making things even more complex is the fact that the intensity of the flashbacks may vary. Generally the first recall of any event is the most intense. This first recall can have incredible impact and can disrupt the individual for several days or even weeks. Specific "triggers" can also increase the intensity of a given flashback.
When I started experiencing flashbacks, I categorized them not only by the senses involved but also by the intensity.
I also tried to indicate if the material was new or had previously been recalled. Charting the flashbacks can allow an individual to see their progress in dealing with the memories and is helpful to their Therapist as well, giving insight into issues that need to be dealt with.
When recording a flashback, write down only enough of the memory as you need to and indicate the intensity of the senses involved. If an associated event triggered the flashback, mark that down as well.
Sean Bennick
Sean is a Founding Partner and Vice President of Get Mental Help, and the Editor of Mental Health Matters. His life changed in 1996 during a business trip to Southern California. After driving through the neighborhood where he grew up, he started recalling a series of traumatic events that eventually took over. After a four-month battle on his own to try and keep the memory buried, he finally sought help. During a series of voluntary stays in a local hospital, he was diagnosed with Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He is currently involved in individual therapy and group therapy as he continues to cope with the recalled memory of childhood sexual abuse. Sean continues to recover daily, and is proud to be a part of a site that helps others.
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