What is PTSD?
In the US, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was first noticed in combat veterans who were “shocked” by what and unable to face what they had experienced. PTSD was not considered to be a “real” disorder and those with symptoms were considered weak and violent. They faced large amounts of discrimination in the forms of being unable to get jobs, being dishonourably discharged from active service and being ostracised by the community on the assumption they were violent.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
Today, PTSD is recognised as a disorder with specific symptoms of which the most common are:
- Strong and unwanted memories of the event, also known as flashbacks
- Bad dreams or nightmares
- Emotional numbness or “excessive” emotional expression
- Intense guilt or worry, including survivor’s guilt and self-blame
- Angry outbursts and high levels of general irritability
- Feeling “on edge”, which is also known as hyperawareness
- Avoiding thoughts and situations that are reminders of the trauma
- Destructive behaviours such as excessive drinking, self-harm and driving erratically
Who can develop PTSD?
Research on PTSD has shown that survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault and childhood abuse and even animals can also experience PTSD in similar ways to combat veterans. PTSD is thus said to be caused by a traumatic event where there was a significant threat to life and/or a major threat to severe harm.
What is a flashback?
An involuntary recurrent memory of the traumatic experience is called a flashback. Flashbacks are one the most obvious and common symptoms of PTSD. They are psychological phenomenon, one where there is a sudden recollection of the past, which can be visual, emotional, auditory, physical or all of the above.
The term is used particularly when the memory is recalled involuntarily, and/or when it is so intense that the person “relives” the experience.
Are there different kinds of flashback?
There are two kinds of flashbacks. In explicit flashbacks, the person is unable to fully recognise it as memory and not something that is happening in “real time”. This inability to distinguish between the present and the past are what make flashbacks debilitating and incapacitating. Explicit flashbacks are considered to be external as well as internal flashbacks.
Implicit flashbacks usually occur from early childhood and are associated more with emotions than with memories. They are considered to be internal flashbacks.
Flashbacks can also be characterised by what the person is re-experiencing
For example, during an olfactory (smell) flashback, the person re-experiences the smells around them during the traumatic event while still seeing, hearing and feeling the present.
During an auditory flashback, the person re-experiences the sounds around them while still seeing, smelling and feeling the present around them.
These flashbacks are also called partial flashbacks and can be triggers for complete explicit or implicit flashbacks
What does a flashback feel like?
Some of the warning signs of a flashbacks are
- Tunnel vision
- “Fuzzy” vision
- Disconnection from self and/or surroundings
- Sudden irrational beliefs of the traumatic event recurring
This poem from one of SACC’s clients gives one example of what a flashbacks felt like for a rape survivor. Please be aware that the piece deals explicitly with experiences of sexual assault, sexual violence and suicide.
What helps during a flashback?
It varies from person to person, but the most important step is to establish that the person having the flashback is in the present, and not where and when the traumatic memory occurred. This is called grounding. The most effective way to ground a person is through using all five senses of the body to establish the present. This means using sight, smell, sound, taste and touch.
- Sight- name five things you can see. Describe them as they are listed (colours, shapes, sizes, textures)
- Smell- name five things you can smell. Describe them (strong, reminds me of…)
- Sound- name five things you can hear. Describe them (loud, soft, repetitive, harsh, gentle)
- Taste- Identify what you are tasting.
- Touch- How does the ground feel underneath your feet, is there anything in your hands, are the clothes you are wearing rough or soft or smooth or heavy?
What is a trigger?
A trigger is a sight, sounds, smell, taste or feeling that causes a person to re-experience the traumatic event. It has the potential to induce a flashback or other destructive behaviours
Helpful Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashback_(psychology)
https://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=58
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201408/is-what-you-are-feeling-flashback
http://psychcentral.com/lib/coping-with-flashbacks/
https://rainn.org/effects-of-sexual-assault/flashbacks
