Is This a Flashback?
One moment, you're enjoying life. The next thing you know, you're taken away to another time and another place. You can't put your finger on it... maybe it was a sound, a smell... Is this a flashback?
Memory is a remarkable thing. The smell of chocolate chip cookies baking can take you back to your grandmother's kitchen when you were seven years old. The beginning strains of your favorite song can take you back to vivid memories of your first solo driving experience in high school.
But the opposite is also true. A smell can take you back to your most horrific experience. The sound of fire works is exactly like gun fire. All of a sudden, you're in that terrifying moment in time.
A flashback a vivid, involuntary re-experiencing of a previous event. During a flashback, you are basically "reliving" the memory, complete with all of the emotions you initially experienced during the event. Warm, safe, exciting event? Those are the feel-good emotions that you'll relive. Terrifying, life-threatening, horrific event? Your body will re-experience those sensations and emotions.
Why do flashbacks happen?
Our brains store memory in different locations. Sights and images in one part, smells in another. An event that has a strong emotional tie to it, either positive or negative, is stored in the emotional part of the brain. When that memory is "triggered", it can lead to a flashback.
Are flashbacks becoming more and more a regular part of your life? An unresolved trauma (any event that leads you to feel that your safety, or the safety of a loved one, is at threat) can lead to your having a flashback. Usually, these flashbacks don't just go away on their own. Your brain needs some help in processing these memories to that they are no longer triggered in such an intense way.
At Harper Therapy, our team of therapists are trained in a specialized therapy, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, that can help relieve your experiences of flashbacks. Call us today to schedule your appointment to see how ART can help you.
