EMOTIONAL FLASHBACK Do they rule your life?

Emotional flashbacks do they control your daily living? Emotional flashbacks are part of what medics and psychiatrists call Complex Post Traumatic Disorder (C-PTSD)

Although I prefer to call C- PTSD - Complex Post Traumatic Stress or C-PTStress

I’ve dropped the disorder word because over the years and from my own healing and studying. I've come to realise that our mind and body are acting in the very best way possible to protect our organism from as much damage as they can following abuse, trauma or threat.

We are responding as normal as breathing or crying after we dropped a tin of baked beans on our foot we wouldn't say we were ill because we swore, had pain and got a bruise, we wouldn't look at breathing or crying as unusual or unhealthy, all our body processors serve a purpose to our overall well-being of each individual Human Being.

A brief overview of how our nervous system, brain and body supports itself to protect itself and to heal itself.

Our Central Nervous System (CNS) also know as the autonomic nervous system, which is comprised of our brain and our spinal cord known as the processing centre controls everything our body does.

Our CNS splits off into two distinct areas one known as the Sympathetic System responsible for the threat/protect or fight/flight response once the body perceives a threat.

The other is known as the Parasympathetic System responsible for rest/digest or returning the body to homeostatic once the danger has passed.

The CNS sends out neurotransmitters i.e. chemical messages to our organs e.g. norepinephrine, epinephrine and adrenaline to signal to our organs and this causes the changes such as fast heart rate, dry mouth, panic attacks, the need to escape etc etc.

We often 'feel' how our systems work through our symptom of fear, anxiety, depression, OCD, a negative self-perception, interpersonal difficulties, dissociations and I'm sure you can add your own. All disrupt our functioning and daily living significantly.

Our brain and nervous system has all it needs to protect us at times of threat. These processors are working every moment of our lives, making snap shot decisions to keep us safe. These processor are automatic, jump in when needed this is known as 'neuroception' which describes the process our brains recognise danger and 'proprioception' how our body's ability to sense its own position in the world around us and keeps us safe.

We can say they all work together and have our back first, last and every time.

Talking about Emotional flashbacks which we often experience

C-PTStress following trauma.

WHAT ARE EMOTIONAL FLASHBACKS?

Complex Post Traumatic Stress, (C-PTStress) is more complex then PTStress because of the challenges C-PTStress brings into our emotional and relational worlds.

Emotional flashbacks unlike the flashbacks of PTStress which bring 'visual' flashbacks and hypervigilance. C-PTStress emotional flashbacks are sudden, overwhelming waves of emotions that strike out of nowhere, and we are transported back to the traumatic time through our feelings, thoughts and sensations.

Emotional flashbacks can be difficult to understand because we don't have a clear memory or visual picture in our mind of the trauma or anything around the trauma and we find ourselves reliving the trauma as if it is happening in the here and now.

Like a nightmare whilst we are awake which also brings with it confusion, disorientation and for some dissociation when the pain and emotions get overwhelming.

The associated emotions are stored in and throughout the body at the time the trauma took place and the body holds onto and remembers, in the emotional flashback it feels extremely dangerous to us as individuals and gives us a sense of derealisation.

Our CNS has been triggered into overdrive and there is nothing we can do to stop it in those moment by moment experiencing.

This activates our inner critic raises it head and starts to spill all its negative criticisms which keep the CNS activated.

This may bring back all the feelings we felt at the time and we may get that sense we are living in a dream or detached from our here and now and our world may feel unreal.

We may feel fear, abandonment, helplessness, unsafe, shame, guilt, small. unheard and a whole host of other feelings and exactly as we experienced them in the past if unresolved in the present.

I used to isolate myself to protect myself which doesn't really support the CNS to regain regulation because we need a regulated nervous system to help support us.

Co-regulation through connection is needed to activate the rest/digest actions when we are overwhelmed.

Emotional flashbacks can be triggered by something like a facial expression, a tone of voice, not being believed, feeling overwhelmed with something in the present.

Or something as simple as a smell, our body picks up millions of cues all day long subconsciously that's why its difficult to understand we are having an emotional flashback. We don't associate these intense feelings with a past event.

The trigger might even be a small movement someone does that we barely catch out of the corner of our eyes.

Trying to understand what triggers emotional flashbacks is important to managing them in the long-term

PANIC ATTACK V EMOTIONAL FLASHBACK

We can mistake an emotional flashback for a panic attack but it is not the same, however an emotional flashback can bring on a panic attack.

PANIC ATTACKS can happen without a history of trauma or abuse and have no obvious or identifiable cause. Panic is a sudden intense feeling of incapacitating anxiety often short lived but feels as though its going on for a long time, usually peaks in about 10 minutes and then begins to subside.

Panic attack has a visual effect , can involve our imagination and feels like we are losing control, doom is impending and it feels like we are going to die in those moments. Of course we don't because its anxiety from an over sensitised dysregulated nervous system, which in those moments we are painfully aware we are experiencing a panic attack. Can be part of both PTStress and CPTStress experiences.

EMOTIONAL FLASHBACK sends us back to the future in one unfair swoop, we experience the emotional flashback in the present moment but we are transported back to the painful and traumatic event. Often experienced in Childhood and part of CPTStress

In emotional flashbacks there is no visual or imagination involved it is all somatic, that is our body remembers all the associated feelings, sensations and emotions of the past events and involves intense feelings and emotions.

Emotional flashback can be trigger by any stimuli such as a smell, tone of voice, or even specific words, a gesture or a tiny movement and suddenly we are overwhelmed by fear, helplessness, shame, guilt or anger for example.

We may tremble, feel nausea, have difficulty thinking, concentrating, speaking or have an urge to run away as our pre-frontal lobe shuts down. We may feel Childlike, talk in a Childlike tone or feel small and very vulnerable as the waves of emotion take over our whole being as we feel swallowed up by the intensity of emotions.

The emotional flashback does not usually have any connection to the present moment and therefore it is hard to understand what is happening and confuses, disorients and for some dissociation may occur.

Unlike panic attacks emotional flashback are regressive, prolonged, spontaneous and subconscious we can't simply turn them off in a short time.

In the long term it takes effort, patience and courage to identify and heal them.

HOW TO COPE WITH AN EMOTIONAL FLASHBACK

In the short term it is important to manage them so we feel in control again and that we have that felt sense we know what do here and now.

We can manage them when they arrive by breathing and grounding exercises to start to calm our nervous system.

We can manage our emotional flashback by focusing on:

Breathing - breath in through the nose for the count of five and out to the count of five – its best to sit down or lean against a wall or something similar if out and about or better still another person. Deep breathing may cause light-headedness to begin with so better to sit-down, inhale and exhale three or four rounds in the moments can help refocus you so you take back control.

Grounding - tap your feet on the ground, feel the movement and the ground underneath your feet supporting you – tap your fingers on something close by such as a table, settee arm, or if out and about tap on the side of your leg, a wall or chair – feel the movement and move from one foot to the other gently sway – this lets your body know it is not frozen and is able to move at your command.

We need to create safety and stabilisation, we need to 'feel' safe that means creating a safe environment, being around people we trust and who we can connect with to begin the regulating of our nervous system, through co-regulation. This doesn't mean the other has to do anything other than be calm, present and safe, our subconscious will mirror the others neurons and create the neurotransmitters we need.

Once your pre-frontal lobe comes back on line again and you can think, try the RAIN technique below.

Thoughts – through the R.A.I.N technique:

o Recognise the feelings, thoughts or sensations you are experiencing in these moments, without judgment, just let them be the more you grapple with them the more they will shout back. Name them e.g. I am feeling scared” or “this is C-PTStress and it will pass” or “I am feeling overwhelmed”, I', scared".

o Allow – Accept the feelings, thoughts, sensations as they appear, let them be present, don’t try to change them, or get away from them. The more you do that the louder and more intense they will become. Affirm “I am OK to feel”, I can handle this”, I’m doing the best I can”/

o Investigate – Become your own best friend in these moments and be curious to explore the feelings, thoughts, sensations ask yourself “when did I feel this before”? “What did I do to support myself”? “What do I need right here right now”? The more you do this step the more you will understand what triggers and what to do to support yourself.

o Nurture – Give yourself empathy, compassion and understanding, we do this to nurture ourselves out of the overwhelming experience and offer ourselves comfort in those precise moments we need it.

By offering yourself structure in those moments of overwhelm you are giving yourself comfort, nurturing and a different experience to what happened in your past trauma, when perhaps no one was there to offer you comfort and support.

As a Child you didn't know what to do at the time of the trauma occurring here and now as an adult you can find out what to do for yourself.

Here and now you can do this for yourself, give yourself what you need when you need.

The RAIN technique help us to manage the overwhelming emotions and flashbacks and stops the ripple affect of the emotional flashback.

The best time to practice the above is when you are not experiencing an emotional flashback.

When we comfort ourself we increase self-compassion nurture a kinder, caring and considered relationship with ourself.

When we are more mindful in the moments and practice the above techniques and during experiencing emotional flashbacks, we are consciously and subconsciously telling ourselves we are worthy, we have value and we care about ourself.

We cultivate more self-compassion, self-understanding and resilience and ultimately a better mental well-being overall.

In the long-term and especially if they keep happening it is best to engage with a trauma informed and experienced therapist or counsellor who can guide you through the steps above and identify your triggers.

Because whilst it may seem that you will be experiencing emotional flashbacks for the rest of your life – this doesn’t need be the life-long affect because we can find our peace.

Annnnnnnnnnd you are worthy, valuable and capable of fully healing and having a life and living of your choosing.

If you are struggling with emotional flashbacks or panic attack and want support to understand yourself you can contact me I offer a free 30 mins video call so we can meet before our first session. Contact me at email: pendulumofpeace8@gmail.com text or WhatsApp message to 07867938630 and lets connect and realise your fullest potentials.