What Induces Fear?

Hear Again said:
:ty: jillio. i was beginning to wonder if there wasn't something wrong with me (since i tend to be very aware of my bipolar and thought something must not be "right" if i couldn't feel my flashbacks coming on).
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Nope. You are perfectly normal in your responses.
 
Hear Again said:
:ty: jillio. i was beginning to wonder if there wasn't something wrong with me (since i tend to be very aware of my bipolar and thought something must not be "right" if i couldn't feel my flashbacks coming on).
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You don't feel them coming on. They are spontaneous and happen as a result of triggers. I've had lots of flashbacks, and not once have I been able to predict when they're were about happen or ward them off when they did happen.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
You don't feel them coming on. They are spontaneous and happen as a result of triggers. I've had lots of flashbacks, and not once have I been able to predict when they're were about happen or ward them off when they did happen.
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thank you, jillio and ocean. i feel better now knowing that i'm completely normal in the way i experience flashbacks.
 
jillio said:
It is extremely unusual. The dissociation that relates to flashbacks is an immediate response, not a gradual one. I've never known anyone who could predict their flashbacks.
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But what about those people that feel very depressed when they start? Thats how i know.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
No. It's hard and fast. If you're a danger to yourself or others, you WILL be admitted to a psychiatric facility. They don't give you a choice in the matter.
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How was I in danger to myself or others? I freeze when I'm in flashback so I can't act out during my flashbacks. I have had suicidal feelings but I have made it very clear I won't act out on them. That is the main reason they didn't force me to, because I didn't have SI / HI.
 
jillio said:
It is extremely unusual. The dissociation that relates to flashbacks is an immediate response, not a gradual one. I've never known anyone who could predict their flashbacks.
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I can only predict the nighttime ones cause I feel my eyelids get heavy and then I sink into it. It's an awful feeling. I can't predict my daytime ones. There's no telling when one will happen.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
You don't feel them coming on. They are spontaneous and happen as a result of triggers. I've had lots of flashbacks, and not once have I been able to predict when they're were about happen or ward them off when they did happen.
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That is exactly how my daytime flashbacks are. At night I know they are going to happen because I have the same exact flashbacks every night, in the same order, etc. etc. So I also know because it's the same thing every night. My bedroom is a huge trigger, given several of my traumas took place in my bedroom. Likewise for my bathroom. So I know everytime I climb in bed and every time I take a shower I am going to have a flashback. Been having them every day of my life.
 
I also can't ward them off. If I try to, I just get sucked in deeper.
 
I can tell when I'm dissociating physically because my body feels rubber-like or unreal. My chronic pain feels duller. I can't tell when I'm dissociating emotionally until someone (usually my psychiatrist or my physical therapist) points it out to me.
 
typeingtornado19 said:
But what about those people that feel very depressed when they start? Thats how i know.
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Depression is a whole 'nother issue. Just because one is depressed does not mean that one is about to experience a flashback, nor does a flashback always begin with depression. In fact, it is usually a manic type state that precedes a flashback, due to the hypersensitivity one experiences during an elevated emotional state.
 
Nika said:
I can tell when I'm dissociating physically because my body feels rubber-like or unreal. My chronic pain feels duller. I can't tell when I'm dissociating emotionally until someone (usually my psychiatrist or my physical therapist) points it out to me.
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Dissociating from physical pain is not a flashback. It is, quite simply, dissociation from physical pain. In fact, pain management experts often teach chronic pain sufferers to dissociate therapeutically through the use of visualization exercises. It allows the body and the brain to relieve itself of the stress of chronic and intense pain.
 
Nika said:
That is exactly how my daytime flashbacks are. At night I know they are going to happen because I have the same exact flashbacks every night, in the same order, etc. etc. So I also know because it's the same thing every night. My bedroom is a huge trigger, given several of my traumas took place in my bedroom. Likewise for my bathroom. So I know everytime I climb in bed and every time I take a shower I am going to have a flashback. Been having them every day of my life.
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Ever consider changing your environment to reduce the triggers?

It is also quite possible that believing that you are going to have a flashback is what is bringing them on. Self fulfilling prophecy. Sounds more like you are simply experiencing memories rather than classic flashbacks.
 
jillio said:
Dissociating from physical pain is not a flashback. It is, quite simply, dissociation from physical pain. In fact, pain management experts often teach chronic pain sufferers to dissociate therapeutically through the use of visualization exercises. It allows the body and the brain to relieve itself of the stress of chronic and intense pain.
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I know that dissociation is not having a flashback. I'm very aware of the distinction. I've actually pointed it out to some other AD'ers before. I dissociate to access flashback material, but I can also dissociate without having a flashback. In fact I spend most of my time dissociated to some degree, even when I'm not having a flashback.
 
jillio said:
Ever consider changing your environment to reduce the triggers?

It is also quite possible that believing that you are going to have a flashback is what is bringing them on. Self fulfilling prophecy. Sounds more like you are simply experiencing memories rather than classic flashbacks.
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Change of environment doesn't do much. Even when I travel I have my nightly flashbacks. For me the act of going to sleep is as much a trigger as my bedroom. I have done everything I could think of: meditation, herbal tea, exercise, no caffeine or sugar, distraction, truly convincing myself I wouldn't have a flashback--but they still come.

I have memories and I have flashbacks of my experiences, and the two are quite distinct. My flashbacks are much more vivid, they feel like they're happening over again, and I think I'm actually X years old again and I think the year is 199X/200X. During my memories, I am still aware that I am 19 and the year is 2009. In fact I can talk about my memories while remaining somewhat in the present (although I admit I do dissociate lightly when talking about my memories.) With my flashbacks, I'm in another place entirely.

It would be nice jillio if you just took my experience for what it was instead of trying to explain it within the frame of what you may have officially studied. I have had so many doctors deny me on the basis that they learned "this is impossible" or "that is impossible," but it obviously is since I am experiencing it. Many medical professionals get caught up in whether someone's case matches the textbook example, and take in the black and white statements made in many textbooks too heavily. There are always exceptions, there are patients whose cases stray from the classic one. So it would be nice if instead of telling me that what I feel is impossible, you can come to realize that maybe I know what I feel and that maybe my case is unusual.
 
typeingtornado19 said:
But what about those people that feel very depressed when they start? Thats how i know.
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Depression is a symptom of PTSD. It just doesn't come and go with the flashback. It's always present; along with other symptoms. This is what can make PTSD so dibilitating.
 
Nika said:
How was I in danger to myself or others? I freeze when I'm in flashback so I can't act out during my flashbacks. I have had suicidal feelings but I have made it very clear I won't act out on them. That is the main reason they didn't force me to, because I didn't have SI / HI.
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You just answered your own question with the bolded above.
 
When I have flashbacks, the real wolf inside me takes over and generally does the hunt for meat.

It happens a lot after I smoke a bowl.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Depression is a symptom of PTSD. It just doesn't come and go with the flashback. It's always present; along with other symptoms. This is what can make PTSD so dibilitating.
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So, i am confused then, why then does this person have such a deep depression along with the flashback?
 
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