Lived Experience Forum

[outlander]

Hi everyone im wondering how people with ptsd mainly but happy to hear from others as well
But ive been havinf alot of flashbacks and looking ahrad visions of what i think is going to happen even though i know its extremely unlikeley
But id like to know how others cope with these

[Former-Member]

first words in my head were... 'not well!'.

sigh. 

flashbacks/visions/movie replays.. i tend to go into that dissociative zone with them and get lost in them which is something i was working really hard on trying to stop and control more, but then when i started dissociating less i was kind of suddenly feeling the 'full' nature of them without dissociating, or not as quick to disappear and it was terrifying and overwhelming and so i just abandoned everything for a bit, but back to trying to use strategies that help control the dissociation (i.e. focussing on the present, holding things (fidget things), making noise (crunching things, snapping crackers...) to ground myself in the present, throwing a ball in the air and catching it. even if i dont catch myself before i disappear into a memory i tend to throw it off more completely if i make myself move sooner... after.

Avoiding the actual flashbacks themselves is harder and i have been spending a lot of energy fighting fighting fighting to push things away (which i know is probably a futile effort as pushing it away seems to have it diggging its heels in and pushing back). 

Ive tried (repeatedly/failed repeatedly) at trying to deal with some of this stuff with my psychologist and think she's kind of given up on that side of things and wants to work on building some self esteem now. 

not surei f this will be helpful or not @outlander

lj

[outlander]

Yeah ive been getting those sort its like a replay in my head but its past memories presenting themselves in a new situation if that makes sense @Former-Member even as im trying mindfullness and doing things its like the thoughts/memories over power whatever im doing. Like today i was studying and i was reading but i could still see those images it was weird

[Former-Member]

my stuff can take over what im doing and just invade... i try to stay busy busy mentally and physically a lot to make it not be there so much, at work i dont stop, i do physical laps of different spaces if i think its goign to take over. If you're studying and it starts up could you try standing up and doing five star jumps or sit ups and then sit down again? might just brek up the pattern a little bit maybe? it doesnt always work for me sometimes follows me too. @outlander

[outlander]

Hmm i never thought of that @Former-Member maybe i should try that and just break that pattern. This stuff couldn't have come at any less significant point in time

[Former-Member]

My flash backs come back to me in my dreams. I just think of it as my brain is telling me it's time to confront this certain issue

[outlander]

Im confronting them @Former-Member but ive got to take it slowly

[Former-Member]

You do it any way that works

[Former-Member]

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[outlander]

sorry @Former-Member this got abit lost in the notifications but i did find it 🙂

than you heaps for your input it makes heaps of sense to me 🙂

im going to be starting SA counselling which i hope helps with the flashbacks as well and also the ther ptsd event that i have alot of flashbacks of as well so hopefully they can hellp me with that too