Many people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) struggle in handling flashbacks and dissociation, which can occur as a result of encountering triggers, that is, reminders of a traumatic event. To the extent that folks don’t seem to be attentive to their triggers, flashbacks and dissociation will be incredibly disruptive and unpredictable events that are difficult to manage. However, you’ll take steps to higher manage and forestall flashbacks and dissociation and stay within the present.
Understanding Flashbacks
Flashbacks are considered one in every of the re-experiencing symptoms of PTSD. during a flashback, you will feel or act like a traumatic event is occurring again. A flashback is also temporary and you will maintain some reference to the current moment otherwise you may lose all awareness of what is occurring around you, being taken completely back to your traumatic event.
For example, a rape survivor, when triggered, may begin to smell certain scents or feel pain in her body almost like that which was experienced during their assault.
Understanding Dissociation
People with PTSD may experience dissociation.3 Dissociation is an experience where you will feel disconnected from yourself and/or your surroundings.
Similar to flashbacks, dissociation may range from temporarily losing touch with things that are happening around you, reasonably like what happens after you daydream, to having no memories for a chronic period of your time and/or feeling like you’re outside of your body.
Dissociation in PTSD
1. Know Your Triggers
In addressing flashbacks and dissociation, prevention is vital. Flashbacks and dissociation are often triggered or cued by some reasonable reminder of a traumatic event, as for example, encountering certain people, or visiting specific places, or another stressful experience. Therefore, it is vital to spot the precise things that trigger flashbacks or dissociation. By knowing what your triggers are, you’ll be able to either attempt to limit your exposure to those triggers or, if that may not possible (which is commonly the case), you’ll be able to steel oneself for them by devising ways to deal with your reaction to those triggers.
2. Identify Early Warning Signs
Flashbacks and dissociation may feel as if they are available out of the blue and that they may feel unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, there are often some early signs that you just could also be slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state.
For example, your surroundings may begin to appear fuzzy otherwise you may feel as if you’re separating from or losing touch together with your surroundings, people, or perhaps yourself. Flashbacks and dissociation are easier to address and stop if you’ll catch them early. Therefore, it is important to undertake to extend your awareness of their early symptoms.
3. Learn Grounding Techniques
As the name implies, grounding could be a particular way of coping that’s designed to “ground” you within the moment. In doing so, you’ll be able to retain your reference to the current moment and reduce the likelihood that you simply slip into a flashback or dissociation. during this way, grounding could also be considered to be very just like mindfulness.
To use grounding techniques, you would like to use the five senses (sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight) to attach with the here and now, do something which will bring all of your attention to this moment.
Here are some grounding techniques you’ll be able to try:
- Sight: Take a list of everything around you. Connect with the current moment by listing everything around you. Identify all the colors you see. Count all the pieces of furniture around you. List off all the noises you hear. Taking a list of your immediate environment can directly connect you with the current moment.
- Smell: Sniff some strong peppermint. after you smell something strong, it’s extremely hard to concentrate on anything. during this way, smelling peppermint can bring you into the current moment, slowing down or stopping altogether a flashback or an episode of dissociation.
- Sound: activate loud music. Loud, jarring music is going to be hard to ignore. And as a result, your attention is directed thereto noise, bringing you into this moment.
- Taste: Bite into a lemon. The sourness of a lemon and also the strong sensation it produces in your mouth once you bite into it can force you to remain within the here and now.
- Touch: Grip a chunk of ice. If you notice that you’re slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state, hold onto a bit of ice. it’ll be difficult to direct your attention removed from the acute coldness of the ice, forcing you to remain in-tuned with this moment.
4. Enlist the assistance of Others
If you recognize that you simply is also in danger for a flashback or dissociation by going into a particular situation, bring along some trusted support. ensure that the person you bring with you is additionally conscious of your triggers and knows a way to tell and what to try and do once you are entering a flashback or dissociative state.
5. Seek Treatment
In the end, the most effective thanks to preventing flashbacks and dissociation is to look out for treatment for your PTSD. Flashbacks and dissociation are also an indication that you just are struggling to confront or deal with the traumatic event you experienced. Treatment can help with this.
– By Shinjini Chatterjee
