Down times or meds/flashbacks

[Cammy]

I have found that when my mind is ready for new memories, one of my compartments opens up and new stuff comes to my conscious mind. I've read that the mind is very self-protective when it comes to compartmentalized information, but if it deems itself strong enough, it lets new stuff trickle through from behind amnesia barriers. I've noticed the same thing with my husband. When he feels especially secure, new memories surface. It's hard to handle when you believe that you've already remembered everything there is to remember, and then BOOM, all of a sudden there;s fresh trauma to process - again.

In my and my husband's case, we have to be in a good place for this to happen. For some, however, hard times, either mentally or environmentally, can trigger the flashbacks and memories. I know that if I'm struggling psychologically, that is a trigger for the PTSD hallucinations and flash backs of information I am already aware of. During these times, I don't get new information, just the stuff I'd rather not remember.

The flashbacks you are describing seem like they are new to your conscious mind, especially when you mention the distortion of time when you get them. Time distortion is extremely common when people are faced with arousal of the fight/flight response. I have found that if I don't try to resist the new information, and give myself the chance to just sit with it until it starts to face, then the whole thing becomes useful in jettisoning the power that this memory has had over me. It's hard to fight when the trauma is invisible to you.

Whatever the case may be for you, I hope you feel better since this stuff has come to light for you.