PTSD, what causes the re-accuring trauma?

[Nyxsirisa]

The effect of having memories suddenly return to be experienced as if they were currently happening is called Flash Back. This occurs when one has experienced something of tremendous emotional significance. When you experience something of this magnitude it imprints on your neural pathways, somewhat like an afterimage in your vision that never really goes away.

Though the memories may fade from your conscious awareness, the imprint is still there, and can be triggered by anything that connects the memory to your current experiences. These connections can be very specific (the feel of a man's beard) or vague (night time in the city). The triggers are always something that relate to the original occurrence, and this is not unique to PTSD or trauma - a memory of extreme happiness can flash back when you smell the same perfume, for example.

I flash back to memories of my childhood when I smell a particular mixed scent of cigarette smoke and old books.

With regards to PTSD, the memories are always of such a volatile and powerful level that their 'imprints' or 'afterimages' in the mind can be triggered far more often and easily than, say, that last birthday you had where everyone got drunk and did the macarena. Negative or traumatic memories almost always imprint more strongly than happy or positive ones, because the emotions associated as so much more foreign to our natural state of being - thus they are more easy to recall than a moment of happiness.

PTSD develops when someone has experienced something of this traumatic magnitude and does not, or is unable to, get help to work through the events at the time they happen. Over time, on their own, these people will try to cope with what happened in a number of ways, which depends on the person's age, their personality, and their relative level of emotional and mental stability prior to and after the event in question. Children who experience these things almost always block them out, disassociate from them, or otherwise 'deny' them, in order to preserve some stability for themselves or to avoid shame or fear recurring. Adults who experience traumatic events can go through anything from disassociation and denial to, rarely but still possibly, acceptance and grief.

Over time, as they avoid, disassociate, ignore or otherwise do not directly deal with the trauma and it's resulting instabilities, the trauma grows and roots itself - like a small fear that grows into a phobia because it's been replayed and twisted in the mind over time. The worse the initial trauma and the longer it takes to come to light, the more compounded the issues become and the more severe the diagnosis. The issues become harder to deal with, and more intrinsic to the thought processes and functioning of the person in question.

Hope that helped a little! biggrin










Mood: | Art Slots: OPEN | Questing:9mil/160mil
Help me get my minis, and get cute art! Now with animations!
My DA My Shop

[B r i t a i n N u t]

I was told that if a problem isn't dealt with, or faced, it can effect you terribly mentally .
Even physically.