Types of Re-Experiencing in PTSD

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsFlashback Re-ExperiencesOther TypesCommon TriggersRe-Experiencing and PTSDTreatments

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Flashback Re-Experiences

Other Types

Common Triggers

Re-Experiencing and PTSD

Treatments

Close

Re-experiencing involves having sudden and unwanted traumatic memories that intrude into or even seem to replace what’s happening now. It is a core symptom ofpost-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).If you have PTSD, chances are you’ve had symptoms of re-experiencing.

At a GlanceRe-experiencing can happen after a person has experienced a trauma and is a common symptom of PTSD. Such experiences can involve having intrusive flashbacks that feel like re-living the traumatic event all over again. Treatment can help, and sometimes re-experiencing in a safe therapeutic environment can help a person process and heal. In this article, we’ll look at what re-experiencing feels like, what can trigger it, and how to get help.

At a Glance

Re-experiencing can happen after a person has experienced a trauma and is a common symptom of PTSD. Such experiences can involve having intrusive flashbacks that feel like re-living the traumatic event all over again. Treatment can help, and sometimes re-experiencing in a safe therapeutic environment can help a person process and heal. In this article, we’ll look at what re-experiencing feels like, what can trigger it, and how to get help.

Symptoms of Re-Experiencing

The particular content which is re-experienced varies from person to person based on their history of trauma, but the way this trauma is re-experienced is often similar between people with PTSD. Symptoms of re-experiencing include:

Flashbackscan be particularly frightening for people with PTSD. Unlike normal memories, a flashback is perceived as happeningright now,replacing the present scene.

If you’ve ever had a flashback, you know that flashback emotions and physical reactions like images, sounds, smells, tastes, and body reactions are the same and quite possibly just as distressing. In a flashback, you may lose all awareness of your present surroundings and live through the trauma as though it were happening again.

Unfortunately, people experiencing a flashback are generally unable to recognize that it is a flashback.

Flashbacks often center on the “Warning! Watch out!” moment when, at the time the trauma occurred, the personfirst feltthe threat of danger. This helps to explain why people having flashbacks may take sudden and strong defensive actions, sometimes causing harm to themselves or others—they’re feeling seriously threatenedright now.

Other Types of Re-Experiencing

There are other types of re-experiencing. For example, you may have had present-moment thoughts when you recalled a traumatic event, such as “Why did it happen to me?” or “How could I have kept it from happening?” You may even have thoughts of the ways the trauma has harmed your life.

Recap

Common Re-Experiencing Triggers

Another reason why re-experiencing can be so frightening is that most people with PTSD don’t know when they’ll encounter atriggeror what it will be. When a trigger suddenly appears, it seems to “come out of the blue.”

Stories in the Media

News stories describing traumatic events can trigger re-experiencing symptoms, especially when those stories contain similarities to your own traumatic event. It may come as a surprise to you, however, that this can happen even with reported events (or aspects of them) that have very little connection with people’s own traumas.

This fact can be hard for those without PTSD to understand, and the lack of understanding can further isolate you with your symptoms.

Other Personal Triggers

Other trigger cues may simply be brief sensations that were part of a person’s traumatic event, such as a tone of voice, a certain way light falls on an object, or a touch or movement of a part of the body. Internal triggers such as intrusive memories and mental imagery may also lead to re-experiencing.

Does Re-Experiencing Predict PTSD?

It’s common for a person to have an intrusive re-experience of a traumatic event very soon after it occurs. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that the person will develop PTSD.

Researchers don’t know exactly why some people develop PTSD after a traumatic event, and others don’t. Many factors, including genetics, family history of mental illness, repeated exposure to trauma, and lack of support systems, can play a role.Experts do believe, however, that addressing the trauma with a good therapist can lessen the likelihood that you will develop PTSD.

Risk Factors for PTSD

Treatments for PTSD and Re-Experiencing

Treatment for PTSD can be very helpful and reduce your re-experiencing symptoms. Types of therapy that can be helpful include:

Grounding Techniques for PTSD

In addition to general treatment options for PTSD, therapies such asgrounding techniquescan be particularly beneficial in helping people “ground” themselves in reality and reduce the likelihood of slipping into a flashback.

Some examples of grounding techniques include turning up loud music or sniffing some strong peppermint.

In order for grounding techniques to be most effective, it’s important to recognize when these are needed. Manypeople with PTSD find it helpful to identify their triggersand find ways to reduce these orcope with their triggerseven before grounding techniques might be needed.

Press Play for Advice On Healing From Trauma

Keep in Mind

Re-experiencing is a core symptom of PTSD and can be terrifying, not to speak of draining, for a person who is brought face to face yet again with their trauma. Re-experiencing does not mean that you have a ​diagnosis of PTSD, as these symptoms may occur after a traumatic event even for those who do not go on to develop PTSD.

Yet one way or another,finding a good therapist is critical. A therapist can help you manage your PTSD or to reduce the likelihood that you will develop PTSD in the future.

The Best Online Trauma Therapy, Tried and Tested

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180National Institute of Mental Health.Post-traumatic stress disorder.Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180Bar-Haim Y, Stein MB, Bryant RA, et al.Intrusive traumatic reexperiencing: pathognomonic of the psychological response to traumatic stress.AJP. 2021;178(2):119-122. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19121231Abdalla SM, Cohen GH, Tamrakar S, Koya SF, Galea S.Media exposure and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a mass traumatic event: AnIn-silicoexperiment.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:674263. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674263Clark IA, Mackay CE.Mental imagery and post-traumatic stress disorder: A neuroimaging and experimental psychopathology approach to intrusive memories of trauma.Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:104. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00104Miao XR, Chen QB, Wei K, Tao KM, Lu ZJ.Posttraumatic stress disorder: from diagnosis to prevention.Mil Med Res. 2018;5(1):32. doi:10.1186/s40779-018-0179-0Ito M, Horikoshi M, Resick PA, et al.Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of cognitive processing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder among Japanese patients: the Safety, Power, Intimacy, Esteem, Trust (SPINET) study.BMJ Open. 2017;7(6):e014292. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014292Bisson JI, Cosgrove S, Lewis C, Robert NP.Post-traumatic stress disorder.BMJ. 2015;351:h6161. doi:10.1136/bmj.h6161

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180National Institute of Mental Health.Post-traumatic stress disorder.Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180Bar-Haim Y, Stein MB, Bryant RA, et al.Intrusive traumatic reexperiencing: pathognomonic of the psychological response to traumatic stress.AJP. 2021;178(2):119-122. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19121231Abdalla SM, Cohen GH, Tamrakar S, Koya SF, Galea S.Media exposure and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a mass traumatic event: AnIn-silicoexperiment.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:674263. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674263Clark IA, Mackay CE.Mental imagery and post-traumatic stress disorder: A neuroimaging and experimental psychopathology approach to intrusive memories of trauma.Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:104. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00104Miao XR, Chen QB, Wei K, Tao KM, Lu ZJ.Posttraumatic stress disorder: from diagnosis to prevention.Mil Med Res. 2018;5(1):32. doi:10.1186/s40779-018-0179-0Ito M, Horikoshi M, Resick PA, et al.Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of cognitive processing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder among Japanese patients: the Safety, Power, Intimacy, Esteem, Trust (SPINET) study.BMJ Open. 2017;7(6):e014292. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014292Bisson JI, Cosgrove S, Lewis C, Robert NP.Post-traumatic stress disorder.BMJ. 2015;351:h6161. doi:10.1136/bmj.h6161

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180National Institute of Mental Health.Post-traumatic stress disorder.Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180Bar-Haim Y, Stein MB, Bryant RA, et al.Intrusive traumatic reexperiencing: pathognomonic of the psychological response to traumatic stress.AJP. 2021;178(2):119-122. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19121231Abdalla SM, Cohen GH, Tamrakar S, Koya SF, Galea S.Media exposure and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a mass traumatic event: AnIn-silicoexperiment.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:674263. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674263Clark IA, Mackay CE.Mental imagery and post-traumatic stress disorder: A neuroimaging and experimental psychopathology approach to intrusive memories of trauma.Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:104. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00104Miao XR, Chen QB, Wei K, Tao KM, Lu ZJ.Posttraumatic stress disorder: from diagnosis to prevention.Mil Med Res. 2018;5(1):32. doi:10.1186/s40779-018-0179-0Ito M, Horikoshi M, Resick PA, et al.Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of cognitive processing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder among Japanese patients: the Safety, Power, Intimacy, Esteem, Trust (SPINET) study.BMJ Open. 2017;7(6):e014292. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014292Bisson JI, Cosgrove S, Lewis C, Robert NP.Post-traumatic stress disorder.BMJ. 2015;351:h6161. doi:10.1136/bmj.h6161

Brewin CR.Re-experiencing traumatic events in PTSD: new avenues in research on intrusive memories and flashbacks.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:27180. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27180

National Institute of Mental Health.Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bar-Haim Y, Stein MB, Bryant RA, et al.Intrusive traumatic reexperiencing: pathognomonic of the psychological response to traumatic stress.AJP. 2021;178(2):119-122. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19121231

Abdalla SM, Cohen GH, Tamrakar S, Koya SF, Galea S.Media exposure and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a mass traumatic event: AnIn-silicoexperiment.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:674263. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674263

Clark IA, Mackay CE.Mental imagery and post-traumatic stress disorder: A neuroimaging and experimental psychopathology approach to intrusive memories of trauma.Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:104. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00104

Miao XR, Chen QB, Wei K, Tao KM, Lu ZJ.Posttraumatic stress disorder: from diagnosis to prevention.Mil Med Res. 2018;5(1):32. doi:10.1186/s40779-018-0179-0

Ito M, Horikoshi M, Resick PA, et al.Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of cognitive processing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder among Japanese patients: the Safety, Power, Intimacy, Esteem, Trust (SPINET) study.BMJ Open. 2017;7(6):e014292. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014292

Bisson JI, Cosgrove S, Lewis C, Robert NP.Post-traumatic stress disorder.BMJ. 2015;351:h6161. doi:10.1136/bmj.h6161

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