Flashbacks.
 

Ever since i left hospital i have suffered from horrible flashbacks of being in there. I thought i had it under control kinda. But recently over the last week or so they seem to have got worse again and i can't really explain why, is that normal?

It's to the point now where i'm getting basically no sleep because of them. This is proberly gonna sound silly but to me it seems worse and more scary when i have my eyes shut, it's to the point now where when ever i shut my eyes to go to sleep i get flashback. I guess you could say basically im terrifed of shutting my eyes now. *feels stupid*

Could really do with some advice any ideas or anything on how to cope with them and make them not so scary would be great.

I don't think i can cope with it any longer if i'm honest. :crying:

*hugs* sorry i dont have any advise, do you have a psych or doctor you could talk to about this?
xxx

Are your flashbacks purely dream induced, or do they happen when you're awake as well?

I would recommend looking in the Abuse/Bullying section. It's not entirely pertinent to your situation, but there are lots of threads about dealing with flashbacks of every sort.

Do you have a therapist of some sort? They can be wonderful for working through this things with.

Even though almost everyone says this one, the safe place technique is really effective.

Thanks for the replies yes i do have then when i'm awake as well. As for seeing someone, i don't see anyone anymore. To be honest i don't think it would help seeing anyone, as since then i have lost all faith and trust in mental health people. I'm not ever giving them the chance to put me in that situation again.

this flashback help thread may be of use to you. there are a lot of tips in there of how to make them more manageable.

the nightmares and sleeping tips may be of use too


flashbacks are awful things... but try to remember they are memories, in the past, they can't hurt you now.


I can emophorsice greatly with you... I am currently seriously struggling with flashbacks nd nightmares too...

do you mind me asking what was so bad about being in there ???
i mean theya re only out for your own good i know i was in there they took away my shoes and slippers and injected me ,i couldnt walk for three days and couldnt go to the eating room for food .was pretty bad .any time i looked side ways they drugged me and i was comatose .my family put me there i couldnt leave
was it that bad for you
but i know i was unwell and i would have done away with my self on the outside
id love to know ur experienxe
maybe you dont want to talk about it

If you want to talk about what the flashbacks are about, please do PM me as I have had many hospital admissions and most of them had a lot of traumatic stuff in them, restraints and stuff. And when the police sectioned me, they did some stuff to me that I will never forget (handcuffs, legs tied together, thrown in a riot van etc).

So please do PM me and I can try and help you through them, and try and give you tips on how to block them out.

Hugs.

I'm not sure what to say apart from, I can completely relate. I still get flashbacks of being in hospital 2 years ago. The abuse section on this site is good as mentioned above.
I always assumed it wouldn't be taken seriously cos it's a weird thing to have flashbacks about but I guess it's just as serious as anything else. Keep going xxx

The links where of some help but it seems kinda strange to me for me to be looking in the abuse section. I havn't ever really thought of it in that way, don't think i really want to either, hardly counts as abuse what they did does it.
I dunno lots of little things happened in there that i can't explain or get my head round no matter how hard i try. I don't think i remember everything that happened in there, i kinda feel like i have bits of time that i can't account for can't remember. I've never spoke about what happened when i was in there with anyone, as much as i have many questions that i would like the anwser too. Guess i'm scared of what i'll find out. Maybe i'm better off not knowing. I'm not making sense. I dunno what else to say right now, apart from i just wanna cry.

I know how you feel. I have never properly spoke to anyone in real life about my most serious experiences in hospital. I always downplay it. I don't mind talking about what happened on RYL though. I am thinking about bringing it up with my psychologist as its distressing me. Perhaps you should try and get some sort of therapy to deal with it? Or just talk to someone you trust about it? Sometimes talking it all out can help, a lot.

I dunno, the thought of talking about it with anyone fills me with dread. I don't even want to think about it, let alone talk about it. I just want to forget it ever happened.

I don't trust anyone anymore, i struggled to trust people before i went in there but now i have just lost all trust in everyone. So i just stay issolated in my own little bubble.

I'm scared and not willing to let anyone in at the moment, and why should i?! Why should i give them another chance. I lost all faith in any kind of proffesional ever helping after being in there. I know what's coming now, the "well we can help you get better and work together to get though this," line. Just makes me so anger and upset when i hear that, i think to myself why i they even saying this? Why bother, we both know that it's not true and there only saying it becuase it's there job too. They couldn't care less really well that's how i feel now anyway.

Maybe i will never get anywhere, i'm starting to think i wont becuase i just can't bring myself to let anyone in to my little world. I know if i'm honest with myself i'm only getting worse and i can't do this on my own. But i feel as though i don't have a choice anymore.

I feel all alone in a down hill battle that isnt ever going to get any better, and there is nothing i can do about it, i try so hard sometimes, but i always seem to come crashing back down no matter how hard i try.

Why can't i just get a grip?! Why wont my mind just leave the past alone where i want it to stay, rather than dragging it up nearly everyday.

I'm rambling now, have no idea where i'm going so i'm going to shut up. :pinch:

The past affects many of us badly, I'm afraid. And it impacts on your life too. I can't look at one of those police riot vans without having a flashback.

Anyway.

If you want to do away with these flashbacks, then you need to talk to someone about it. Because ever since I talked on RYL about my flashbacks, they have been easier to deal with. I still get them every day, but they don't make me freeze or send this electric shiver down my spine like they used to. I'm not saying you should go on RYL and tell everyone everything, but I think you should talk to someone about at least some of it.