Common signs of an emotional flashback

• Card 1

  During

  • A sudden, intense feeling — fear, shame, panic, grief, powerlessness
  • A sense of shrinking, or feeling much younger than your actual age
  • An urge to fight, flee, freeze or appease someone
  • Feeling small, unseen, or as though you have no options
  • A physical reaction: racing heart, shaking, nausea, a tight throat

• Card 2

  Afterwards

  • Exhaustion, as though you've been through something physically demanding
  • Shame or embarrassment about how you reacted
  • Confusion about why the feeling was so strong
  • A slow, gradual return to feeling more like 'yourself'

  None of these signs mean something is wrong with you. They are signals that your nervous system linked the present moment to something from the past.

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