Depression and Emotional Flashbacks |
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By: Rivkah Horowitz Posted: 2007-02-04 23:07:35 |
| What is an emotional flashback and how does it influence depression? We have all seen flashbacks in movies; usually they are portrayed as visual memories of a past event or experience triggered by a current event or experience. Even the rap singer Eminem uses flashbacks in his video to show scenes from his childhood and thus express feelings towards a difficult relationship with his mother. At one point in the video, we see the singer Eminem as a grown-up watching himself as a child being mistreated by his mother. There are also flashbacks where a person from the past appears in the present. In the popular TV show Six Feet Under where we see the character Nat talking to his dead father as if he is still alive. We also associate flashbacks with posttraumatic stress disorder; like veterans of war who have flashbacks of bombings from loud noises in the street.In film, these images of flashbacks need to be visual but the underlying aim is to express emotions around a past event. In everyday life we all experience flashbacks at times. For example, when a song comes on the radio and all of sudden we feel sad as memories come back of an ex boyfriend we associate with the song. Flashbacks come from deep within our memory and sometimes we do not even recall the event that causes the feeling. The smell of a flower may cause us to feel a strange melancholy, a deja vu type feeling but we cannot remember the event that goes with it. Sometimes, we are not even conscious of a flashback, often times it is just a feeling that appears to come from nowhere. People who suffer from depression are often victims of flashbacks without knowing it.If we are not conscious of what triggers our feelings, we may believe that these feelings do not come from an event outside of ourselves but rather define who we are. If we are conscious that it is an event that caused us to feel powerless we then know it is not permanent. For example if we lose a job, we feel powerless but it does not define who we are as a person inside as we know the cause. With emotional flashbacks, however, a person may have that feeling of powerlessness without even being aware of the cause, which could date back as far as childhood. We see this happen often in children victim of sexual abuse. There is a major difference between saying "I feel powerless due to the job situation" to believing "I am powerless as a person". The second statement can lead to depression.In Eminem's video we see him hiding in his closet as a child, frightened, but in reality the feeling of fear is often remembered disassociated from the actually event and without the words needed to express it. Children do not rely on words, they simply feel. For example, a woman who had a violent father that she had to hide from may over react when she hears her husband shouting in anger and be struck by panic though her husband is not violent. Feelings from the past, of fear and powerlessness, may overcome her. She may not recognizing that she is not only reacting to her husband but reliving emotions from a past event. She could easily answer back to her husband but due to emotional flashbacks, she is terrified and unable to deal with the situation. In childhood she felt this fear but had no words to express it. Words can help us to understand and deal with feelings.In depression, people may suffer from emotional flashbacks without knowing it. For example, take a person who felt rejected by a parent in childhood. As an adult a certain tone of voice similar to that parent's voice may cause an emotional flashback of such feelings as being a burden, or unwanted and powerless. The tone of voice in this case has a similar effect as the loud noise bringing up flashbacks of violence for a veteran of war. This memory and the feelings it brings up, especially of powerlessness, can be a possible contributing cause of depression. People who are depressed often talk of the feeling of falling into a hole. This 'hole' can be a type of flashback of a very painful 'emotional' memory, often a type of trauma. Flashbacks can be quite strong, as veterans of war suffering from posttraumatic stress know.The concept of emotional flashbacks can help people to understand and gain a sense of control over these very strong emotions that appear to come from nowhere. Flashbacks are not the same as posttraumatic stress disorder; flashbacks are one of many symptoms of PTSD. We all have flashbacks, probably much more frequent then we realize, and most of the time they are pleasant memories. It is only when they interfere with our life that we need to bring them up and verbalize them, and recognize that they are not part of us but belong to our past. This is difficult to do alone and may require professional help of a therapist. There are many different approaches. What is important is to find a therapist you feel comfortable with and have confidence in. It is important to remember that depression is a complex illness with many different possible causes including biological and varied treatment plans that need to be assessed by a professional.About the author: Rivkah Horowitz is an experienced psychotherapist who has worked with clients for 15 years, dealing with depression, anxiety, OCD, etc. She uses cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques for stress reduction. Rivkah has recently started a telephone counseling service to reach out to people who otherwise could not receive help. |
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