When my T first began labeling my experiences 'flashbacks,' I was awfully confused, because in the movies it's people acting out a situation, the entire backdrop changes. I assumed that since part of me knew I was still here and now, then it must just be a memory. But "it was like I was back there" is the defining feature of a flashback. There are lots of different kind of flashbacks--sound, sight, smell, feel. But they all have that eerie, awful, back-in-the-moment feeling.
Exactly, skeksi! This was different than the memories that have been coming back to me - I was all too aware of how I had been feeling at that very moment, it was very scary. And I couldn't believe how strong my reaction was to it. Thank goodness it didn't last long. But now I keep going back to it, only I have to keep it at a distance, because I don't want to be back there again.

I think you'll hear lots of folks with the PTSD diagnosis saying the same thing. Even after years of PTSD treatment, I still sometimes doubt that it really is PTSD!
I think I should ask my T if she thinks I suffer from some form of PTSD - this is all very new to me!

Childhood trauma, abuse in particular, can cause PTSD, in large part because children know that adults can hurt them in devastating ways, so abusers need only make a threat or a physical gesture for the child to feel complete terror.
Although I did have some childhood trauma, this was related to a surgical procedure gone wrong from several years ago that resulted in a great deal of pain. I have always remembered the pain, but today I remembered the doctor telling me to brace myself before the pain came. It's hard to describe, but it was awful.