WePow: Thank you for the links, I will check them out today for sure. I have suffered from PTSD and understand some of the process but look forward to seeing if the links add anything to what I know. I really do find the process of PTSD fascinating, if troublesome. Our brains are amazing and the gymnastics they do to try and protect us is worthy of a gold medal sometimes.

It is my understanding that memory as well as time lines are kept in the left brain. During a traumatic event the left brain shuts down temporarily and the memory is stored in the right brain where there is no past or future - everything is 'now'. Therefore, a sight, sound or smell recognized by the right brain in real time that correlates to a sight, soud or smell from the moment of trauma, relives it in real time. Though the left brain shut down in defense, like most defense mechanisms, eventually the cost is higher than the savings.