Well, we are not therapists but I would say that I think that someone can have PTSD without having the flashbacks etc. It is not "just" about flashbacks. It can be avoidance due to fearing that something bad may happen. It could be that deep inside you feel that if you try to live your life and be happy it will just end up hurting you somehow. When someone experiences abuse or trama it effects their capacity to feel safe and thrive comfortably. There is also a heightened awareness and extreme sensitivity to things that many other people don't get bothered by and can manage to just overlook and not feel are important or threatening enough to be concerned about.

People with PTSD tend to isolate because they recognize they are very vulnerable and cannot predict how they will react when they are around other people. They feel they have lost that ability to control their emotions and they can get very anxious and uncomfortable and wont know how to explain it to others. They can also get extremely frustrated and angry because they have somehow lost that ability to "just" keep their composure and not have certain reminders of their trama/tramas disable them where they feel very threatened and unsafe and extremely vulnerable.

So it is not all about flashbacks, it is more about a sense of loss and confusion.

Open Eyes