post session flooding

last night we had our first session after a month and it was much shorter than usual but we had-still have-so much built up and almost immediately after leaving started getting floods of flashbacks body memories its really bad. we cant stop the flooding and we dont know what to do,we sent her an email but she doesnt always check and phone contact is off limits. we are in so much pain and so scared please does anyone have any ideas to help?

Wow, I am sorry to hear this. Have you tried doing any grounding or breathing exercises? Are there any friends you can go be with?

we sent a few texts to friends but so far no reply were using the 5 senses grounding as much as possible to stay present but the memories/fb are coming in waves and its getting harder to ride them out sometimes hard to separate memory from reality ugh

I know it can be hard. Breathing stuff helps me the most if I am not too far gone. Sometimes nothing helps except time. Sometimes I just lie in bed tightly wound up in the sheets and yell.

Flashbacks can be so difficult. I am sorry you are in so much pain right now.
Keep posting and maybe even just keep sending T emails. My T allowed me to do that for my flashbacks. He rarely responded to those. Sometimes he didn't even read them. But that was OK in the long run. I just needed to have a space where I could use my voice and get it all out into the world. To get it outside of me. To make my pain known to the rest of humanity.

wepow-did writing them out make it better or worse?

It made it better because I was giving myself a voice. T gave me the email so I would have a container for that voice. But I had to write it out. The other option was keeping it inside and suffereing. It was very bad. I still use those emails if I have a flashback - like I did earlier this week. I have sent my T 20 emails before in one day. But I needed them. I had to get the poison out of my being. Someone had to know what I was going through WHILE I was going through it. I would say stuff like "Venting email - flashback in progress - thank you for holding this space"
and then I let it ALL out. I wrote without checking spelling. I wrote without any filters at all. I just wrote whatever it was until I had no more words. Then I would send it and go cry. Then after a while I might email again - same process.
I would do this as often as I needed to do it until the flashback was over and I had given my pain a voice. And it helped out more than anyone can ever know. My T knew it would. And he gave me a gift by letting me do that. It is not a gift every T can give a client. And the client has to understand that those emails may never be read and may not be answered at all. But the emails are there as a way to give us the space we need in order to heal.

i wonder if we would be alowed to do that? did writng them evr make you be back in thm?

Writing never made me feel back in them and sending stuff to therapist could help get it away from me. The problem I have with writing is that if I am so far gone as to have trouble distinguishing what is real and what is not in the moment, I often do not have the wherewithal to physically write or type.

yes stopdog thats what we have rigt now hard to separste reality

Flashbacks are SO difficult to endure.....My T encourages me to find ways of getting grounded....but sometimes it's not enough. So, getting up and DOING something - ANYTHING - that can serve as a distraction can be helpful. Splashing cold water on my face....Holding onto ice....I find that going out with friends, or going to a place, or to the movies, etc. helps at least temporarily.

I was already in the flashbacks when I would email my T. My emailing was a way I was able to stay grounded and safe while in the processing stages of the flashback.

Wow!

I've never had a flashback. What are they like? Unpleasant, obviously.

Is it a vivid, unwelcome, uncontrollable memory or do you actually feel you are reliving the events?

Do you have access to a bath tub for a hot bath with salt?

Salt can help ground you and can help clear negative thoughts and feelings.

I thought this was a foolish idea, and then I tried it. I started using quite a bit of salt (like cup in a bath) and i felt that it worked.....

Plus, it gave me something to do.

I realize this takes some planning, but I also recommend Cypress oil or Clary Sage, put on your wrists.

Again, I thought this was nonsense until I tried it, and read about plant medicines which have NO side effects when used as essential oils and they work.

At any rate, more important, please keep posting here. You will find support.

Hang in there and hugs to you.....

I don't think I've had seriously intense flashbacks, not like trinity or WePow are talking about here, but I have had moments where I just felt taken over by a memory, feeling as though I was there and the whole thing was real right now ..... with the emotions of then and now mixed together somehow.

One thing that helps me when I feel about to be overtaken by emotion/memory is to move, to exercise ...... a long run can do a lot to clear my mind of things I don't want to take it over.

Trinity, I hope you are doing/feeling better now.....

thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions. its been a miserable day and nobody irl was there for us to help despite numerous pleading. the waves are in a less intense phase right now but we are so physically mentally exhausted. we will write down the suggestions when we are a bit more coherent but for now we just wanted to make sure we thanked everyone. and we apologize for not remembering who asked what the fb are like but yes,they are intense painful overwhelming as if it is actually happening right now like the present doesnt exist and we feel the pain smell hear taste-we wouldnt wish this on anyone

I am glad they have become less intense. I hope they continue to ease off.