PTSD

What Causes Flashbacks

Flashbacks are a major concern for veterans. They are annoying and dangerous. For instance, if someone gets in your face and all of a sudden, you are back in the shit, you may wind up going way overboard for the situation! This is no good! Lets take a look at what is happening inside the mind during a flashback and why it is happening. They kind of go together.
  • The conscious mind files our experiences away
  • Those experiences are now on tap to guide us
  • We are already missing battle buddies
  • Lacking that, we revert to our base self
  • We may feel alone and threatened
  • Lets look at what happens and why

Before we start, let me tell you something about PTSI


No, that is not a typo. It is PTSD in the manual, because they need a label to file it under. Even when I was in treatment at the VA years ago, the doctor told me "PTSD is a natural reaction to 'UNnatural circumstances' or events."

So it is NOT a "Disorder" it is an injury. Therefore, it is NOT PTSD, It is PTSI, or Post Traumatic Stress Injury.

Funny thing here.

A disorder you have to learn to live with.

An "Injury" can heal!

A broken arm is an injury, does it not heal? But, in order to heal right, it needs attention and (in this case) a cast or at least a splint.

That broken arm is permanent also, because for the rest of your life, an X-Ray will revel that it was broken.

You see, in stressful situations, our mind can be reprogrammed pretty much instantly. The stress overrides the safeguards and viola, new programming is installed. Now, you have new reactions and defenses built in.

This is my take on the issue.

O.K. Back to our discussion.

PTSI/MST and the VA


The VA is following the writings of Sigmund Freud when it comes to PTSI and MST.

His ideas have been debunked many, many times.

He destroyed his early writings and started over about half way through his life.

But understand this, he was so addicted to cocaine, when he died, he had no cartilage in his nose!

That's right! Look it up! It is a documented FACT!

So understand this, the VA is following the work of a dope fiend!

Doesn't that make you feel you are in good hands at the VA?

Don't believe me? Look up the facts on veteran suicide and tell me they are doing it right when it comes to PTSI and MST.

You see, since 1999, TWENTY FIVE (25) TIMES more veterans have killed themselves, than have died on active duty.

The VA wants you to "relive the trauma, over and over, until (Somehow) it (Miraculously) loses its power over you."

Someone HAD to be on heavy drugs to come up with that swill!

If living through trauma somehow heals you, how come we have PTSI and MST?

If that were true, PTSI and MST would not exist!

The nature of traumatic experiences is it traumatizes us, even the second or fiftieth time!

There is a better way to deal with it than reliving it over and over!

Simple logic should tell us this, it is NOT rocket science!

In the first 2 minutes and 20 seconds of this video, George Carlin lays out the litany of names for PTSI over the years.

He also makes a statement about what all these name changes has caused.

The Conscious Mind Files Things Away


To attempt to make this as simple as possible, I am going to try to lay this out without $10 words and mountains of technical references. Feel free to ask should you read this and still have questions.

First, when we leave the service, we leave the protective cocoon of the unit, company, platoon or squad. Those people we were able to count on to cover our six, call warning of incoming, help spot the danger and so forth. They are no longer there. This causes us to feel vulnerable, weather we admit it or not. All of a sudden, we feel alone. This causes a disturbance in our entire system. There is something we may not be identifying as a loss, but it is a very significant loss after the experiences of military life. 

This one causes a lot of our troubles.

Two parts of the mind are involved here. The conscious and subconscious. The conscious mind is in charge of logic, short term memory, analytical thought, direct action, protecting us and protecting the integrity of the subconscious. In a normal “waking” state, the conscious mind analyzes all incoming data. Before it passes something to the subconscious for long term storage or other purposes, it compares current subconscious content to the new data under consideration, among other things. If the new data does not line up with the old data, the new data is rejected and never reaches the subconscious for action. The sub conscious mind is the long term memory, emotions, feelings, normal reactions, habits and it is also the gatekeeper of change. 

No real change happens without the subconscious.

This is why “willpower” is normally not enough to enact changes. At least not quickly. That new data, driven by “willpower” must filter in slowly making small changes, until the data sets match. When that happens, the conscious mind allows the new directives through and the subconscious seats them and makes them real.

(See Stephen C. Parkhill's “Onion is an Apple” in the "Hypnosis Info" section)

When we experience something, the conscious minds job is also to break it down and pass it off to the subconscious for long term storage. As stated above, the subconscious is in charge of long term memory. It contains a record of everything we have experienced in life. Every word, every smell, every word we have read in a book, every sound we have heard. But, when the conscious mind hits something it cannot readily break down and file away, like a horrific or really stressful situation, it has nothing to compare it to. So it will put that information aside, to tend to regular business and "get back to it later" in order to keep us safe and aware.

Now, a good deal of this filing is done during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. But, since the conscious mind is not really a long term storage facility, it will "float" unprocessed information for later review. The attempts to file things away during REM sleep are when we get many sleep disturbances such as nightmares, as the mind is trying to get a handle on the information. The conscious is comparing, again, the unprocessed information against the old, processed and properly filed away information, seeking reference points to assist it. Over time, this re-traumatizes us and compounds the problem.

So, this information is floating around unprocessed and the conscious mind will pull it up from time to time to try to do its job and break it down. The conscious mind compares current data to past data all the time to get reference points, in order to match things up and make sure the filing is going properly. But, when it hits something there are no real reference points for in the long term memory, to explain current data, then it hits a snag. Sometimes, the response is to go completely back into that memory and seek further data points it assumes it missed before, to make it possible to break down and file the information. This can happen seemingly randomly, or it can be triggered by outside situations, events, smells, sounds etc.

A sound or smell or something that does match the data set, causes the mind to grab onto the data floating around unprocessed seeking to match something up. Whatever the trigger, the conscious mind dives into that floating, unresolved issue and attempts to get a handle on it for processing. For us, this can be very real. 

This is what we call the "flashback." We are quite literally “Back in the shit.”

In us veterans, it is my experience that the issues involved were so extreme, so outside the norm, so wildly different, the mind literally goes into over drive, seeking resolution. This creates the repeated intrusive thoughts, sleep disturbances and flashbacks we experience with PTSI. The whole thing boils down to the turmoil of unresolved issues. When dealing with these issues in hypnosis, I have found it is very effective to not approach them head on, but to come in from an angle, disconnect the emotions involved, make an association (at times) and allow the conscious mind the relief of finally being able to process what was before, impossible to process.

There is another less disturbing but very similar issue the mind runs into. Everyone has experienced this one. That is the issue of getting a song "stuck" in your head. This is similar, however it is not exactly the same. The issue here is, the mind is goal oriented and it is trying to do it's job here. That song is now stuck in your head, sometimes all day. This is a little different in that it is easy to get that song out of your head. You see, the problem will be resolved if you just finish the song. That's right, finish the song and the mind will let go of it and move on. What the mind is looking for, is resolution. The mind does not like unfinished things. Like the memories involved in PTSI. That is also unfinished, because the mind is unable to break it down and file it away.

Once the information is properly filed, the symptoms start to settle down and things can get a little closer to “normal.” Relieving us of many of the problematical aspects of traumatic experiences, outside the realm of readily processed data which causes the majority of these symptoms listed here. I will not lie to you and tell you they will ever completely go away. We still do not understand enough about the mechanics of the process to accomplish that. But it sure helps!

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Scientists are just now starting to truly examine the possibilities that exist with hypnosis. For the longest time, doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists mocked hypnosis. But today, they at least get a serious overview in training. Remember, at one time they took this same attitude towards chiropractic medicine and today they not only recognize it and train in its capabilities, they make referrals to chiropractors for their patients.

Then there are the tens of thousands of success stories each year people share that glowingly recount major progress and success with the use of hypnosis - and those are only the stories that get shared. Many times the success stories never make it beyond close family members or friends. There are literally millions of success stories every year. I know hypnotists who have done 40,000 successful therapies and counting. And there are thousands upon thousands of hypnotists on this planet. And more are busy training as you read this.

Three (3) case studies from my own practice. I had a client who came to me for an issue. After our session, we were out front waiting for her taxi to arrive when I observed her chewing her nails. With her permission, I quickly hypnotized her again and planted one suggestion. I said “From now on, your nails will taste like SHIT!” For the first time in her more than 30 years of life, today, she has beautiful nails. Seems simple right?

Now, that's not exactly the the classic outcome, not that fast, but even as an exceptionally good and majorly lucky one shot result, 
you have to admit, it is impressive.

Another client who came to me for weight loss had a passion for chocolate. She could not stop herself. So, I gave her the ability to taste the best chocolate she ever had in her life on her own command. Then, I gave her another command to let her shut the taste-sensations off at will. She has not eaten any chocolate since because she gets her “fix” via the hypnotic effect of enhanced chocolate flavor without the calories or sugar. This is not an isolated thing. I have used it before, though not always with chocolate.

Another client came to me because the doctors told them everything that could be done had been done. Two vertebrae replaced with cadaver vertebrae and all the PT to recover, and the doctors said enjoy what you have, it will not get better! The client had no feeling in the legs and feet, so he was very clumsy. He also had no stamina and his balance was so far degraded, he could no longer ride a bike. After the 2 work sessions were done, he could feel a mosquito bite his legs, ride a bike and spend 8 hours on his feet without problems. I think that says a lot.

Doctors and psychiatrists will say there is no such thing as the subconscious or conscious mind. There is only one mind. First, there is the brain and there is the mind. One is physical, the other is the functioning of that. I suppose nobody ever clued their teachers in to the fact that these terms refer to functions of the brain and not a physical location within the brain. MRI technology has given us some insight into hypnosis and how it works.

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http://johnmongiovi.com/pages/brain-imaging

Neural activity in hypnosis

Hypnosis causes changes in brain activity and connectivity consistent with decreased self-consciousness, increased control of internal sensations and emotion, and less worry.

A study by researchers at Stanford University in July 2016 considered what takes place in the brain in general during hypnosis. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to observe brain activity in 57 subjects in hypnosis. Changes were observed in three specific areas of the brain:[11]

1. Reduced connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (part of the executive control network involved in planning and decision making) and the posterior cingulate cortex (the part of the default mode network active during self-related thinking). This reduced connection between planning of actions and self-awareness may account for the immediacy of action that takes place during hypnosis. In hypnosis, as in states of deep absorption in a task or performance, one acts spontaneously, without reflecting upon actions.

2. Increased connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (part of the executive control network involved in planning and decision making) and the insula (the part of the salience network involved in sensing and regulating internal bodily processes). This may be responsible for the increased control over bodily and emotional processes in hypnosis.

3. Reduced activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (part of the salience network involved in the emotional evaluation of errors and worrying). The dorsal ACC is also active during effortful performance. This reduced activity may explain why, in hypnosis and states of deep absorption, actions and performance take place effortlessly and with less worry.

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The main point to be taken from the above is #2. “Increased control over bodily and emotional processes in hypnosis.” Because in hypnosis we access a level of control we do not have outside hypnotic trance, we are able to effect changes in a very quick and positive manner not available to us normally. The power we have in this state is only limited by our own acceptance of our supremacy in our own lives. The operative part is the emotional control we exert in this state. 

We can in fact, alter our emotional reactions in any way we wish, to whatever we wish.

The next point is #3. “part of the salience network involved in the emotional evaluation of errors and worrying.” In hypnosis, we can literally shut down the worrying function and send it all back to the conscious mind for logical evaluation and processing. This allows us to change the reactions to stimuli outside our control. Like a loud noise or smell that triggers memories of something from the past.

This gives rise to the ability to realign our reactions to stimuli we cannot really control outside of trance. In conventional psychotherapy for instance, we can go for years and years and never effect true, positive change within our emotional reaction frame. Therefore, we are stuck with the reactive emotions to whatever stimuli we are dealing with.

In other words, the leopard cannot change its spots. But that changes entirely when we enter the hypnotic trance. Now we are able to alter our emotional reactions to whatever stimuli we wish. So, where we once came out of our skin at a sudden loud noise, we can change that reaction to just temporary heightened alert. We do not want to completely get rid of that reactivity for obvious reasons, it is part of our survival mechanism. This change heightens our survival ability because we no longer waste time jumping randomly, we react positively and in a focused manner.

This holds true with pretty much everything in our lives. Our brain is the control center and we can adjust the reaction levels up or down to a particular stimulus or event in order to stabilize our lives and get rid of the overreactions that were put in place during the fight or flight response. The overreaction of this system retrains the mind to react in an exaggerated manner, so taking control of it is a step towards our recovery process.

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What part of the brain controls the fight or flight response?

http://www.answers.com/Q/What_part_of_the_brain_controls_the_fight_or_flight_response

“The sympathetic nervous system. The hypothalamus, in close association with the limbic system of the brain. The "fight or flight" response is the term used for the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The two main chemicals involved (SP) here are the neurotransmitter "norepinephrine" (noradrenaline) and the hormone "epinephrine" (adrenaline). Noradrenaline is produced in the neurons and is secreted at the synapse to exert its "sympathetic" activity on various organs throughout the body. The nervous system is also responsible for eliciting epinephrine production from the adrenal medulla (a part of the suprarenal glands situated (SP) on the top of each kidney).”

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Once we understand the relationship between this natural bodily function and the brain's response to it, we hold a key for adjusting our emotional reactions, when given a repeat of stimuli that once triggered us negatively.

Of course this is only one part of the process, and it is a simplistic look at it, but as you should be able to see by now, hypnosis can indeed help those suffering from PTSI, whatever the cause.

The cause of PTSI is well documented. Any trauma, shock or significant stress can cause it. So I will pass on explaining that again and boring you to tears. Let's move on now to the symptoms we know all too well within our own lives.

What Are The Symptoms Of PTSI?

Here we get to our issue and take a look at the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual 5 (DSM V) and see what it says about our symptoms. The DSM V is the most recent doctors “Bible” of symptoms to assist them in diagnosis of problems they run into.

Take note of the ones that apply to you, in your life today.

(Copied and pasted straight out of the DSM V diagnostic criteria, from the VA website)

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp

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Criterion B (one required): The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced, in the following way(s):

Unwanted upsetting memories
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Emotional distress after exposure to traumatic reminders
Physical reactivity after exposure to traumatic reminders

Criterion C (one required): Avoidance of trauma-related stimuli after the trauma, in the following way(s):

Trauma-related thoughts or feelings
Trauma-related reminders

Criterion D (two required): Negative thoughts or feelings that began or worsened after the trauma, in the following way(s):

Inability to recall key features of the trauma
Overly negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world
Exaggerated blame of self or others for causing the trauma
Negative affect
Decreased interest in activities
Feeling isolated
Difficulty experiencing positive affect

Criterion E (two required): Trauma-related arousal and reactivity that began or worsened after the trauma, in the following way(s):

Irritability or aggression
Risky or destructive behavior
Hypervigilance
Heightened startle reaction
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty sleeping

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WOW! That's a hell of a list no? I guess we are kind of fucked up, folks! And those are only the 20 common symptoms they deemed worthy of including in the book. We can all add to that list.

What Happens In The Mind That Causes PTSI?

Bear in mind, I am NOT a doctor nor psychiatrist. But I have 56 years of experience with the human condition, I am a vet who suffered from PTSI, I am writing my 5th psychology book and have been dealing with and studying the mind, including via hypnosis for 49 years.

I do not profess to be an expert on any of these issues. However, I will tell you that my knowledge, training, experience and study give me a unique perspective on them. Show me someone with the same set of tools to work with, and I will bet you a dollar they will shortly be agreeing with me, if they don't do so immediately.

The cause

I will only address the first three in the list here. They are all inter-related and (in my understanding of the brain and how it functions) trace back to the same root cause. Let's take a look at what is happening inside the mind that has one, some or all of these symptoms.

During an average day, you see thousands of things. During the same time frame, the subconscious mind picks up millions of details we miss. This is because, in self defense, our subconscious mind filters out a lot from our conscious perceptions so we do not get sensory overload. But all of those bits of information are there inside our mind.

This is why, when I was teaching hand to hand combat, or later, self defense, I told my students to trust their gut! Your mind analyzes all input looking for matches and or discrepancies. When it hits a discrepancy, it sends out a warning, which is called “a gut reaction” and you should pay attention to that. There is a reason your gut tells you to do something, like go home and lock the door.

About the filters we all have in place. Say, you get a "wild hair" and buy a new camera. Then, when you walk out the door with your new camera, suddenly there are camera advertisements everywhere! On billboards, on TV, on buses, everywhere you look, you see camera related stuff. Why? Because when you bought that camera, you lifted a filter and now you perceive what was always there, but filtered out by your mind, the camera advertisements. Same thing happens when you buy a new (or new to you) car. All of a sudden, you notice that make and model, everywhere! This is because your mind is now no longer filtering them out, because you have a personal connection to them.

When in life something happens or we experience something, as I said, the mind analyzes it, compares it to past experience, breaks it down and files it away in the appropriate memory slot, for future reference. This is part of what is going on during the “Rapid Eye Movement” or “REM” cycle of our sleep. It is basic housekeeping of the mind. But, it does not only happen while we are asleep. That is just when the majority of the housekeeping is done.

When we experience something horrific, traumatic or shocking that is outside our normal experience set, the mind has nothing to compare it too. So, what does it do with the information? Well, since it cannot classify it, break it down, and store it away, it floats it in “limbo” inside our minds. That is to say, it holds it in stasis awaiting further information to help quantify it properly. 

That's not really the problem though.

The problem happens when the mind returns to that experience and tries again to classify, break down and store it away. In the process of this attempt, we often experience unwanted upsetting memories, nightmares and or flashbacks, as the mind is trying to seek our conscious assistance in breaking it down for proper storage or alternately, find whatever it might have missed the first 30,000 times it considered the event. Remember, the subconscious mind does not communicate at peak efficiency in words, it communicates in pictures, emotions and feelings.

That is a very basic breakdown of the how and why of the reliving portion of PTSI. I have had years to study and experience it. I have worked with and talked with many people (not all veterans) who have PTSI and I have developed a proprietary process to deal with it and reduce the symptoms that disrupt our sleep, our awake and in fact our lives. Unfortunately many of us never get real help and wind up like the 22 veterans a day who opt out in frustration and despair. 

I pray you and I never become one of them. It is not really a prestigious club.

So, I have developed a process I am very excited about. It incorporates many things that have helped me over the years and I am looking forward to using this process more and monitoring the beneficial effects. All of the components have proven successful as piecemeal therapy methods. I have just assembled the various parts into a cohesive, stand alone but VERY flexible process, to address the issues cumulatively known as PTSI directly, as indicated by our particular cause and effect issues.

The flexibility issue is the key to this. Each person afflicted with this is different. Their experiences, their other issues and so forth. It is quite like a fingerprint, in that everyone operates differently. That's where the flexibility comes into play. Since every case is unique, every person requires different methods, or, often, it is the same work, but done in a different order to address the individual nature of the problem. ALL of my work is custom tailored to the individual I am working with. It has to be, in order to be effective.

If you are interested in helping YOURSELF with this issue, contact me and we will discuss the particulars, explore options and then, if you are willing and selected, take the needed steps to start correcting that which can remain to plague us long after our traumatic incidents have passed. Hopefully this will lead to a fully functional PTSI treatment process for all who suffer from it. A process the VA and others will grab onto and run with, because it is superior to anything I have seen or been through.

What have you got to lose?

(If you work in the mental health field and treat vets with PTSI, go to the "Hypnosis Info" tab, read it, then the "Visiting Therapists" section under the "Training" tab, and read that also. Then contact me and let's compare notes and experiences. I am always looking for new information and new perspectives and sharing my own, to further our understanding of the condition, as well as treatment options. As I said above, 22 suicides a day is 22 too many.)

Memo, The Hypnotist

Email: Mind.Mechanic@Therapist.Net


NOTE: Nothing in this program is meant to replace your doctor, therapist, counselor, medications or anything else you are doing now. This is a private research program with the sole purpose of fact finding and testing some very promising processes. 

This is veterans helping veterans.

Expect miracles, accept success!

Nobody loves the warrior,
except the warrior

When the nation calls, warriors respond. They show up, train and go out and do things most civilians would never survive, physically maybe, but mentally for sure. Not all of our experiences are bad. We all had moments where the brotherhood out shined everything else in our world.

But, look only to the way the veteran is treated to understand that once the war is over, the civilians forget that the warrior gave them everything they have and everything they are ever going to have. The warrior is discarded and set adrift, which damages them more than the war. They are rejected as “defective” when all they did was give, everything, to those who reject them.

Like it was in service, we must stand together and support one another. Nobody else is going to do that, obviously. Even the VA, a department that is supposed to be only be there to help the veteran and lets us down all to often. Reach out, do buddy checks, care for each other. Have your buddies six.
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