Why is past trauma coming back now? (2023)

Is it normal for trauma to come back?

It's common for a person to have an intrusive re-experience of a traumatic event very soon after it occurs. But this doesn't necessarily mean that the person will develop PTSD. Researchers don't know exactly why some people develop PTSD after a traumatic event, and others don't.

Individuals may actively reenact elements of a past traumatic experience as a way to cope with and master it. At times, the attempt is an adaptive process that facilitates the successful resolution and working through of the earlier trauma.

According to the theory, you're most likely to remember memories from contexts that are similar to the context you're in now. Because your mental context is always changing, your mental context will be most similar to recently experienced memories.

Some people's efforts to block residual feelings of trauma may look like adapting avoidance behavior to avoid feelings of pain, also called trauma blocking. What is Trauma blocking? Trauma blocking is an effort to block out and overwhelm residual painful feelings due to trauma.

PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.

Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.

Use trauma-focused talk therapy to help recover repressed memories. It's a slow process, but talking out your experiences and feelings can help you slowly unravel memories that are hidden in your mind. Your therapist will listen as you talk about your current issues, as well as your past.

How do you tell if you have repressed trauma?

But anyone who's had a traumatic experience knows that can be easier said than done. Traumatic experiences aren't like your run of the mill hard times or challenges. They're profoundly upsetting or distressing on a deeper, more personal level, making them hard not to revisit as time goes on.

For some people, ruminating thoughts are a way to control anxiety. It may mean you're replaying life events in an attempt to make sure that next time, you're prepared and won't feel as anxious. Repeating entire conversations in your head is a type of rumination. It's how your mind attempts to self-soothe.

According to McLaughlin, if the brain registers an overwhelming trauma, then it can essentially block that memory in a process called dissociation -- or detachment from reality. "The brain will attempt to protect itself," she added.

Communication pitfalls to avoid

Stop your loved one from talking about their feelings or fears. Offer unsolicited advice or tell your loved one what they “should” do. Blame all of your relationship or family problems on your loved one's PTSD. Give ultimatums or make threats or demands.

It is generally related to a single traumatic event. Complex PTSD, on the other hand, is related to a series of traumatic events over time or one prolonged event. The symptoms of complex PTSD can be similar but more enduring and extreme than those of PTSD.

Avoidance of thoughts, feelings, people, places, or any reminders of what happened. Difficulty remembering details of the event. Changes in mood, memory, or thinking patterns. Hypervigilance, sleep problems, anger outbursts, or self-destructive behavior.

Talk to a therapist

After a trauma, wait a few weeks for your emotions to die down and then actively recall your memory in a safe space. Some therapists advise you to talk about the experience in detail once or twice per week. Others prefer that you write out a narrative of your story and then read it during therapy.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a form of psychotherapy that was specifically designed to alleviate the distress of traumatic memories. Research has proven EMDR effective at achieving this result. If you're considering EMDR, I encourage you to find an EMDR-certified therapist.

Do repressed memories come back?

Repressed memories can come back to you in various ways, including having a trigger, nightmares, flashbacks, body memories and somatic/conversion symptoms. This can lead to feelings of denial, shame, guilt, anger, hurt, sadness, numbness and so forth.

They may push away or find fault with loved ones and friends. Also, drinking and drug problems, which can be an attempt to cope with PTSD, can destroy intimacy and friendships. Verbal or physical violence can occur. In other cases, survivors may depend too much on their partners, family members, and friends.

Trauma Affects Your Relationship with Others

Ignoring a traumatic experience that you have gone through can make it hard to form close bonds. When someone has betrayed our trust before, it makes it hard to let others in.

Eye contact is broken, the conversation comes to an abrupt halt, and clients can look frightened, “spacey,” or emotionally shut down. Clients often report feeling disconnected from the environment as well as their body sensations and can no longer accurately gauge the passage of time.