How do you know you're in an emotional flashback?

[sky]

I know intense emotions are one sign I'm in an emotional flashback, but then I always say to myself - but maybe I'm just having these intense emotions about the present situation because of a present situation (that doesn't involve abuse).  I've read that its easier to know you are having a PTSD flashback because there are more signs (visual memories of specific events) but with CPTSD there is just the emotional stuff - it's frustrating to try to figure out if I'm in an emotional flashback.  Would love to hear others thoughts on this.

[rainydiary]

Sometimes I feel changes in my body - my chest gets tight and I have this sense I can feel adrenaline or something moving through my body.  I also tend to get extremely emotional.

Other times it is less obvious and I won't realize I am in an EF (emotional flashback) for a while.  In these instances, sometimes someone else points out I seem off.  Often my thoughts are continuing to rehash things that are "old" and are just a way for my brain to get upset and keep me in the flashback.

I think it is possible that the intense emotions could be about the situation in addition to it reminding some part of you of feeling that way before.  I'm not sure it is always obvious though and for me the important part is taking care of myself when I do realize what's happening. 

[NarcKiddo]

I'm not really clear on the concept of EF and had not come across it until I found this site. However I am very familiar with a huge emotional surge out of all proportion, or even obvious relevance to, a current situation. When I describe such a response to my therapist she calls it a trauma response and suggests that it is arising from a past experience. She encourages me to ask myself "where is this coming from?" if I have such a response and when I am able to ask myself this question, and respond, I can usually tell what sort of childhood experience is being brought to the surface. I suppose I am actually having an EF when the emotional surge occurs.

For me, I think that it is an EF if my logical brain, either in the moment or when I analyse the reaction afterwards, cannot justify the strength of emotion compared to the current situation. If, say, somebody was raging directly at me and I had a huge emotional surge, for me there would be an element of EF probably, as this would remind me of childhood trauma. But it would also not be an unreasonable reaction to the present situation either. Whereas if my husband is raging because he dropped his toast butter-side down, which has nothing to do with me and the rage is not at me, I would have an equally large emotional surge, and that, I guess, would be an EF.

[Kizzie]

   Great explanation by NarcKiddo - it's an over the top or out of proportion emotional reaction basically and as Rainy says "I think it is possible that the intense emotions could be about the situation in addition to it reminding some part of you of feeling that way before." 

A lot of us refer to EFs as being triggered meaning something or someone has made us anxious and that brings up our past trauma. Two for one I guess you could say. For me I often feel as though it is my child or teen going through whatever is upsetting me in the present.