Brad Schipke explains how PTSD triggers feel real: your brain blurs memory and present moment, so a sound or smell can make your body react as if the trauma is happening now. It's a protective response that persists until the trauma is fully processed.
Why do PTSD triggers feel so real? Well, the answer is actually simple. So your brain can't tell the difference between a memory and the present moment. And that's why something small like a sound, a smell, or even the tone of a voice can flood your body with panic because that external stimulus in the environment reminds your brain and your body of the past trauma. So your body reacts in the same way in an attempt to protect you. It's not because you're weak. It's because that your brain hasn't filed that event as over yet. It hasn't fully completed that or fully processed it. Once you fully process the trauma, the alarms finally stop going off and you feel at peace again. If you want to learn how to do that, make sure to hit subscribe and watch some of my longer videos.
