Can Trauma Cause Memory Loss? It’s Possible
Although it is important to increase your awareness of your triggers, doing so can cause some distress. Some people might become triggered by trying to identify their triggers. Therefore, before you take steps to identify your triggers, ensure you have a safety plan in place in case you experience some distress. Get out a sheet of trauma blackout paper and write down as many internal and external triggers as possible. Keeping track of your experiences and what was happening before you began to experience symptoms can help you better understand your triggers. Even though it may sometimes feel like PTSD symptoms come out of the blue, PTSD symptoms rarely spontaneously occur.
Traumatic causes of blackouts
If this happens, they will not remember anything that they did while they were drinking. Often the best response to extreme threat is to act aggressively to protect yourself. Many trauma survivors, especially those who went through trauma at a young age, never learn any other way of handling threat. They tend to become stuck in their ways of reacting when they feel threatened.
Press Resources
- A doctor may prescribe fludrocortisone to reduce blackouts in people who experience neurally mediated syncope.
- A post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trigger can include any sound, sight, smell, thought, or another reminder of a traumatic event.
- Terms such as “neurologic syncope”8,9 are simply confusing and have no place in the classification of T‐LOC.
- Dissociative amnesia is mainly characterized by an inability to recall important information about yourself as a result of dissociation, which is most commonly related to trauma or extreme stress.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. He has also struggled to contact family members due to what he described as a “communications blackout”. Mr Hasan said he was particularly worried about his mother, who had travelled to the capital Dhaka for medical treatment.
Why memories may become repressed
- This response protects you by preparing your body for action against a threat.
- ACEs may leave emotional scars that can cause repressed emotions to emerge as an adult.
- I jokingly call it my brain taking a vacation without me. This can be lethal if they occur while driving.
- One of the most common reasons your mind blocks out things is to protect you from unpleasant, distressing or traumatic experiences.
It happens when the brain does not receive enough oxygen supply for a short time due to problems in the regulation of blood pressure or due to cardiac problems. Syncope is the most common cause of the blackout, which comes on suddenly, usually lasts for a short time, and recovers fully. Blackouts can also occur due to epileptic attacks (seizures) and psychogenic reasons, such as stress and anxiety. Generally, a blackout is described as a period of unconsciousness or lack of awareness when you are unable to recall what happened or what you did.
What are the signs and symptoms of PTSD?
What other symptoms might occur with blackouts?
