Strong Flashbacks

[Shadowplay]

I experienced my first flashback which happened yesterday night. I went to bed, I was quite tired, completly sober.

Woke up after 1-3 hours and it was still dark outside. I felt really high and had quite strong CEV:s, then I closed my eyes to try to shut any light out. And it hit me like a rock.

Went into spirals of fractals with thousands of colourful gigantic letter formed objects which appeared in red, green and yellow. It was a superfast zoom into this fractal. I would say it reminded me about my strongest acid trip I ever had. After roughly 1 minute it faded and I fell asleep again. I'm on 1500 mg Keppra a day which should prevent flashbacks too according to a study. Then I wonder.. what would have happened yesterday if I wasn't even medicated?

 

Anways, I enjoyed it, but now afterwards it's a bit tricky as you wonder what your brain is up to when things like that goes down.

 

You can share your flashbacks here, if you got any.

[Microdotsandkush]

I get a flashback about 2 or 3 times a week. They last for about 15 seconds and can get pretty intense sometimes. The visuals don't get crazy it's just the mindset that comes for 15 seconds. I have visuals 24/7 due to HPPD, but when I get flashbacks I feel like I fall into a psychedelic mindset and start getting really paranoid and anxious for no reason. I believe those are acid flashbacks that I am having but who knows I've done a lot of drugs.

[415_stylee]

I had flashbacks once or twice after use of hallucinogens. They are very brief and intense, it really feels like being on the drug. One I remember very clearly, was a month after i had dropped a large dose of HBWR seeds (LSA), in 2006. It occured upon an abrupt awakening from sleep. For 15 seconds I tripped without the drug being present. The melty, textureless cartoony visuals, the looping sounds, the "dreaming awake" trippy feeling, everything rendered in perfect detail. Total panic attack in other words!

I have not had such flashbacks since then, the HPPD "permafried" sensation is not a flashback really, more a changed neurochemistry, so I don't count it.

Flashbacks are a burnt in memory, which on occasion can repeat. It's because a psychedelic trip is so intense, it makes an lasting impression. The very same mechanism as PTSD traumas are, only not necessarily negative.

Since I have had PTSD also, from a trauma, I can confirm that you relive smells, sounds, every aspect of sensory impression from the traumatic event in perfect detail. It's very forceful and can pop up unexpectedly.

Thankfully, flashbacks and PTSD are entirely psychological reactions, not changed neurochemistry, though they can potentially damage the brain in the long run due the excessive exposure to stress hormones.

The brain will eventually begin to forget, that's why the flashbacks seem fade to nothing after some months/years.

So a medication like Keppra can't really stop flashbacks, since it doesn't remove the psychological reaction. Keppra works against the neurological changes that is HPPD.

In conclusion: don't worry, flashbacks will cease to happen the more time passes.

But yes they are damn frightening when they happen!