Flashbacks
As the wife of a stroke survivor I've found I have a reaction inside my gut every time I hear of someone having a stroke... actually I am both the wife of a survivor AND the daughter of a woman who died several months after having a massive stroke. The word STROKE itself makes me feel a sharp pain as I dig my fingernails into my palms. According to WebMD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) describes many people who experience or witness severe trauma (such as the death or illness of a loved one) and who relive the ordeal through memories, flashbacks and nightmare; they develop problems dealing with others, expressing themselves, and may have symptoms that keep them from functioning in a "normal" life. For people who experience a traumatic event these reactions are normal, but most people outgrow them in time. People who don't outgrow these crippling reactions, who are diagnosed with PTSD, often need help to find ways to cope. " Treatment for PTSD may inv