[Virginia1991]

I just started therapy in August. I have been diagnosed with PTSD from childhood trauma. My childhood was crazy and confusing. When I have flashbacks they are always of violence I witnessed. I have never forgotten about these memories and remember these scenes vividly. However since starting therapy I have had flashbacks of csa. The thing is I don't remember this happening. Is it possible for flashbacks to be false? Has this happened to anyone else?

[Leah123]

Flashbacks can be a fairly accurate representation of a specific event, or they can be an amalgamation of multiple events, and they can include false elements, because memory is imperfect- it becomes faded, distorted, etc. over time, just naturally, and can become moreso if we push for memories to fill in blanks (not saying that's what you've done, just mentioning it). As for entirely false memories, well, there is such a thing, but that doesn't mean your flashbacks are true or false, that question is way beyond us to address. I have heard of trauma survivors who, in their sincere search to sort out and work through their abuse did fill in blanks, creating 'memories' that were proved false. Many years ago, when I was working through my child abuse in survivor groups, for example, I experienced some of that effect: having memories that stretched beyond plausibility. Personally, I don't believe it's common to have a flashback that is entirely false, but I don't suppose it's impossible. I'm sending healing thoughts your way as you work through a horrendous experience. This kind of work can be so disturbing.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Virginia1991

I just started therapy in August. I have been diagnosed with PTSD from childhood trauma. My childhood was crazy and confusing. When I have flashbacks they are always of violence I witnessed. I have never forgotten about these memories and remember these scenes vividly. However since starting therapy I have had flashbacks of csa. The thing is I don't remember this happening. Is it possible for flashbacks to be false? Has this happened to anyone else?

yes flashbacks can be false as can child sexual abuse memories...if you google false memories of abuse you will find many documented cases where day care workers, therapists, psychiatrists have induced false memories, false flashbacks in people of all ages.

suggestion maybe you can talk to your treatment provider, so that you and the person you are receiving therapy sessions with/from can slow things down or stop working on the trauma issues until you can figure out whether you are experiencing false memories/false flashbacks that could possibly be therapy induced since its only been going on since you started therapy.