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“The amygdala stores the visual images of trauma as sensory fragments,
which means the trauma memory is not stored like a story,
but by how our five senses
were experiencing the trauma
at the time it was occurring.
The memories are stored
through fragments of visual images,
smells, sounds, tastes, or touch.”
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My two cents: I always searched for the narrative, the cognitive story that would unlocked my total healing. Instead, a sensory trigger that associates with a stored fragmented sense ( sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) is the culprit.
We add the story to complete that fragmented visual, or smell, sound, taste or touch into our trauma narrative. Fabrication comes to mind.
Fear does not contain fear inside itself. Our narrative adds the fear. Our emotions seem to add weight or have a larger impact to our thoughts. When we get angry thoughts gain massive power.
Our trauma is not this big monster, the long suffering novel I have carried for decades, but a fragmented sensual remembrance.
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PTSD - A Way Out.com 
Posted by Jennifertem on January 10, 2018 at 1:51 am
Makes “sense”. Very interesting.
My dad suffered from ‘battle’ (PTSD) fatigue. Could not stand smell of bonfires. He was awarded two purple heart’s from injuries.
Can better separate triggers and connections that way. Make smaller.
That would apply to happy memories as well – associations and 5 senses.
Posted by Marty on January 10, 2018 at 1:53 am
Grasp the positive memories, soak them in, make them grow, enjoy then oroceeed to now.
So we know trauma is not that big scary monster.
Good to know
Posted by Laurie on January 10, 2018 at 4:02 pm
This makes so much sense. I never understood how someone could remember every single detail of a traumatic experience. In listening to what my daughter or my brother tells about events in their childhoods that do not coincide with my memory. I can now understand why we have different memories of a specific event,