Quick aid during smell flashbacks

[Blueberry]

This is something I learned inpatient which could be helpful for someone else. Smell memories go back really really far. Sometimes a smell triggers (I've experienced that myself). What you can do about that is take a tiny little container of coffee beans around with you to sniff at if you get triggered or if you know you're about to get triggered (if you know what your trigger is and know you can't avoid it in the next 5 minutes for example). The trick is: the smell of coffee beans neutralises other scents.

In addition, you can stick your nose in the crook of your arm because apparently that's where your own body scent is strongest. That's what the body T had read somewhere though she said she didn't find much body scent there. Nor do I, but it might work for some people. But I suppose it might also trigger some people, so take with a large pinch of salt.

[Kizzie]

Cool, tks BB.

[NarcKiddo]

Thank you 

[Armee]

Thanks BB. I'll try this. Did it work for you? Sometimes I am triggered by smells around me that are actually there and I guess that might work but I almost think that once the trigger is smelled you'd already be in a flashback in that part of the brain with the memories and the beans wouldn't do much?

I also get overwhelmed by smell flashbacks several hours after the trigger and I can't get the smell away or off me no matter what I do. But there's not an actual smell there, it's a memory, though it smells as strong as real for an hour or so. I wonder if coffee beans would help that.

Thanks for sharing. I hope to never have a smell flashback again but if I do I will try this.

[Blueberry]

I don't get smell flashbacks very often and I haven't had any since I was inpatient, so can't say if it will work or not. The smell of coffee beans does neutralise other smells or in other words neutralises your scent organs - that part is true. Apparently good perfume shops will offer you coffee beans while you're choosing because after 2-3 different scents your nose gets confused. I noticed that too when sniffing different herbs. Smell coffee beans: clean slate for your nose It really felt to me as if all previous scents were deleted and I could start again.

I guess with smell memories and/or overwhelm a few hours after the incident all you could do would be try and see if the coffee beans work for you? I had a terrible smell flashback a few years ago, where I could hardly function. I was visiting and I had to break off the visit and go home and I wasn't sure at the time whether anybody else around me could smell what I smelt. Or now it occurs to me that maybe I had some sort of EF that then gave rise to this smell?? Idk, this stuff is so complicated - the physical reactions that EFs can give rise to... For examples see elsewhere on this forum      

[Armee]

I've had both, where a real smell in the real world triggered flashbacks, and where a real smell later triggered a different related trauma smell many hours later where the smell was very strong and triggering but actually didn't exist.

I think because of dissociation my reactions are very delayed. I'll smell something and not notice or be triggered and then it will trigger something hours later.

Most recently I did some housework with my H where he was filling holes with wood putty. Several hours later I was having smell flashbacks of epoxy glue (stepdad was a woodworker) which smells nothing like the compound H was using...but apparently the relation between wood putty and epoxy was strong enough to trigger the latter smell into existence. The smell wasn't there but it was as real as if it were. Where ever I went it was right there overpowering me.

I kind of do think even though there's no real object creating the smell and it's just memory that the coffee beans might still override that circuit. Definitely worth a try. 

[DD]

Armee, thank you for saying that dissociation is connected with delayed reactions. I have this too. It takes sometimes quite long for me to figure stuff out and be able to say what's wrong. It is easier now to accept that I am not alone in having that.

[Armee]

I'm glad that helps and BB thanks for starting this topic.


DD it's just a working theory for me but seems to be true and has been very prevalent for me for all sorts of triggers. I'm fine while something is happening and then have the reaction hours later. The therapist caught on first to what was happening. It has made it challenging to figure out triggers but just knowing that the delayed reaction is a pattern for me helps with that.

This site is awesome...you never feel alone for long with weird symptoms that sometimes even stump a therapist.

[DD]

armee and all others here that find it appropriate

It is so precious to find such a place where it's safe to be as one is. And yes, where one is never alone with the oddest stuff. It helps to realize how this thing shows up in ones life. Makes one feel less crazy.

From the viewpoint of survival, delayed reaction makes a lot of sense. First survive. Then shake under a blanket for days. I am appreciating the dissociative brain more and more.

[Blueberry]

Armee, thank you for saying that dissociation is connected with delayed reactions. I have this too. It takes sometimes quite long for me to figure stuff out and be able to say what's wrong. It is easier now to accept that I am not alone in having that.

    

Even if 'just' your working theory Armee, it makes sense to me too.
I have so many delayed reactions. Before I was in trauma-informed T, I was often asked to find and tell the steps with which I'd got out of a depressive phase again for example. I'd say I didn't know, it had just happened. They'd say there must have been concrete steps and I should note and remember them to use next time, but it never panned out for me. My T of the past 5 years said a few years ago when I asked that yeah, the way I experienced simply coming out of these bad phases again and not knowing how it had happened was very plausible and that I didn't need to wrack my brains to try and find out how. I know for myself that if I suddenly notice 'this is how' or 'this is how not', it's good to note that. I say all that because I think that these phases of near or total collapse are caused by dissociation or some type of flashback rather than 'just' depression. When I'm ready, I come back out.

From the viewpoint of survival, delayed reaction makes a lot of sense. First survive. Then shake under a blanket for days. I am appreciating the dissociative brain more and more.

You're right, it does make a lot of sense! BBM - That is so me. Except sometimes I shake under a blanket for a few days in advance of something difficult and triggering as well  

It is so precious to find such a place where it's safe to be as one is. And yes, where one is never alone with the oddest stuff. It helps to realize how this thing shows up in ones life. Makes one feel less crazy.

    

[Moondance]

I think this theory you have is well founded. 

I can, again (lol) so relate to this. 

It takes me weeks if not longer at times to figure things out.

I have totally decompress and that in itself is almost impossible before I can even start to see a bit clearly.

The most recent and obvious to me is when A left for holidays, was gone for 3 weeks.  The 2nd week I started to decompress and realize I'd been in an EF for who knows how long.  From there I was able to see and become aware of a few other things.

Thanks for starting this topic and I, also am appreciate of the fact we can share and be who we are here.

 

[Armee]

Unfortunately/fortunately I had a chance to try this trick last night. It took me awhile to remember about this trick but once I did I jumped up out of bed and grabbed a bowl of coffee grounds to smell and keep on the bedside table. It overpowered the smell (which I actually have no idea if it was a flashback...i.e. not actually there at all, or if there was something strange about how my husband actually smelled last night that triggered me)...but it overpowered the smell or the memory of a smell pretty much right away so I was no longer smelling it. It took longer for the nausea that the smell triggered to go away, but it did within a few minutes and I was able to sleep after maybe 30 minutes of using the coffee grinds.

Thank you Blueberry. 

[Blueberry]

You're so welcome Armee! Thanks for letting us know Good to hear that the nausea went within 'a few minutes'. That is way better than I would have expected tbh.

[Bermuda]

Thanks Blueberry. I think I have learned to cope with this by wearing extremely strong obnoxious scents (not perfume) like pine oil or cinnamon oil in my hair. Messing with my hair and rubbing my face is a nervous habit. When I get anxious I can inadvertently calm myself by doing what I always do.

Coffee grounds would probably be a lot less disturbing for others around me.

[Blueberry]

I think I have learned to cope with this by wearing extremely strong obnoxious scents (not perfume) like pine oil or cinnamon oil in my hair. Messing with my hair and rubbing my face is a nervous habit. When I get anxious I can inadvertently calm myself by doing what I always do.

That's wonderful Bermuda! You found what helps YOU.

Though I'm sorry you have those nervous habits, but what don't we all have on here... Sounds similar to my hair-pulling out tricho-something or other, cuz I start with messing with my hair.