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I get those too. All it takes is a small memory trigger and away I go. I think people like us have amazing memories and we are also super sensitive. I think the first step is forgiving ourselves for anything in the past and just focusing on the present.
Sometimes I am off on a memory trip while I have a shower even. I have to bring myself back to the present by just focusing on what I am doing right then, washing hair etc.
I suppose we should try to refocus these gifts, memory and sensitivity.
You people realize that anything in your memory stays there even if you normally can't access it.
Ghosts or flashbacks are your memory looking for these memories because of an associated thought that it doesn't have an instant answer for. It happens more when you are in a negative or survival mood but can happen also when you are happy, just less so since we are programmed to look for negative (survival) first. The more stress in your life the more negative you will access just because of the fact that negatives are all survival skills. They are meant to keep you out of trouble. (mild panic or anxiety) Accessed to often or too strongly they cause panic attacks. CBT teaches you how to keep them covered up with positive thought so they aren't as easily accessed.
I get them too! One time a teacher said something and it reminded me of something traumatic that happened a few months before then. It was instantaneous, it was like I was back there again- I could see myself in that room again, see the people I was with in that situation and even feel those same feelings all over again. I walked out of the class crying, I wasn't necessarily anxious, but more shaken and upset.
I've never actually thought about calling them 'ghosts' before, that's an interesting way to look at it. I usually call them flashbacks or 'unpleasant memories' haha.
But the main thing with your situation is you don't have to worry about that colleague anymore, they're no longer a part of your life- just as it should be!
Sometimes, when I'm getting used to a situation, I have a setback. I'll imagine I saw someone I was afraid of, and get panicky.
This happened last week in a class. I thought I saw one of the coworkers who made me unwelcome, and sped my leaving work a few years ago. I know it wasn't him, but the similarity triggered the memory, and feelings. The "ghost'" is my way of describing that similarity.
This happens so many different ways to us, I think, daily.
I almost wish to go to the class, just to reenforce my coping, this week. The class isn't obligatory, and I really like one of the supportive classmates. But I'll see her next week. Mom needs me more this wedesday. I can return next week, for the remaining few weeks, and resume.
I wonder if others experience these "ghosts", as we approach a seasonal celebration of different kinds of spooks
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