3. Triggers
The memory book that your mind creates during a harrowing experience consists of a number of elements. In fact, these are all related to the five senses of smell, sight, touch, hearing, and taste. As such, your experience can be re-lived through various triggers. Using our car crash example, if a specific song on the radio was playing just before you lost control of the vehicle then that song may be a trigger. If you happen to hear the song again months later unexpectedly this can trigger the incident to replay in your mind again.
Sexual assault victims have reported being hyper-aware of the smell of their assaulter. Clearly being able to recognize and describe the exact smell of the individual. Sound is also a huge trigger in PTSD patients with many veterans finding themselves being catapulted back to the war zone in their mind by hearing the pop of car exhaust, mistaking it for gunshots. Triggers don’t necessarily have to be accurate, just accurate enough for the brain to form a connection back to the trauma.