Flashbacks and memory triggers

I get flashbacks very often, images of memories in my life good, neutral, and bad.
Almost anything can trigger them, smells, songs, conversations, situations, whatever, some I even find myself puzzled wondering where that memory came from.
Anyway, I was musing to myself and thought I'd see if any of you in ATS are interesting in sharing yours or a general 'flashback' type thread. I imagine many of us have painful and joyous memories triggered so I'll start with two of my own.

Painful memory flashback:
When I was about 12 years old I found my grandmother dead at the foot of her stairs when I called round her house, vacuum cleaner on top of her.
Try as I might to think of other things, if I see someone doing their stairs, or I'm doing it myself I have that experience burning in my mind.
The whole lot, the chain of events, emotions, even the smell, all recorded in my mind and triggered every time.

Beautiful memory flashback:
Walking home through the hospital grounds after watching my son being born, I was in the happiest state I think I've ever been in my life. It was a full sun winter mid morning with dew glistening on the grass, everything was perfect.
All except in my haste the day before I'd left my wallet at home, so I was walking with a smile, although tired, it wasn't too far.
Then, in the sparkly dew kissed grass was a £5 note smiling at me. I took this lovely piece of paper and caught a taxi at the rank by the hospital entrance a few yards further on.

Every time I see dew covered grass in morning sunlight I flashback to the day my son was born, but this time the emotion is a thrill of deep love, beauty, and tears of joy.

I love seeing dew covered grass

So, that's my first examples if anyone is interested.
Please feel free to share yours happy or sad, and what your trigger is. I'm always interested in the human side of us all, good bad or ugly, and I'm sure I'm not the only one here who ponders about such things?

...or maybe I am and y'all just think I'm just weird lol

grainofsand

Everytime I hear the song "Mad World" in any of its incarnations, I lose my s---. I don't know why.

The smell of fresh cut grass fills me with nostalgia almost immediately.

a reply to: grainofsand

I saw my grandmothers dead body as well. I was 6 and we drove to to Texas to visit her, I ran in all happy ready to see her ,all the way to her bedroom and she was dead in her bed. Every time I see my wife in bed when I walk in the room That flashes through my mind.

There is a certain perfume ,I have no idea what its called but everytime I smell it I think of my high school girlfriend.

a reply to: imsoconfused

Ah thanks for sharing your story.
A perfume from a passing woman also flashed me back to an ex-girlfriend recently. I hadn't thought of her in a long time, but that smell took me there in an instant!

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

I think smells and songs/music are really powerful for that, certainly with me.

The smell of bacon cooking always takes me back to happy childhood camping holidays.
I don't know why, we ate bacon at home as well lol

a reply to: grainofsand

When I was 7 years old we had a sprinkler man working on our electric sprinklers. He electrocuted himself and I found him. I was yelling at him to see if he was ok. He was not ok.

Now whenever I see sprinklers I think of death.

a reply to: grainofsand

It is also such a nostalgic smell. I want to just follow it around and breath it in and bask in it.

a reply to: Quantum12

Your sprinkler is my vacuum cleaner it seems.
It's amazing how our minds hold that particular connection and remind us of memories we don't really care for.

a reply to: grainofsand

When I was about 12 years old I found my grandmother dead at the foot of her stairs when I called round her house, vacuum cleaner on top of her.
Try as I might to think of other things, if I see someone doing their stairs, or I'm doing it myself I have that experience burning in my mind.

Unbelievable, I just dropped by to check in and find this. I planned on vacuuming the stairs and upper floors here before I leave today. I better, she'll wait to do it when I'm not here because she knows I don't like her lugging that vacuum up and down them stairs…

So thank you for sharing that painful memory… its a helpful reminder for me.

a reply to: grainofsand

Yes I agree with you. Our minds hold onto memories that we want to let go of! Some good ones and bad!

a reply to: intrptr

Haha no worries
I tell ya, I'm sooo careful when I do my stairs!
Maybe my sub-concious mind flashes back as a defence mechanism to make sure I don't end up cracking my head open!
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable in psychology will call by.

a reply to: Quantum12

Music is a strong one though, I can pretty much date any track I know to the year because I'll flash back to the people and places I was at when I was listening/dancing to it!
Oh my gosh, memories of all sorts from music, some tracks I even have to turn off lol

I lost my best friend to a drunk driver a year ago last Oct. Every time I see a car accident I can clearly smell the ICU room when he spent his last 12 days. Those two things are forever intertwined for me now.

Seems the hard memories are the ones that hang on the longest for me.

a reply to: grainofsand

By the way interesting thread! Very thought out! 👍🏽

Music gets me too, Pearl Jam No Code LP!

a reply to: Kentuckymama

That's a harsh one, It seems from the replies so far that we're all pretty much the same regarding hard memories, perhaps it is normal, maybe it's because they are the ones we lock in a filing cabinet in our minds. I think that would describe my way of looking at it for me.

a reply to: Quantum12

Cheers Q

...I couldn't even begin to list music triggers, probably every track I've ever learned the words to!

a reply to: grainofsand
Horrible memory (set off by oxygen machines): Watching my dad die and seeing his chest rise and fall after he'd shuffled off the mortal coil. He'd still been hooked up to the machine.

Good memory (triggered by the smell of sassafras tea): My first time dancing at a powwow. That gave me a high no drink or drug ever could.

a reply to: Kentuckymama

It makes me sad to hear that a drunk driver killed your friend. It is not worth drinking and driving. I always tell my friends to take a taxi or call me!

a reply to: Skid Mark

I've a similar one after watching my dad die in hospital so I understand that one.
The dancing at the powwow memory though, absolutely brilliant haha! So that's a 'smell' one for you then, I'm off to search sassafras tea now, being British n all I'm quite the perfectionist conservative with my tea!


Ooh...sassafras tea is intriguing now I've looked, especially the 'side effects' lol!

a reply to: grainofsand

i used to get flashbacks but then stopped dating lucy haven't had them in awhile