Please consider getting in touch with a therapist, even if just for a few sessions.
In the direct aftermath of a traumatic experience, it's hard to know what kind of effect it will have on you in the medium-to-long term. Sometimes people just shake it off and think they're fine only to realize months or years later that they never really processed the event fully, and it comes back to haunt them.
PTSD can be extremely debilitating. Even if you're feeling like you have this under control, it never hurts to open up an avenue of communication so if things start to go south in the future, you can address them immediately and hopefully lessen any long-term consequences of the accident.
I am grateful to hear that you and the driver of the other vehicle were not seriously injured. Please take good care of yourself and take all the time you need to recover both physically and mentally.
I am finding a EMDR specialist. It's not quite like the movies portray, but I'm having the images replay. And I had to return the rental car and find different ways home because of the panic attacks while driving the next day.
EMDR and CBT works well.
Thank you so much <3 I know so many people believe they can handle a trauma on their own. But these things have a way of taking control and changing your mind and reaction.
Thoughtful suggestion hun <3 I absolutely agree with you and encourage anyone who has had something traumatic happen to see a specialist. It does not mean you're weak! It actually means you are strong and have a powerful, protective survival instinct :)
That's great to hear! You're absolutely right, getting help is not a sign of weakness.
And yes, sometimes our survival instincts can be perfectly understandable (if a military vet had been in an ambush, I totally understand why hearing fireworks outside their home would cause visceral, gut-level anxiety even in non-combat situations) but it can be out of proportion to the actual threat (they're just fireworks). Even if it's completely understandable, it's hard to live with a constant background of stress and anxiety.
I also applaud you for taking the time to write all of this out when it must be extremely difficult to relive the events by blogging about them. A lot of people try to avoid or suppress negative experiences and emotions (again, totally understandable), but addressing them proactively can be helpful in understanding that you did experience a traumatic event that isn't processed in the same way as normal day-to-day events. It can also help to make sense of the gut-level feelings/flashbacks/nightmares instead of feeling confused as to why they are happening and and powerless to make them stop.
Best of luck with the EMDR, and I look forward to reading any updates you might post. <3