people who get flashbacks from wars?

Question

I'm writing a short story where one of the characters sees an object that gives him an insane flashback from World War II. Is there an object found in a common household living room(or kitchen) that can trigger such a flashback?

Answer 1

I think this is most common among those who knew war was still murder despite government writings.

Answer 2

Personally I would not make it SEEING an object... but rather a SMELL.

In a Proustian Memory, an unexpected smell from your past, such as baby powder, or the smell of your first lover, can unleash in you a raging torrent of realistic and graphic memory.

The linking of events to smells has been proven to last longer in our memory. Smell can often produce intense memories or feelings where sight may not.

I would have your character be in the kitchen and have the smell of some dish being cooked trigger the memory, or have the smell of a certain type of coffee being ground trigger it (of course you would need a corresponding smell in the flashback area.) If you are after a World War II, flashback, your character could have been fighting in Italy... then use olive oil, mixed with blood. the trigger event could be being in the kitchen having dinner with new girlfriend who is making some italian dish with olive oil, and beef (which would be bloody)

Or use the smell of a certain flower. Ie in WWII fighting in an orchard, or gardens... and the smell is in the kitchen.

Smell and memory

Smell and memory are closely linked. Smell evokes memories. Damage to the temporal cortical region of the brain - the site of memory - does not affect the ability to detect smell, but, rather, prevents the identification of the odour. We must first remember a smell before identifying it.



What we know about smell and memory:

* Memory - odour memory falls off less rapidly that other sensory memory (Miles & Jenkins, 2000)
* Odour memory lasts a long time.
* The "Proust effect" - odour associated with experience and a smell can recall the memory; smell is better at this memory cue effect than other senses (Chu and Downes, 2000)

Answer 3

The flash - back your refering to is symptomatic of PTSD or, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; this is an ailment caused by someone who was subjected to a highly traumatic situation; often times the symptoms do not show up until years, even decades after the event causing it occured.

The symptoms of PTSD are "flash-backs" and a re-living of the event in distorted fashion; symptoms include anger-hostility and over-all hyper awareness; hyper awareness being that the person is on constant look-out for threats.

To answer your question: yes, there are things that can trigger a flash-back; a loud noise, a banging loud sound, a siren or anything that may have been associated with the original event causing this trauma.

Answer 4

Anything can. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be triggered without an object. You could use a lighter, or a kitchen knife, or a tin coffee cup. A bicycle helmet may trigger a memory of the military helmets. Good luck.

Answer 5

As a veteran of war, I have PTSD and have experienced nightmares and flashbacks. It is usually noises that bring them on rather than an object. Firecrackers, gun shots on television, a car backfiring,etc.

Answer 6

A common household object from that period could be a clock or maybe a wireless set.

Answer 7

A large knife,
a watch that reminds him of his best friend that died during the war.
even a certain book. something that has a saying on it that someone he knew during the war used to say.
something he see's on T.V.
you could use just about any object you wanted to, just tie it into something that happened during the war..
like even a certain shade of red might do it. tieing it into all the blood he saw.

Answer 8

An officers sword from the Japanese over the mantel.

Answer 9

Perhaps an old style bottle opener/can opener, or one of the old lighters ( not Zippo ) with the windblock.