ItsLacey asked this question on 4/12/2000:

I got out of a relationship 7 months ago. I stopped seeing him 6 months ago. I emotionally abused me. And I think that he sexually abused me to. I was 15 when we met. I am 18 now. He was 18 and 21 now. My problem is every time I see a car that looks like his I can't breathe. I started gasping for air. And last night a man walked by me that was wearing his cologne and I couldn't breathe. My boyfriend had to walk me out of the store. He is very aware of the problem and is being very patient but I am tired of it. I feel very scared when I get these emotional flashbacks. I start thinking of things that I would love to tell him, "what a selfish creep he is" or I have thoughts of beating him up. How come I just can't get passed all of this.

Cntrygrl gave this response on 4/13/2000:

It sounds to me like you're suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is when you "re-live" the traumatic event through other things that happen in your life. In other words, like you said about the cologne, it "reminds" you of what happened to you. I believe that you need to seek out counselling, because this is not one of the easiest things to deal with. Seek out a therapist that counsels PTSD victims, because they will better understand what you are going through, and they will understand the effects it has on individuals lives. The only other thing I can recommend is that you look for books on PTSD, and read them. This is basically self-help counselling. I would NOT recommend you only read books though. I think reading and going to counselling TOGETHER, would be extremely beneficial for you, and would help you a great deal in this situation. I do hope this helps you, and please let me know what happens, and if I can be of any further help to you. Good Luck and Take Care!!

The average rating for this answer is 4.9.

ItsLacey rated this answer a 5.

I hope that you are right, for my sake.