quote · Legacy record
The traumatic moment becomes encoded in an abnormal form of memory, which breaks spontaneously into consciouness, both as flashbacks during waking states and as traumatic nightmares during sleep. Small, seemingly insignificant reminders can also evoke these memories, which often return with all the vividness and emotional force of the original event. Thus, even normally safe environments may come to feel dangerous, for the survivor can never be assured that she will not encounter some reminder of the trauma.
The traumatic moment becomes encoded in an abnormal form of memory, which breaks spontaneously into consciouness, both as flashbacks during waking states and as traumatic nightmares during sleep. Small, seemingly insignificant reminders can also evoke these memories, which often return with all the vividness and emotional force of the original event. Thus, even normally safe environments may come to feel dangerous, for the survivor can never be assured that she will not encounter some reminder of the trauma.
Approximate author period: c. 1942 AD · modern
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- Author or tradition
- Judith Lewis Herman
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Approximate author period: c. 1942 AD · modern
Approximate author-period evidence for Judith Lewis Herman: documented birth year 1942; activity date not established. Wikidata Q433134, inspected 2026-10-08. Not a quotation composition date or independent verification of attribution. Source: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q433134 (accessed 2026-10-08).
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 198317; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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