Columbia University Health Services

Memories

People can remember traumatic events a few ways:

• In their minds, as flashbacks, pictures, or images
• In their bodies, as panic attacks or intense body sensations

Sometimes people remember what happened to them, but they may not have the feelings to go along with the memory. Other times people may not have images in their head but their body remembers through nightmares and “body memories.” It is also possible to have a combination of memories.

Survivors of sexual abuse and assault frequently experience nightmares. Sometimes they can become so frequent that they interfere with normal sleep patterns. This can impact someone’s ability to function at school and work, and can significantly affect their personal relationships. For some survivors, nightmares can be exact replicas of the traumatic event in vivid detail. For others, they can be abstract and hard to remember, but upsetting all the same.

Sometimes a trigger can cause these memories to re-occur, or bring on a flood of memories. A trigger is usually an identifiable thing or event that brings up very strong feelings about the abuse. A trigger can be a:

• Sound, smell, taste, touch
• Familiar face, familiar sounding voice
• Time of year (anniversary date of the assault, or onset of abuse)

Go Ask Alice! is the health question and answer Internet service produced by the Alice! Health Promotion Program. If it's on your mind, it's probably on Go Ask Alice!

Questions

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) supports the psychological and emotional well-being of the campus community by providing counseling, consultation, and crisis intervention. For more information go to Making Appointments.

Disciplinary Procedure for Sexual Misconduct 212 854 1717

Barnard Health Services 212 854 2092 

Barnard clinician on-call 212 666 5838

Barnard Furman Counseling Services 212 854 2092 

Barnard Public Safety 212 854 3362 

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Primary Care Medical Services 212 854 7426

Columbia University clinician-on-call for after-hours health concerns 212 854 9797

Columbia University Public Safety 212 854 2796  

Nightline (10pm-3am) 212 854 7777

Morningside Campus University Ombuds Office 212 854 1234

Columbia University Medical Center Campus 212 305 3400 

Columbia University Medical Center for Student Wellness 212 304 5564 

Columbia University Medical Center Mental Health Services 212 795 4181 

Columbia University Medical Center clinician-on-call 212 305 5549

Medical Center Campus Public Safety x99 or 305-8100

Columbia University Medical Center Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action 212 854 5511