Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after heart transplant: the influence of earlier loss experiences on posttransplant flashbacks.

The incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after heart transplant is about 17%, making it an important psychosocial complication. This case study discusses the relationship between early traumatizing experiences of loss and the lead symptoms of PTSD (e.g., flashbacks, nightmares). It is demonstrated how the encoding of a traumatic experience into existing representations leads not only to a reactivation of an earlier trauma, but may constitute a protective function in the processing of a PTSD.