Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently report periods of intense emotional distress
(“hot spots”) when asked to describe their traumatic experience in detail. “Primary” emotions felt during the trauma
(i.e., peri-traumatically) are believed to consist mainly of fear, helplessness and horror. We report a preliminary
investigation into the emotions associated with these hot spots. Patients with PTSD described a wide variety of
emotions such as anger, humiliation and guilt present at the time of the trauma. The peri-traumatic cognitions associated
with these emotions are also detailed.
