One of the many ways a person learns to cope with intense trauma or abuse is to disassociate or detach from their immediate surroundings. For some, this is a natural reaction born out of a survivor instinct. For others, it requires effort and practice to shut down feelings, intentionally ignore surroundings, and completely disengage. In the case of long-term abuse (physical, emotional, mental, verbal, financial, spiritual, and/or sexual), the disassociating can reoccur as a post-traumatic stress like reaction when triggered by a similar situation, object, or person. This unexpected response activates feelings of anxiety, panic, or even paranoia as fear cripples the person into believing that they will never be free from the abuse. Even those who have learned new coping mechanisms, healed from the trauma, and done considerable therapy to recover can still be affected. This does not discount the work done previously; rather it is a manifestation of reality and intensity of the abuse. Old

Source: Why Old Abuse Still Resurfaces | The Exhausted Woman