I believe parent is saying that PTSD is precisely a situation where memories act like perceptions; EMDR as a therapeutic modality with at least some evidence for efficacy is premised on the idea that it helps to make traumatic memories feel like memories rather than perceptions
>> Because the perception is triggering a memory and the memory overtakes the perception as the new reality?
Maybe more like the perception of reality is triggering emotions from a memory of a similar reality. In more extremem cases yes, it brings back the memory too. I'd argue (and this is just me) that emotions are more distinct than perceptions and memories, and are more like annotations to both. But I'm getting way outside of any clinical model I've read about. We want traumatic events to get resolved and stored without the high emotional content that distorts current perceptions.