Try This When a Flashback Hits: Reduce Fear and Find Meaning
(Summary) Flashbacks can make trauma survivors feel as if they are suddenly back in the past, reliving painful experiences in the present. In her book Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors, therapist and trauma expert Lisa Ferentz offers a practical plan to manage flashbacks and reorient to safety. The plan helps you identify what kind of flashback you’re experiencing—visual, emotional, cognitive, or somatic—and guides you through grounding questions to reduce fear, gather insight, and return to the present. By carrying this script with you, you can turn flashbacks into moments of healing rather than helplessness.
In her book Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors, therapist and trauma expert Lisa Ferentz provides readers with a plan for dealing with flashbacks. Flashbacks are memories of trauma that feel like they are happening now or that you are suddenly back then. They are disorienting. This plan will help you to ground yourself when you feel a flashback starting and will help you to orient yourself to the present after a flashback. Ferentz recommends writing this plan on an index card or sticky note to carry with you. What I like about this plan is that it also helps you to not only take some of the fear out of the flashback but to also gain something useful from the flashback. Let’s look at the plan.
If you feel a flashback coming on and are able to answer these questions, do so. If the flashback overwhelms you, answer these questions after it ends.
First, notice what you are experiencing. Are you having an image, a thought, an emotion, or a body sensation? You may be experiencing more than one of these.
Next, what age do you feel you are in this flashback?
Looking at the types of experiences in your flashback (that is, having an image, though, emotion, or body sensation), determine the kind of flashback you are having. Is it visual (image), emotional, cognitive (thinking or thoughts), or somatic (body memory or sensation)? Again, it may be more than one.
Next, look at the information about the past your flashback is giving you:
- something you saw
- something you heard
- emotions you felt
- something you felt in your body
- something you thought
- something you experienced
You may realize your flashback provided several different types of information.
Now, ask yourself how you can use this information to grow and heal.
And, finally, ask yourself how you get get support or comfort in the present.
Now that you have this information written down, you are ready to create your script to help you deal with the flashback. As you read the script, know that you would only have the appropriate sections of the blue text.
As I experience this image/thought/feeling/body sensation I realize that I feel ____ years old. This tells me that I am having a visual/cognitive/emotional/somatic flashback.
I am being given information about how I used to think/feel in the past.
In the present I can use this information to grow and heal.
In the present, I can access support—I am not alone.
This script is a wonderful way to help yourself understand that the flashback is from the past and you are here, now. This is important because in the past, at the time of the flashback, you were powerless but here in the present, you have power and can heal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a flashback in trauma or PTSD?
A flashback is when a trauma memory feels like it is happening right now instead of being in the past. It can involve images, thoughts, emotions, or body sensations that are overwhelming and disorienting.
What types of flashbacks are there?
Flashbacks can be visual (seeing images), emotional (reliving feelings), cognitive (repetitive thoughts), or somatic (body memories or sensations). Sometimes a flashback includes more than one type at once.
Why is it helpful to identify the type of flashback?
Knowing whether a flashback is visual, emotional, cognitive, or somatic helps you understand what your body and mind are trying to process. It can make the experience feel less random and give you more ways to respond with grounding tools.
How can I ground myself during a flashback?
Grounding often starts with noticing what is happening (“I’m having an image” or “I feel 7 years old right now”). Using an index card or script with reminders can help you orient back to the present, recognize the trauma is over, and remind yourself you have support now.
Can flashbacks provide useful information for healing?
Yes. A flashback can show you how you used to feel, think, or experience the world during trauma. Once you recognize it as memory, you can use that information to understand your story, care for the parts of you that lived through it, and continue healing in the present.