Dealing with Flashbacks
Flashbacks can be very distressing and frightening, both for the person and those around them.
If someone close, such as your partner, is with you when you have a flashback, try to tell them what is happening.
If possible, ask someone close to help you follow the steps below. Alternatively, you can follow them yourself if you have a flashback and you are alone:
- Remind yourself how old you are now, where you are and who you are with. Look around the room and name the objects in the room. Keep reminding yourself that you are not a child but an adult who is safe (e.g. I am with 40: I have my own home in Smithfield Drive: I am with my partner: I can see my wardrobe, my shoes, my clothes etc; I am safe.
- Find out what triggered the flashback – a word, a phrase, a smell, a touch, a sound. Tell your partner.
- Write down the memory you had in the flashbacks as soon as you are able to do so. Flashbacks have the power to frighten you when you try to push the memories away. Keep writing down your flashbacks; note any feelings in your body (hot, cold, shivering etc). The flashbacks will stop, eventually.
Adapted from Ainscough and Toon: Breaking Free (1993)
