Flashbacks, similarly to nightmares, are often symptoms of PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event. They are more distressing than a memory and can make you feel like you are reliving that experience all over again.
It can be a very emotional and physical experience that can happen suddenly and unexpectedly. You may even feel disconnected from your body during this time.
While flashbacks can be a disorienting and scary time, there are ways to manage your stress during and after a flashback.
Take a Deep Breath
Flashbacks can trigger intense feelings of fear and stress, resulting in physiological symptoms. Your heart rate increases. Your breathing increases. Muscles throughout your body tense up. You’re essentially entering into a fight or flight mode.
Rapid breathing can lead to hyperventilation and increase your distress in the situation. When you’re having a flashback, pay attention to your breathing. Focus on taking slow and controlled breaths, but also deep breaths. Use a breathing technique to guide you, especially if you’re already in a heightened state. Box breathing, for example, follows a pattern of inhaling while counting to four, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding for another four.
Practice a Grounding Exercise
If your flashbacks occur regularly, finding ways to ground yourself is important. Incorporating your five senses can help bring you back into the present moment. Using the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise is a great way to start.
Look around and note five things you can see. Find four things you can touch or feel. Listen to three things you can hear. Find two things you can smell. Get one thing you can taste.
Depending on the severity of your flashback or how well you respond to sense activation, you may only need to focus on one to do the trick. Try smelling a candle, standing barefoot in grass, running cold water over your hands, or eating a strong-tasting food.
Use a Grounding Item
For some people, having an anchor item can help with grounding when flashbacks occur frequently. This allows you to always have it with you, so no matter where your flashback occurs, you can pull it out to anchor yourself.
Find a totem that is meaningful to you and small enough to be kept in a pocket. This could be a memento, a keychain, a note from a loved one, jewelry, or an item of significance to you.
Get Your Body Moving
Movement can be a great method to connect your mind and body when experiencing a flashback and can help refocus you into the present.
Complete a round of progressive muscle relaxation, tensing and relaxing separate muscle groups throughout the body, and see how you feel afterward. Do some light stretching, even if it’s just standing and reaching down to touch your toes. Take a walk around the room you’re in, or even better, go outside if you have the option.
Give Yourself a Friendly Reminder
The reason flashbacks are so overwhelming is because they feel as if they are real and you are reliving the experience. A flashback is not a reflection of what your current reality is.
Give yourself a reminder that what you are remembering is not happening in the present; the danger has passed. Remind yourself that you are safe and you made it through that traumatic time. Find trusted friends and family that can help you through the flashback.
Learning how to cope during a flashback will take some time and practice. There are also ways to learn about your triggers and how to process them as well. This is where we can help. Please contact us for a free consultation.
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