Dealing with Flashbacks

I picked up these ideas from The PTSD Workbook by psychologists M.B. Williams and S. Poijula, and highly recommend the entire book for anyone struggling with PTSD. Just remember that certain exercises will mean a lot and help incredibly, while others may seem strange or powerless depending on your individual needs. I am very pragmatic in my approach to dealing with flashbacks and stress... so do what works for you!

- Focus on something you know to be real in your immediate environment, then blink your eyes hard while staring at it. This can break up the flood of visual memories that some people experience with flashbacks.

- Move around. Just changing your body position can break the flow of physical memories, bringing you back to present reality.

- Really move around. Get up and walk around. The exercise can increase blood flow and add real sensory input from your environment, interrupting the flashback.

- Use a deep breathing exercise. The extra oxygen to your brain and concentration on the simple life-act of inhaling and exhaling can help to reign in your runaway thoughts.

- Do you have a safe place? Somewhere to go that is calming and restoring? Go there. Actually, physically go there if possible.

- If you can't get to your safe place, use visual imagery to go there in your mind. Put that vivid imagination of yours to work on something positive and calming.

- Look around you. What's there? Start naming things off out loud. Identifying real objects around you and the sound of your own voice can help to ground you in reality.

- Carry or have in your environment a "safe object" that reminds you of what is real and true. Grab your safe object and hang on, reminding yourself of truth and reality.

- Listen to a soothing tape or CD or MP3 file. This can be your own voice calmly and confidently speaking truth, a recording of your therapist's voice or words, a good friend or loved one's reassurance, or calming music. Whatever works for you.

- Clap your hands. The sound and feeling can banish unwelcome sensations.

- Stamp your feet on the floor. This is the same idea as clapping your hands, but gets more of your body mass involved.

- Splash cold water on your face. The changes in temperature, pace of breathing and body position all help to remind you of present reality.

- Gently wash your face... this can help by symbolically washing away unwanted thoughts and memories and reinforcing feelings associated with positive self-care, self-affirmation and self-esteem.

- Say positive things about yourself. It helps to have these truths written down somewhere, (like a card in your back pocket, wallet or purse) or have a short list memorized that is easy to repeat during the stress of a flashback.

- Pretend to spray the memory away with all-purpose cleaner until it dissolves in front of you and melts into a puddle on the floor.

- "Project" the flashback onto an imaginary whiteboard in front of you, then erase it. Actually move your hand back and forth and do the erasing motion, watching the memories get wiped away.

- Draw the flashback, or a symbol or scene of it, then destroy it. You can sketch with a pencil on paper, use crayons or markers or anything at hand, then shred it or burn it or bury it.

- Lock the flashback away from yourself in some type of container or vault. You can do this with a real piece of paper, that has a description or narrative or drawing of the flashback, or do it symbolically in your head.

You may have to try a few things before you find something that works for you. Be imaginative and use clues like your known triggers and the types of sensations that you experience during flashbacks to figure out what might work the best.