Tell yourself you are having a flashback and that this is okay and very normal in
people who have experienced trauma.

Remind yourself that the worst is over – it happened in the past, but it is not
happening now. “That was then, and this is now”. The „child‟ or traumatised person
inside you is giving you these memories to use in your healing and, however terrible
you feel, you survived the awfulness then, which means you can survive and get
through what you are remembering now.

Call on the „adult‟ or stronger part of you to tell your child or victim part, that she/he
is not alone, not in any danger now, and that you will help her/him to get through this.
Let your child or victim self know that it’s okay to remember and to feel what she/he
feel and that this will help her/him in their healing from what happened to them.
However hard it is for you, she/he is communicating in the only way she/he can.
Try some of these ways of „grounding‟ yourself,
and becoming more aware of the present:
Stand up, stamp your feet, jump up and down, dance about, clap your hands,
remind yourself where you are now.

Look around the room, notice the colours, the people, the shapes of things
Listen to and really notice the sounds around you: the traffic, voices, music …
Notice the sensations in your body, the boundary of your skin, your clothes …
Pinch yourself or ping an elastic band on your wrist – that feeling is in the now,
the effects you are re-experiencing were in the past.

Take care of your breathing: breathe deeply down to your diaphragm; put your hand
there (just above your navel) and breathe so that your hand gets pushed up and down.
Imagine you have a balloon in your tummy, inflating it as you breathe in, and deflating
as you breathe out. When we get scared, we breathe too quickly and shallowly and our
body begins to panic because we’re not getting enough oxygen. This causes dizziness,
shakiness and more panic. Breathing slower and deeper will stop the panic.

If you have lost a sense of where you end and the rest of the world begins, rub your
arms and legs so you can feel the edges of your body, the boundary of you. Wrap
yourself in a blanket, feel it around you.

Get support if you would like it. Let people close to you know about flashbacks so
they can help if you want them to. That might mean holding you, talking to you,
helping you to reconnect with the present, to remember you are safe and cared for
now.

Flashbacks are powerful experiences which drain your energy. Take time to look after
yourself when you have had a flashback. You could have a warm, relaxing bath or a
sleep, a warm drink, play some soothing music, or just take some quiet time for
yourself. Your „child‟ or „victim‟ and you deserve being taken care of, given all you’ve
been through.

When you feel ready, write down all you can remember about the flashback, and how
you got through it. This will help you to remember information for your healing and to
remind you that you did get through it (and can again).
Remember you are not foolish – flashbacks are normal and you are healing.