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Flashback
Also known as Flashbacks, Reliving, Re-experiencing
A vivid reliving of a traumatic event, as if it is happening again now — through images, sounds, smells, body sensations or overwhelming emotion. A key sign of PTSD.
In Psychology
A flashback is more than remembering. During one, part of the mind experiences the trauma as happening now: the person may see, hear, smell or feel what happened, the heart pounds, and they may lose track of where they are.
Flashbacks are usually short, but it can take a while to recover afterwards. They are often set off by a — a sound, a smell, a date, a tone of voice — sometimes one the person has not consciously noticed. In "emotional flashbacks" the feelings of the time return without a clear picture.
Helping yourself or someone in a flashback
- Speak calmly; say where they are and that they are safe now
- Name things you can see and hear right now, to anchor in the present
- Breathe slowly and feel the feet on the floor
- Avoid sudden touch; ask first
Frequent flashbacks, nightmares and point to , which is treatable with trauma-focused or .
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Related terms
- Post-traumatic stress disorderPTSD, Posttraumatic stress disorderA condition that can follow a frightening or life-threatening event, in which the memory keeps intruding, reminders are avoided and the person stays constantly on guard.
- TriggerTriggered, Trauma triggerClinically, a reminder — a sound, smell, place or date — that sets off a strong trauma or anxiety response such as a flashback or panic. In casual use it now often just means anything upsetting.
- TraumaPsychological trauma, Emotional traumaAn event or series of events frightening or harmful enough to overwhelm a person's ability to cope, and the lasting effects it can leave. Most people exposed to trauma recover.
- DissociationDissociating, Zoning outA disconnection between thoughts, feelings, memories, surroundings or sense of self — from mild zoning out to feeling unreal or losing time. It is often the mind's way of coping with overwhelming stress.
- EMDREye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessingEye movement desensitisation and reprocessing: a structured trauma therapy in which you recall distressing memories while doing side-to-side eye movements, so the memories become less intense.