Often life is good, but sometimes life can be challenging. Whilst we can mostly get through it, sometimes the things that happen to us can prove so overwhelming that our ability to cope becomes seriously compromised. This can occur following a traumatic incident such as a car crash or other life-threatening experience. Still, it can also happen in torture, abuse, bullying, and sexual or physical assault. When things like this happen to us, and it may not always become immediately apparent, we risk developing either Post Traumatic Stress or even what psychologists call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

You can follow this link for further information about PTSD.

What Are Flashbacks?

One of the most distressing types of PTSD symptoms is flashbacks. These are a kind of re-experiencing of overwhelming events in part or their entirety. A leading trauma therapist has described flashbacks in the following way:

The most common type of flashbacks appears to be images or sounds. These can be particularly debilitating and confusing because they impinge on reality in such realistic ways that they can be tough to identify as unreal. Visual and auditory flashbacks exacerbate this problem, often accompanied by high levels of distress, terror, anxiety, and other powerful sensations. In other words, flashbacks can temporarily take us over, and we can become completely immersed in them. People who suffer from flashbacks have described them as having nightmares while awake.

Flashbacks can occur at any time of the day or night and last from a few seconds to several minutes or longer. They can comprise emotional or behavioural responses to specific triggers, so they are not just images or sounds. We can behave strangely or have seemingly inappropriate emotional reactions to things.

What Causes Flashbacks?

Researchers believe flashbacks are caused by the survival-driven suppression of certain brain functions during traumatic experiences. Specifically, the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for processing events and giving them a beginning, a middle, and an end, is suppressed when we are completely overwhelmed. This suppression is believed to provide traumatic events with the potential to feel like they are still happening to us long after the actual triggering event is over. So, for example, specific events, sounds, images, or people may trigger a flashback that feels like we are right back amid the original traumatic event like it is happening all over again.

How Can I Cope With Flashbacks?

The first port of call if you suspect that you may be suffering from flashbacks should be your G.P. Provided that you can be honest with them and be specific about the difficulties that you are experiencing, your G.P. should be able to make an accurate assessment and make some recommendations for further steps that you can take to get the support that you need. These might include a referral to other NHS services, some suggested medications, additional reading or online resources, and the option to seek private counselling or psychotherapy.

Other steps that you can take for yourself would be to try and ensure, as best you can, that you are getting adequate rest, that you are finding supportive relationships, friends and family that you can share some of your difficulties with, and that you are eating healthily and exercising regularly.

In terms of therapy, seeking a trained and competent therapist who has some experience and training in the specifics of trauma symptoms, including flashbacks and PTSD, would also be recommended. Your therapy may likely include learning and practising techniques to help you with flashbacks, such as body awareness, relaxation and muscle toning exercises, focusing on your breathing, finding ways to feel more grounded and in the present, mindfulness techniques, becoming familiar with and increasing the range of resources around you to help you cope better, recognising and actively drawing on the help that those around you can offer, as well as a range of other interventions.

But most of all, therapy should be about beginning to regain control and feel safe again.

If you would like to talk more about what you are experiencing, you would be very welcome to get in touch.