10 Tips to Handle Flashbacks | Trauma Prevention and Interventions

Hey there, everybody, and welcome to this video on how to cope with flashbacks. I'm your host, Donnelly Snipes. In this video, we're going to talk about what flashbacks are, symptoms of flashbacks and strategies you can use to help you function and cope with flashbacks. Trauma strips a person's sense of safety and empowerment. Flashbacks are symptoms that may occur after a trauma. The flashback is a vivid recollection or re experiencing of that traumatic event. Now, what triggers flashbacks for people can really vary. It can be a site, a place, a person, or even somebody who looks like a person that was involved in the trauma. Smells, sounds, or even physical sensations that remind you of the traumatic experience. Symptoms of flashbacks can include a sense of terror and helplessness. Physically, you may experience an activation of your threat response system, your HPA axis. Your heart may start pounding, your palms may start sweating, you may start breathing faster. And that is a result of your body reacting as if it were in that traumatic experience again. Additionally, a lot of people when they have flashbacks, they feel like they're back in that situation. So they may re experience that sense of helplessness which compounds their feelings of terror. There may be feelings of rage that also come out. Remember fight or flight? Those are the two threat responses responses that we have. So when our stress response system is triggered, we go into fight or flight. And some people may be terrified and want to flee. Other people may be terrified and become enraged and want to fight. However, we also may have experiences that trigger feelings of grief or despair. If you were involved in a traumatic experience experience in which you lost someone that was dear to you, for example, feeling like you're back in that situation, you may have a great sense of grief or despair. You're reliving that moment. If you did things in that event, for example, that don't quite jive with your moral compass. Maybe, you know, in acts of war, for example, that also may trigger a sense of moral injury and grief and despair. And when people have flashbacks, not only is their HPA axis triggered, but a lot of times our body stores memories as feelings or sensations. So you may not even have words to go with it or a picture to go with it, but you may have this flashback and just have this overwhelming wave of dread or this knot creep up in the pit of your stomach. Even if you can't identify exactly where it's coming from, if you suddenly feel paralyzed with terror or rage, it's likely you're experiencing a flashback, and it's going to be helpful to try to process where that's coming from. Eventually, how do you function with flashbacks today? What we're really talking about is how do you deal with them when they happen, and how do you try to have your highest quality of life if you're having flashbacks? If you've got PTSD or cptsd, it's going to be important to work through that traumatic memory with a therapist. And however, these tools can help you in between sessions or while you're learning about the impact of that trauma on you. So the first thing is know your triggers. A lot of people who have experienced traumas are aware of many of their triggers. You may not be aware of all of them, but knowing your triggers is helpful because you know that what they are, and you can try to prevent them or mitigate them. We are going into 4th of July weekend right now, and there are a lot of people for whom fireworks trigger flashbacks, trigger their traumatic memories. Now, unfortunately, we cannot prevent fireworks from happening. That's just something that happens on the 4th of July and the week before and maybe two weeks after. @ least that's what happens in my neighborhood. However, if you know that fireworks are a trigger for your flashbacks, then you can plan ahead. You can figure out how you're going to handle that and what you need to do. Some people will invest in noise canceling headphones. Some people will leave. They'll go on vacation somewhere else, like to a cabin out in the woods where people aren't going to be shooting off fireworks. You need to figure out what your strategies are. Develop a safety plan and a recovery kit. When you go through a flashback, it is exhausting. You are experiencing that moment of terror all over again. Your body is experiencing it. Even if it's not really happening, your body thinks it is. So you're dumping all kinds of energy and all kinds of stress hormones. So flashbacks can be exhausting. And being compassionate with yourself is going to be important. After a flashback, what helps you feel grounded, what helps you feel safe, what helps you recharge, if you will. Some people keep in their recovery kit a bottle of water. Some people keep a journal, whatever it is that helps you. And that can be useful right after a flashback to help you kind of get regrounded, reoriented, and catch your breath, because it certainly feels like you've run a mile or a marathon. After a flashback, developing a safety plan is also an important part of that recovery kit. And the safety plan can be shared with loved ones. For example, if you've got people that are supportive that you can trust, the safety plan basically identifies what your, what Your known triggers are what is helpful for you when you're in the middle of a flashback. What can they do to be helpful? It's also a good idea to note the things that you can do to keep yourself safe. If you feel a flashback coming on, what can you do in order to again stay safe? If, for example, you're having a flashback while you're driving down the interstate, and that's probably not a safe situation, so what is your safety plan? When I start having a flashback, I will pull the car over, I will call a friend. I will have some options. Identify your early warning signs. And depending on the person, the early warning signs are going to be different. Early warning signs for flashbacks may be very similar to your anger early warning signs, but maybe not. Some people, when they start to have a flashback, their field of vision starts to narrow and it may start getting a little bit fuzzy. Some people experience emotional or even physical numbing. They can't even feel their body. Some people experience ear ringing, and so it's hard for, for them to hear what's going on. They may have a particular taste in their mouth, like a metallic taste. And they've actually shown that stress, our stress hormones, actually alter our taste buds. So there is a reason for it. But that particular taste could be an early warning sign, and it could also be a trigger. For example, a metallic taste is often associated with blood. So after a dental procedure, if you have a metallic taste in your mouth, even if you're not in the middle of a flashback, that could trigger one. And it's important just to be aware of that. But when you start noticing these things, it's an early warning sign so you can get safe, so you can feel empowered to start getting yourself grounded and start taking proactive steps. Other early warning signs can be a sense of a knot in your stomach or getting really nauseous, muscle tension, or breathing changes. Consider journaling to learn more about triggers and effective strategies for you. So when you have a flashback, after you're done and you've recovered, consider journaling about it to, to try to identify what triggered it. What were my early warning signs? Were there indications that a flashback was coming on before it did? That I might have been able to be more aware of. For a lot of people, one of the best early warning signs is just knowing your triggers and being able to take appropriate steps. Whenever you are exposed to a trigger in therapy, you may go through activities called exposure based training. And that's not something I recommend you do on your own by any means, but A lot of people, when they engage in exposure therapy is exactly what it sounds like. They're exposed to that sensation, to that trigger, and they learn to be able to tolerate it and sit with it. And they basically decouple that trigger from the traumatic event or the traumatic. Traumatic incident. So it doesn't trigger flashbacks anymore, or so it doesn't trigger flashbacks that are as strong in terms of coping with flashbacks when you're having one, and they happen. Unfortunately, if you've had a traumatic experience, it is not uncommon to have a flashback. Grounding is a really helpful technique. Recognize that you're safe in the present moment, and if you're not, then get safe. For example, like I said, if you're driving down the interstate, get safe. If you are in your house and you're safe there, but you start having a flashback repeating to yourself, reminding yourself that you are safe in this context at this time, you're safe in the present moment. Sensations can also be helpful for grounding. Narrate what you're seeing, hearing, or smelling. When I work with people who experience dissociation, I will often recommend that if they're in an environment where they know they've dissociated before they've had flashbacks before trying to narrate. There was one patient who would regularly dissociate when she was in the kitchen, and that was associated with her past trauma. But she was living as an independent adult now and had to go into the kitchen sometimes to cook dinner or breakfast and do dishes and all that stuff. And in order to engage in those things that are obviously important, we worked on strategies she could use to help herself stay present in the moment. She wouldn't be in the kitchen all of a sudden. Be back in that situation where she was a little girl, she would stay in the present moment as an adult. Narrating I'm wiping out the glass. I am flipping the pancake. I am mixing the flour. Whatever she was doing, she would be saying, I am doing this. And for her, that was helpful for grounding and staying in the present moment. Consider anchoring objects. Some people have an anchoring object, like a cross or a set of dog tags that they wear that help them feel safe and secure. Other people may have a ring that they wear. It doesn't have to be anything big, but something that you can hold on to, something you can notice. I actually don't have my worry stone here, but I've got a little quartz worry stone that's shaped like a heart, and that is something that I hold onto and I notice it. If I'm feeling stressed, I'll hold onto it and I'll notice the temperature of it, I'll notice the texture of it. I I'll feel the edges of it. And that helps me stay grounded because I'm focusing on that thing instead of whatever I'm trying not to focus on. Square belly breathing can be really helpful because it triggers the relaxation response through respiratory vagus nerve stimulation. Square belly breathing is kind of combining the two best of both worlds. Square breathing with diaphragmatic breathing. Breathe in for four, but expand your belly as you breathe in for four. Hold for four, exhale for four and feel your belly compress and hold for four. Do that two or three times and it helps trigger that relaxation response. It triggers your vagus nerve Reassure the wounded inner you with distress Tolerant Self Talk Sometimes that means talking to teenage you or young adult you. Not necessarily just child you, but being there as a supportive friend if you will. Reminding yourself that you are strong, you are capable, you are safe in the present moment, and you can endure this flashback. You don't have to like it, but it's not going to overwhelm or overcome you. Some people find it's helpful to seek support either through a friend or even an emotional support animal. And a lot of people, when they reach out to a friend or their emotional support animal, just like narrating your sensations, it can be helpful to talk it out. Get your dog to sit in your lap or your cat to sit in your lap and pet them and tell them what's going on. That helps you stay more focused in the present moment. Move is another way to stay grounded and stay associated instead of dissociated. And it doesn't have to be anything huge. You don't have to get up and go for a run. You can just start wiggling your toes and notice what does that feel like? Notice which toes are wiggling. See if you can do it. Big toe all the way down to little toe and little toe all the way up to big toe. You can play little games, but you're focusing on something in the present moment. You can also just practice stretching mindfully. You can notice what it feels like as you start to stretch. If you reach really high, then let your arms down, what does that feel like? Other people, when they start to feel a flashback coming on, may try listing things. One of my favorites is the Alphabet of Songs. Thinking of songs that begin with every letter of the Alphabet. So A would be the Alphabet song. B would be Baby Baby. C would Be cats in the cradle and just going through that because it occupies your brain and it encourages you to think about something that can help you tolerate the distress. Multiplication tables can also be used. Some people will count backwards by five. Some people will practice their multiplication tables. That's really helpful, especially for people who have concurrent anxiety, because it encourages you to focus on something that's non anxiety provoking. When you're doing that, you're also engaging your executive control network. When your executive control network is active, it disengages your autopilot and your autopilot is the one that is feeding you the flashbacks. So if you can disconnect from the autopilot, then that can also help you get through the flashback more effectively. And self compassion, both during the flashback as well as after the flashback, is really important. Being kind to yourself, not saying, well, I shouldn't be still having these flashbacks, you are, okay, it is what it is. And I know some of y' all hate it when I say that, but it is what it is. Being compassionate with yourself. Recognizing that your brain, in its own little way is trying to protect you from one of the worst moments of your life. It's trying to keep you safe, keep you from engaging in that again. So being compassionate with yourself is important. Recognizing as you get better at handling flashbacks, recognizing that you're gaining power, you're gaining strength to handle them. Noticing the frequency and intensity of your flashbacks. You can keep a journal or you can keep a log, whatever you want to do. However, as you feel more empowered, as you become more aware of your triggers and are able to progress, prevent them or mitigate them. As you process your trauma, you'll notice the frequency and intensity of those flashbacks increase, decreasing. You'll see fewer flashbacks or flashbacks of a lesser intensity, which can also be reassuring that you're making progress. Please remember to like subscribe and share. It really does help. Even after effective treatment, flashbacks sometimes can be triggered. Awareness, prevention and mitigation of triggers and vulnerabilities can help reduce the frequency, intensity and duration of flashbacks. And we didn't really talk a lot about vulnerabilities, but a lot of times if you are overtired or you're hyped up on caffeine or something else, you may be more vulnerable to a stress reaction. Not everybody is, but some people are. So it is important to be aware of triggers and vulnerabilities. Identifying strategies that help you cope with flashbacks can restore a sense of personal safety and empowerment in your life. After a flashback, self compassion and recovery time really is essential. It's not just all in your head. It is exhausting. And allowing yourself time emotionally, mentally and physically to recover is.