‘A flashback is a sudden, involuntary re-experiencing of a past traumatic event as if it is happening in the present.’
Debilitating, overwhelming, even shameful – post-traumatic flashbacks can make our lives hell but this psychoeducational poster provides a brief explanation as well as some helpful things we can say to ourselves during a flashback to re-ground.
This is a free downloadable PDF.
Page 1 is a full-colour poster.
Page 2 is a low-ink, print-friendly version.
Flashbacks are a common experience after trauma, a result of the brain not having properly been able to process traumatic memory. They can make life extremely difficult, throwing us back suddenly, unexpectedly and unwillingly into reliving the traumatic event, often with little or no warning.
I write about how to deal with flashbacks in my article ‘Managing Flashbacks‘, and this poster provides a handy reminder and guide for use by survivors either on their own or as part of a therapeutic process.