What is a PTSD flashback like?

PTSD flashbacks are intense, involuntary reliving of a trauma, making you feel like it's happening now, not just remembering it; they involve vivid sensory details (sights, sounds, smells), strong emotions (fear, anger), and physical reactions (sweating, racing heart), often with dissociation (feeling detached) and confusion about the present, triggered by anything from a sound to a smell, varying in length and intensity for each person.

What is the difference between a flashback and an emotional flashback?

Unlike PTSD flashbacks, which often involve a clear sensory re-living of traumatic events, CPTSD flashbacks are commonly emotion-based. This means that rather than re-seeing what happened, you may not see or hear the trauma but rather feel the same way you did in the trauma.

What to do if someone is having a flashback?

To help someone having a flashback, stay calm, gently remind them they are safe in the present, and guide them with grounding techniques like naming objects or deep breathing, while respecting personal space and avoiding touch unless invited, using a steady voice to anchor them to reality until the episode passes. 

How do you deal with PTSD flashbacks?

To deal with PTSD flashbacks, use grounding techniques to return to the present (e.g., focusing on your 5 senses, holding ice, deep breathing), remind yourself the trauma is over and you are safe now, and engage your body with movement or strong sensations like a sour taste or loud music. Long-term management involves identifying triggers, practicing self-care (blankets, music), and seeking professional help like CBT or EMDR.
 

How do I know if it's a flashback?

You can identify a flashback by sudden, intense feelings of reliving a past traumatic event, marked by sensory intrusions (sights, sounds, smells), strong emotions (fear, shame), and physical reactions (racing heart, sweating, dissociation) that make you feel detached from the present, even if the trigger isn't obvious. It's like the past moment suddenly breaks into your current reality, often overwhelming your senses and ability to focus.
 

PTSD flashbacks explained by psychologist and Veteran Dr. Harry McCleary

How can you tell if someone is having a PTSD flashback?

You can tell if someone is having a PTSD flashback by observing sudden behavioral shifts, disorientation, intense emotional reactions (fear, panic) disproportionate to the moment, physical symptoms like sweating or trembling, and dissociation (seeming distant, unresponsive, or like they are in a trance). They might also talk in the present tense about past trauma, try to flee, or seem to be defending themselves from something unseen.
 

How long does a PTSD flashback last?

PTSD flashbacks vary greatly in length, from mere seconds to hours, days, or even longer, feeling like you're reliving the trauma with intense sights, sounds, emotions, and physical sensations, rather than just remembering it; while some are brief, others can be debilitating, and treatment with a trauma specialist helps manage these episodes and reduce their frequency and severity over time. 

What triggers flashbacks in PTSD?

Because of this, PTSD and C-PTSD sufferers can have many 'triggers' – sounds, smells, physical sensations, tastes, things you see, emotions you feel etc can all bring back the trauma, presented as real life – a flashback. In order to combat and reduce flashbacks, it's important to understand your triggers.

How long should a flashback be?

Flashbacks come in all lengths, from many pages to a handful of lines. When you're deciding how much space to devote to a scene from the past, consider its importance. A flashback that reveals something unexpected may need more space than one that simply illustrates a reality about the character's past.

What happens in your brain during a PTSD flashback?

During a PTSD flashback, your brain misinterprets a trigger as present danger, activating the primitive fight-or-flight response via the overactive amygdala, while areas for rational thought (like the prefrontal cortex) quiet down, and the hippocampus struggles to place the event as a memory, making it feel like it's happening now, complete with intense physical sensations. Essentially, the brain gets stuck in a survival loop, re-experiencing fragmented sensory and emotional parts of the trauma as if it's happening in the current moment, rather than recalling a past event.
 

How do you snap someone out of a PTSD flashback?

Tips on helping someone who is experiencing a flashback

1. try to stay calm.
2. gently tell them that they are having a flashback.
3. avoid making any sudden movements.
4. encourage them to breathe slowly and deeply.
5. encourage them to describe their surroundings.

What not to do around someone with PTSD?

Supporting someone with PTSD means understanding their unique neural bridges - those fragile connections between trauma and safety. The worst thing to do to someone with PTSD is to destabilize these bridges further through dismissive words, sudden actions, or ignoring their need for stability.

What does a complex PTSD flashback feel like?

CPTSD flashbacks are intense, sudden floods of overwhelming emotions (fear, shame, despair, rage) from past trauma, often without clear visual memories, feeling like you're reliving the past, not just remembering it, accompanied by physical reactions like shaking, sweating, or a racing heart, making you feel trapped, helpless, or like something terrible is about to happen, even in a safe present. They hijack your nervous system, disrupting daily life and making you feel disconnected or intensely vulnerable. 

What do PTSD panic attacks look like?

Panic-Like Symptoms

For some, a PTSD episode can feel like a panic attack. They might breathe heavily, sweat, shake, or feel very scared, even if they're in a safe place. It can be hard for them to calm down because their body feels like something bad is happening.

What not to say to someone with complex PTSD?

When supporting someone with Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), avoid invalidating phrases like "get over it," "it's all in your head," or "you're just overreacting," as these minimize their experience; instead, focus on empathetic listening, validating their feelings, respecting boundaries (like personal space or not pushing for details), and offering consistent, non-judgmental support, acknowledging that their trauma is real, deeply impacts them, and healing takes time and isn't linear. 

What happens to someone during a flashback?

Not everyone's flashbacks are visual. Some take the form of words and phrases or sounds that were heard in the past. They can be accompanied by intense feelings of shame, sadness, anger, or physical sensations known as “body memories”, which may have been felt at the time of the original abuse.

How does a PTSD flashback look?

PTSD flashbacks look like vivid re-experiencing of trauma, involving intense sensory details (sights, sounds, smells) and emotions (fear, panic) that make the past feel present, often with physical reactions like sweating or increased heart rate, and can range from brief moments to hours, sometimes appearing as disorientation or emotional outbursts rather than clear memories. 

What not to do when someone is having a flashback?

1. DO NOT TOUCH someone (even a loved one) in an active flashback. This may be extremely triggering for them and the physical touch may inadvertently be experienced as part of the traumatic memory/flashback.

What is the 50 page rule?

The "50-page rule" is a guideline for readers and writers: readers give a book about 50 pages (or fewer if over 50 years old, subtracting age from 100) to get hooked before quitting, while writers aim to hook readers by page 50 with compelling voice, clear stakes, and inciting incidents to establish momentum and conflict, making it a crucial early benchmark for a manuscript.
 

What medication is used for PTSD?

Meds for PTSD primarily involve antidepressants, especially {!nav}SSRIs like Sertraline (Zoloft) and Paroxetine (Paxil), and SNRIs like Venlafaxine (Effexor), which help balance brain chemicals (serotonin, norepinephrine) to improve mood, sleep, and anxiety, though they take weeks to work and need doctor management for side effects, with some anxiety meds used short-term.
 

What are the 5 signs of PTSD?

PTSD: Top 5 signs of PTSD you need to know

• A life threatening event. This includes a perceived-to-be life threatening event. ...
• Internal reminders of a traumatic event. These signs of trauma typically present as nightmares or flashbacks. ...
• Avoidance of external reminders. ...
• Altered anxiety state. ...
• Changes in mood or thinking.

How to calm a PTSD flashback?

Try these tips during or right after a flashback:

1. Tell yourself you are having a flashback. ...
2. Remind yourself that the traumatic event is over. ...
3. Help yourself stay present by using your five senses. ...
4. Know what makes you feel secure. ...
5. Learn the triggers that lead to your flashback.

How long is too long for a flashback?

Don't: Linger Too Long

If the flashback goes on for more than a few pages, the reader will likely lose interest or begin to forget what was happening in the present narrative, making the return to the present disorienting.

What is an example of a flashback?

An example of a flashback is a soldier, resting at a bus stop, suddenly hearing a backfiring car which triggers a vivid memory (a flashback) of being in a war zone, complete with the sound of gunfire and shouting comrades, revealing his past combat experience and creating a powerful, immersive moment for the reader or viewer. This shift from the present moment to a past event helps explain the character's current anxiety or actions, adding depth to the story.