Flashback

Flashback is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual has a sudden, usually powerful, re-experiencing of a past experience or elements of a past experience. These experiences can be happy, sad, exciting, or any other emotion one can consider. The term is used particularly when the memory is recalled involuntarily, and/or when it is so intense that the person "relives" the experience, unable to fully recognize it as memory and not something that is happening in "real time".

Causes

Flashbacks are the "personal experiences that pop into your awareness, without any conscious, premeditated attempt to search and retrieve this memory". These experiences occasionally have little to no relation to the situation at hand. Flashbacks to those suffering posttraumatic stress disorder can be so disruptive as to seriously affect day-to-day living.

Symptoms

Flashbacks can consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by everyday occurrences. A person having a flashback, which can come in the form of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.

Treatment

Treatment for flashbacks may include any combination of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and medications such as antidepressants.

See also

• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Trauma
• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

References

Flashback Resources
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