There can be different kinds of flashbacks, but the key is that what you are experiencing feels as real as what else is going on in reality at that moment. If I am talking with T about something and I get reminded of a trauma, I might begin seeing it in my head, reacting physically as if it were happening again. Part of me knows I am there with T but part of me feels like I am back in the trauma.

When we get "stuck" in a flashback, we are paying more attention to reexperiencing the memory than to our present reality. When a T keeps bringing your attention back to your present experience, it is an effort to help you stay out of that. Does that make sense?