I have pictures of my current life and people/things/animals that remind me of the ones I really care for... emotional flashbacks for me are really difficult to recognize, let alone pull out of, so pictures help a lot. A Red Panda has some good suggestions also. I know for me reading my own handwriting doesn't do much, but seeing somethign written by my wife or my therapist helps trigger me into following the instructions. I'm not sure if you would benefit from something like that too...