When my stronger flashback episodes occur I find myself in a wrestling match for control over my senses. My vision will be getting taken over by memories, the present nearly being overwritten as past sights, physical sensations, sounds, and emotions are overlaid on top of the present, drowning it out. During these moments I struggle to pull myself back above the surface.

One obstacle is that many grounding techniques are very difficult to perform when you get such an intense slam of memories. They can help when I feel those flashbacks coming, but if I'm not quick enough or they come on without warning than I lack the focus required.

A larger problem though is so many grounding techniques revolve around physical grounding, such as focusing on a physical sensation to bring yourself back into the present. Physical sensations and body awareness are both very strong triggers for me, so those kinds of grounding techniques only make those moments worse.

The most effective technique for me so far is trying to control my breathing, taking deep breaths in and out. By controlling my breathing I can begin to influence my racing heart, my focus being directed towards trying to slow it down.

I'm sure many of you have similarly found certain grounding techniques work better than others for you, so I am curious as to what they are?

[Open Eyes]

A larger problem though is so many grounding techniques revolve around physical grounding, such as focusing on a physical sensation to bring yourself back into the present. Physical sensations and body awareness are both very strong triggers for me, so those kinds of grounding techniques only make those moments worse.

My therapist explained to me that when I experience a flashback I need to understand that it comes in like a wave, crashes through me and then recedes and that it's like standing knee deep in the ocean where a wave comes at me, crashes through me but always recedes and to learn how to be patient while it happens and once I experience it and identify it as something I experienced in my past, that will slowly take the power out of that flashback so the next time I experience it it won't come on so strong.

If you have found that paying attention to your breathing helps you then continue using that method. It's important to keep in mind that often a flashback can present us with feeling something bad is going to happen and our brain responds to that by pumping out cortisol which prepares one for fight or flight. By concentrating on something mundane or calm, like coloring in a coloring book or slowing our breathing down the brain will realize there is no "current" danger and will stop producing the cortisol and that will finally bring someone back to feeling calmer again. A "trauma" is when someone experiences a situation that is sudden, unexpected and greatly compromises that persons sense of safety or ability to stop whatever they experienced from happening. The brain records a lot more than the person realizes consciously and yet it's in fragments and all the parts to the traumatic experience can take time to piece together where the person can finally identify all the aspects of whatever that trauma was and what the danger actually was and what parts were "not" the dangerous part itself. Trauma really changes a person's overall sense of safety and depending on what that trauma was, it can take a person quite a bit of time to gradually rebuild their overall sense of safety.

For myself, the trauma I experienced caused a lot of damage, and while that was bad enough, I was also frightened by the ptsd symptoms that also confused me and contributed to my feeling "unsafe".

[Rive1976]

Come up with a safe place in your mind. Like on top of a Mountain where no one can get to you. Think about things you like there like a little cabin and a stream with big fences no one can climb. Or whatever a safe place for you might be. When things get tough go there mentally.

[Unrigged64072835]

I just start naming items in my environment accord to color, size, shape, etc. Eventually I'll have a better picture of what's around me.