Know Your Triggers
Flashbacks and dissociation are often triggered or cued by some kind of reminder of a traumatic event. For example, encountering certain people, going to specific places, or some other stressful experience may trigger a flashback.
By knowing what your triggers are, you can try to limit your exposure to those triggers. If that isn't possible (which is often the case), you can prepare by finding your reactions to triggers.
Identify Early Warning Signs
Flashbacks and dissociation may feel unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, there are often some early signs that you may be slipping into a flashback or disassociation. For example, your surroundings may begin to look fuzzy or you may feel as though you're losing touch with your surroundings, other people, or even yourself.
Flashbacks and dissociation are easier to cope with and prevent if you can catch them early on. Therefore, it's important to try to increase your awareness of their early symptoms.
Next time you experience an episode, revisit what you were feeling and thinking just before the flashback or dissociation occurred. Try to identify as many early symptoms as possible. The more ​early warning signs you can come up with, the better able you will be to prevent future episodes.
PTSD Early Warning Signs
Learn Grounding Techniques
As the name implies, grounding is a particular way of coping that is designed to "ground" you in the present moment. In doing so, you can retain your connection with the present moment and reduce the likelihood that you slip into a flashback or dissociation.
Grounding techniques use the five senses (sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight).To connect with the here and now, do something that will bring all your attention to the present moment.
Sight: Take an inventory of everything around you. Connect with the present moment by listing everything around you. Identify all the colours you see. Count all the pieces of furniture around you. Taking an inventory of your immediate environment can directly connect you with the present.
Sight: Take an inventory of everything around you. Connect with the present moment by listing everything around you. Identify all the colours you see. Count all the pieces of furniture around you. Taking an inventory of your immediate environment can directly connect you with the present
Smell: Sniff some strong peppermint. When you smell something strong, it's very hard to focus on anything else. In this way, smelling peppermint can bring you into the present moment, slowing down or stopping a flashback or an episode of dissociation.
Sound: Turn on loud music. Loud, jarring music will be hard to ignore. As a result, your attention will be directed to that noise, bringing you into the present moment.
Taste: Bite into a lemon. The sourness of a lemon and the strong sensation it produces in your mouth when you bite into it can force you to stay in the present moment.
Touch: If you notice that you're slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state, hold onto a piece of ice. It will be difficult to direct your attention away from the extreme coldness of the ice, forcing you to stay in touch with the present moment.
Turn on loud music. Loud, jarring music will be hard to ignore. As a result, your attention will be directed to that noise, bringing you into the present moment.
Bite into a lemon. The sourness of a lemon and the strong sensation it produces in your mouth when you bite into it can force you to stay in the present moment.
If you notice that you're slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state, hold onto a piece of ice. It will be difficult to direct your attention away from the extreme coldness of the ice, forcing you to stay in touch with the present moment.
Comments