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Recovery
Flashbacks:
Re-experiencing of the trauma is common among women who have been assaulted. For example, you may have unwanted thoughts of the assault, and find yourself unable to get rid of them. Some women have flashbacks, or very vivid images as if the assault is occurring again. Nightmares are also common. These symptoms occur because a traumatic experience is so shocking and so different from everyday experiences that you can’t fit it into what you know about the world. So in order to understand what happened, your mind keeps bringing the memory back, as if to try to digest it and fit it in.
Strategies for Coping with Flashbacks
- Stop what you are experiencing (if possible). For example, stop playing the music, stop the car, stop reading, etc. What is happening?
- Calm yourself so tat you can experience grounding and a sense of boundaries (e.g., talk to yourself, take a few deep breaths, or go to another room).
- Affirm and reorient yourself to the present through the five senses. What do you feel, see, touch, hear, or smell in the present? (e.g., I am with my partner in my home. I am an adult, not the child that I feel like in my flashback. I can hear the reassuring words from my partner.)
- Take Action. How do you interact or not interact with this experience (trigger) in order to feel safe? (e.g., talk to your partner, call a friend, speak with a counselor, focus on being in the safety and security of the room, take time to write in a journal, or remove yourself from the situation such as not watching the movie about abuse.)
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