Trauma · Coping
Flashback Management Plan
Six steps, readable while flooded
A flashback plan written calm and used activated. Six steps, in order, short enough to be readable when thinking has narrowed.
The steps
1 · Name it
“This is a flashback. The feeling is old. I am not in danger now.”
2 · Orient
Feet, seat, breath out long. Name five things in the room and the year.
3 · Check the size
Ask: how much of this belongs to what just happened? Usually a small fraction.
4 · Comfort, do not argue
Warmth, movement, water, a hand on the chest. Reasoning comes after the body settles.
5 · Reach or wait
One safe contact, or one timed wait. Decide in advance which is realistic.
6 · Re-enter slowly
One small ordinary task. Postpone decisions and difficult conversations.
My version
My naming sentence, in my own words
The two orienting moves that reliably work for me
One person or place I can go to (role only)
What I will not attempt while flooded
Practise it cold
Read this plan on ordinary days. A plan first met during a flashback is a plan the nervous system cannot reach.