All worksheets
Back
Trauma · Crisis

Flashback Halting Protocol

Babette Rothschild's 14-statement re-orientation script

TherapistAssist
therapistassist.app

Babette Rothschild's flashback halting protocol. Read aloud, in order, slowly. The structure is the medicine — it anchors language to the present while the body re-orients.

1
Right now I am feeling ___
2
And I am sensing in my body ___
3
Because I am remembering ___
4
At the same time, I am looking around where I am now, in the present,
5
And I can see ___
6
And so I know that ___ is not happening now and not here.
7
I am here, in (place), in (year).
8
That happened (years/months) ago.
9
I survived it. It is over.
10
Right now I am safe.
11
My (body part) is here, in this chair.
12
I can feel my feet on the floor.
13
I can breathe in and out.
14
I am here. I am here. I am here.

Use it like this

Print this page. Fold in quarters. Keep in wallet or by the bed. When a flashback starts, read line by line — out loud if you can.

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

  • Rothschild, B. (2000). The Body Remembers. W. W. Norton.
© 2026 TherapistAssist · For clinical use · Not a substitute for assessment
Option One

Get the Flashback Halting Protocol

Print-ready PDF. Instant download — no account needed. We email you a copy too.

This sheet only. Unsubscribe anytime.

Option Two

Or send it to your client

Every worksheet, plus 80 interactive tools your client opens on their phone. No app. No login.

  • Their response lands in your dashboard
  • Unlimited worksheet downloads
Start 7-day trial

$20/mo after · cancel in one click

About this worksheet

A flashback protocol is a written, rehearsed script a client uses in the moment a flashback starts. The goal is dual awareness — feeling the past while staying connected to the present — not suppression. The protocol blends Babette Rothschild's dual-awareness work with standard grounding: name what's happening ('I am having a flashback'), orient to time and place ('it is [date], I am [location], I am [age]'), use sensory anchors (5-4-3-2-1, cold water, textured object), and identify a safe other to contact if needed. This worksheet has the client draft their own protocol in their own words, because a generic script doesn't land mid-flashback. They keep a printed copy and a phone photo. Trauma therapists pair this with stabilization work; do not use it as a substitute for trauma-informed treatment.

When to use it

  • PTSD and complex PTSD, after initial stabilization.
  • Clients with flashbacks, emotional or sensory, between sessions.
  • Survivors entering trauma processing (EMDR, IFS, SE) — protocol is a prerequisite, not optional.
  • Not a substitute for trauma therapy. Build the protocol, then do the work.

How to use it

  1. 1
    Name the flashback as a flashback

    First line of the script. 'I am having a flashback. This is a memory, not happening now.' Reading it interrupts the freeze.

  2. 2
    Orient to time, place, age

    'It is [today's date]. I am at [location]. I am [current age] years old. I am safe in this moment.' Concrete and read out loud.

  3. 3
    Sensory anchors

    Pick the client's most reliable grounding inputs: cold water on wrists, a textured object in the pocket, 5-4-3-2-1, smell (peppermint oil).

  4. 4
    Body movement

    Stand up, change rooms, walk, push against a wall. Movement reconnects to the present body.

  5. 5
    Safe person, if needed

    One named person the client can text or call. The text can be a single emoji — pre-agreed code that means 'I'm in it, just be there.'

  6. 6
    Rehearse outside the flashback

    Read the protocol aloud daily for the first two weeks. It needs to be muscle memory by the time it's needed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a flashback protocol?+

A pre-written, rehearsed script trauma survivors use the moment a flashback begins. It combines naming the flashback, orienting to present time and place, sensory grounding, and contacting a safe person if needed.

Is a flashback protocol the same as grounding?+

Grounding is a component. The protocol is broader — it includes naming the experience as a flashback, time/place orientation, body movement, and a social safety net. Grounding alone often isn't enough mid-flashback.

When should clients use the protocol?+

At the first sensory cue of a flashback — racing heart, sense of unreality, a smell or sound that pulls them back. Earlier is better. The protocol is harder to use once full dissociation has set in.

Can I use this without trauma therapy?+

The protocol is for stabilization — clients should still be in trauma-informed therapy. A protocol without treatment manages symptoms without resolving them.

Worksheet — Flashback Halting Protocol — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.