How do you handle flashbacks?

1. 54

   Lyssyposted 13 years ago

   How do you handle flashbacks?
   
   I wanted to ask you the best way to handle flashbacks. It seems like they come whenever they want to.  And, also, I made the mistake of telling someone I thought loved me about the incident. He responded very brutally. How do you handle that?

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2. 66

   GarnetBirdposted 13 years ago

   This is HARD.  I know how you feel.  I often have found distraction is the only way to go.  If I pop a piece of candy into my mouth or read something outloud, or smell something like vanilla oil, it takes edge off.  Sometimes a bath helps.  But when these things occur in public places (mine used to flare up when standing in line)it's difficult.  I used to carry a cough drop in my pocket. One therapist suggested making clapping noises or doing something very physical when the flashbacks occur.  I cannot afford therapy anymore as my insurance does not cover it, so I rely on Incest Survivors Anonymous-I hooked up with a very supportive group in Long Beach, run by a survivor of Satanic Ritual Abuse.  She's amazing.  God bless you and thank you for your emails.

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3. 57

   Marcella Glennposted 13 years ago

   Tips On Using Flashbacks
   Flashbacks will keep fiction
   interesting, but it must be
   mixed well. A flashback that's
   too long bores the reader, and
   he/she moves to the next
   author/writer. It's the primary
   concern when working with flashbacks.
   
   Begin your fiction in a dramatic
   scene. If the reader needs to know
   how a character ended-up in the
   situation, show them with a
   flashback. The flashback takes the
   reader back and uncovers relevant
   information that leads to where
   the story opened.
   
   Sometimes, a sentence is all that's
   needed. At other times, a paragraph
   is required to handle a flashback.
   In other words, flashbacks must
   not slow-down the pace of a story.
   
   Music, loud noise, a fall, gentle
   shake or ringing telephone can set
   a flashback into motion.
   
   The following is the tell me method
   to a flashback. It's necessary to
   the excerpt. One paragraph explains
   the background of grandmother and
   gives insight into Tay's ancestry.
   
   "Mother, tell me about how
   grandmother migrated to find a better
   life," Tay pleaded.
   
   Post found at: http://critiqueandwrite.blogspot.com/20 … ction.html

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