🌿Understanding Emotional Flashbacks in Complex PTSD 🌿
- Anna Krawiec
- Sep 26
- 3 min read
When we think of flashbacks, many people picture vivid images or memories of past trauma playing in the mind. This is often true for those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But for people living with Complex PTSD (CPTSD), flashbacks can look very different.
They are often not visual at all. Instead, they arrive as sudden, overwhelming feelings that seem to come out of nowhere. Psychotherapist and author Pete Walker (2013) calls these emotional flashbacks.
What is an Emotional Flashback?
An emotional flashback is a flood of painful emotions from the past that gets triggered in the present moment. Unlike PTSD flashbacks, which tend to replay images, sounds, or sensations of a traumatic event, emotional flashbacks are felt primarily in the body and emotions.
Walker (2013) describes them as sudden regressions to the overwhelming feelings from childhood. In the middle of an emotional flashback, you may not even realize you’re remembering something. Instead, you just feel it:
😔 Deep shame or worthlessness
💥 Panic or dread
😡 Intense anger or despair
🧊 Emotional numbness or collapse
It can feel like you’ve been transported back into childhood — small, scared, powerless — even though nothing “bad” is happening right now.
What Triggers Emotional Flashbacks?
Emotional flashbacks are often activated by reminders of earlier trauma. These triggers aren’t always obvious. Sometimes it’s a tone of voice, a look from someone, feeling ignored, or even a particular smell.
Because they operate beneath conscious awareness, emotional flashbacks can leave people confused: “Why am I overreacting? Why do I suddenly feel so worthless?”
Why They Happen
CPTSD often develops after prolonged or repeated trauma, especially in childhood. When children can’t escape harmful environments — such as abuse, neglect, or constant criticism — their nervous systems learn to survive by staying alert to danger.
Years later, the body and brain may still react as though the danger is happening now. Emotional flashbacks are one way this survival system gets activated.
How to Recognize You’re in an Emotional Flashback
Signs you might be experiencing one include:
A sudden shift in mood that feels extreme compared to the situation.
Harsh inner critic thoughts: “I’m worthless,” “I can’t do anything right.”
Feeling very young, small, or helpless.
Physical stress reactions: tight chest, knot in stomach, trembling, racing heart.
Wanting to hide, run away, or completely shut down.
Steps Toward Healing
The good news is that emotional flashbacks can become less overwhelming with support and practice. Strategies include:
🌱 Grounding techniques – Breathing slowly, orienting yourself to the present, noticing five things you see/hear/feel.
🌱 Self-compassion – Reminding yourself: “This is a flashback. I am safe now.”
🌱 Therapeutic support – Trauma-informed therapy, such as EMDR, parts work, or somatic approaches, can help reduce their intensity.
🌱 Building safety and connection – Supportive relationships and safe environments are powerful antidotes to trauma responses.
If you’ve ever felt “too sensitive” or struggled with sudden waves of shame or fear, you may be experiencing emotional flashbacks — a normal response to abnormal experiences.
Naming them can be the first step toward healing. With the right support, emotional flashbacks can lose their grip, and you can move toward a life rooted in safety, connection, and self-worth.
📚 Reference
Walker, P. (2013). Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A guide and map for recovering from childhood trauma. Azure Coyote.
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