When we are feeling triggered we have to tell our minds and brains that we are safe in the present, and using a script can help us do this. You might want to write your script out on a card or on your phone and keep it with you so that you can use it when you need it. Remember that practising this when you feel safe will make it easier to use during a flashback or feeling overwhelmed.
I am feeling (name the emotion, such as ‘frightened’)
And I am sensing in my body (describe as many bodily sensations as you can)
- Because I am remembering (name the trauma by title only, no details)
- But at the same time I am here (name the place)
- And I am in (today’s date including day, month and year)
- And I can see (describe some of the things that you can see right now, in this place)………………………………………………………………………….
- And I can hear………………………………………………………………
- And I can smell……………………………………………………………..
- And so I know (name the trauma, again title only) is not happening now or any more
For example…
- I am feeling frightened
- And my heart is racing, I am shivering and sweating
- Because I am remembering
- The attack when I was 12 years old
- But at the same time I am in my living room
- And it is the 23rd April 2024
- And I can see my sofa, the cat, my daughter, the television
- I can hear the voices on the television and the rain on the window outside
- And I can smell the air freshener and coffee
- And so I know the attack was a long time ago and it is not happening again or any more.
(Source: Flashbacks and Nightmares Stabilisation Pack Cwm Taf University Health Board – Psychological Therapies Department)