Emotional & Somatic Flashbacks: How Trauma Shows Up in the Body
What Are Emotional & Somatic Flashbacks?
When we talk about flashbacks, many people imagine vivid mental images of traumatic events. Emotional flashbacks are a bit different. Emotional flashbacks happen when the emotions tied to past trauma return (hurt, shame, fear, worthlessness, etc.) without a clear memory or image. Somatic flashbacks (or somatic re-experiencing) are bodily sensations that echo trauma—tightness, nausea, trembling, heart racing, freezing, pain, or other physical sensations that don’t seem to have a present cause. Occasionally, emotional and somatic flashbacks overlap. These experiences are especially common for those who have experienced complex trauma (C-PTSD) and trauma histories, especially when childhood or developmental trauma has occurred. (Charlie Health)
What the Research Shows Us: Body, Memory, and Trauma
Let’s look at what research tell us about how and why somatic/emotional flashbacks happen, how the body is involved, and, most importantly, what it means for healing.
- Body Memories & Negative Bodily Experiences
In Clinical Manifestations of Body Memories (2022), researchers explores how negative bodily experiences from the past are stored as “body memories,” and the ways they influence behavior and physical responses even in the absence of conscious recall (PMC), Similar to visual memories, our bodies also can recall the events we have lived through. Likely, these are not conscious thoughts, but rather sensations (tightness in the chest, pain in the abdomen, nausea, trembling) or automatic behaviors like freezing, bracing, or withdrawing.
Body memories can “pull” the nervous system into sympathetic or dorsal vagal states as if the old trauma is still happening. The body reacts to past danger in the present moment, bypassing conscious awareness. That’s why someone might suddenly feel panicked, nauseated, or disconnected without knowing why—because their nervous system is protecting them based on an old template.
2. Neural Sensory Overwhelm, Dysregulation & Sensory Reactivity
Research on PTSD (and PTSD with dissociative symptoms) shows that traumatic experiences change how the nervous system responds to sensory input. Sensory stimuli—even subtle ones—can overwhelm processing regions in the brainstem/midbrain, triggering intense emotional or bodily reactions (Frontiers). Stimuli that otherwise might be neutral like a car honking in the distance or someone dropping their phone can shift the nervous system into dysregulation.
Think of your nervous system like a smoke alarm. A well-tuned alarm only goes off when there’s real smoke. But after trauma, the alarm can become overly sensitive—it blares at burnt toast, not just a house fire. Sensory overwhelm is your body’s alarm system going off too often or too intensely.
3. Interoceptive Awareness & Mental Health
Interoception is the awareness of sensations inside the body. In “The Body Can Balance the Score: Using a Somatic Self-Care…” researchers argue that strengthening interoceptive awareness helps people track and regulate their bodily sensations more effectively, reducing distress in cases of trauma and PTSD (PMC). Interoceptive awareness is your ability to notice and make sense of the signals coming from inside your body. These signals include things like your heartbeat, hunger, thirst, muscle tension, breathing, or the “gut feeling” you get when something feels right or wrong. It’s basically your inner notification center telling you what’s happening inside so you can respond in a healthy way.
4. Effectiveness of Somatic Therapies
Research is showing that somatic therapies—like Somatic Experiencing—can make a real difference for people living with trauma. In fact, randomized controlled trials (the gold standard in research) have found that this approach not only reduces PTSD symptoms but can also ease depression and even chronic physical sensations of pain (Psych Central). What makes this exciting is that it confirms what many people already feel in their own bodies: trauma isn’t just in the mind, it’s in the body too. And when therapy directly works with the body—through gentle awareness, movement, and regulation—it can support healing on multiple levels.
What Emotional Flashbacks Feel Like
- Sudden waves of an old emotion (shame, fear, grief) without clear “this is why” trigger
- Bodily sensations: tight chest, racing heart, dizziness, shaking or trembling, freezing
- Disconnection: feeling unreal, like you’re observing from outside, or stuck in a younger version of self
- Time distortion: feeling as if you were back in the moment of trauma, or that it’s still ongoing
- Inner critic activation: harsh self-talk, feelings of worthlessness, or believing you’re “bad” without a clear reason.
- Shame spirals: wanting to hide, collapse, or withdraw suddenly.
- Heightened sensory sensitivity: everyday sounds, light, and touch feel overwhelming or unbearable
Four Somatic Therapy Interventions to Help
Intervention | What It Does / Why It Helps | How to Use It |
---|---|---|
1. Grounding through the body & orient to the present | This helps shift your nervous system from being in “past/ trauma mode” into the present. Grounding reduces dissociation and helps remind your body that you are safe now. | When you notice flashback symptoms, try things like pressing your feet into the floor, feeling the texture of something nearby, naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Pair grounding with time-stamping, telling yourself “This is 2025…I am in my home/a safe environment…the abusive situation is over… I am no longer around unsafe people…This is an adult body. I survived…”. (Pasadena Trauma Therapy) |
2. Somatic pacing or pendulation | This idea-often used in somatic experiencing or sensorimotor therapy-gives you a way to gently move between a state of high arousal/activation (flashback) and something calmer, so you don’t get overwhelmed. Your body learns it can tolerate distress and return to regulation. | For example: when you feel the flashback coming, notice the sensations, but after a short while shift attention to something calming (soft touch, soothing sounds, safe memory). You might literally rock or sway, do gentle movement, alternate arm/leg movements, or shift your focus to somewhere physically present and safe. Over time you can increase the “distance” or duration you spend in noticing discomfort before returning to calm. |
3. Breath work & activating the parasympathetic nervous system | Flashbacks often trigger sympathetic arousal (fight/flight/freeze). Conscious breathing can engage the parasympathetic branch, slowing the heart, relaxing the body, reducing panic. | A few options: 4-7-8 breathing (inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8), belly/diaphragmatic breathing, exhaling slowly through the mouth with an audible sigh to exhale. Pair breathing with soft affirmations like “I am safe now” or “This is a body memory, I am not in present danger”. Practicing breathwork when calm will help make deep breathing a habit that is accessible to you in an activated state. |
4. Movement, sensory input & safe touch | Movement helps the body complete responses that may have been “stuck” during trauma; sensory input (touch, pressure, warmth) helps “re-anchor” the body in the here and now. Movement naturally helps modulate over-activation or numbness. | Movement practices and intentional sensory input like gentle yoga, slowly walking in nature, shaking/tremoring (with guidance or in safe space), tactile self-soothing (holding a soft object, putting hands under cold running water, hugging yourself, weighted blanket) shift the nervous system toward regulation. As you move, practice body scans to notice where tension is, then consciously relax or non-judgmentally observe those muscles. If safe and if accessible, massage or therapeutic touch can ease somatic flashbacks. Remember to stay within tolerable limits—slow movement or decrease sensory input as needed. |
Putting it all together: a gentle self-care plan
Here’s a sample flow you might try when a flashback hits, combining the tools above. You can adapt this based on what feels safest / what resonates.
- Notice & Name
“I am having a somatic/emotional flashback.” Naming it helps shift the experience from being overwhelming and unnamable to something you can respond to. - Ground Into the Present
Use time-stamping and grounding: touch, look around, feel your feet, describe surroundings. Speak to yourself, reminding yourself you are safe and in the present moment. - Regulate Through Breath
Once slightly grounded, initiate slow, calm breathing. As breath slows, allow the body’s intensity to lessen. - Pendulate / Movement
When safe, allow small movement or gentle shifts. Then return to rest, softness, slowing. As needed, alternate until you feel more anchored. - Soothing Sensation or Safe Touch
Use soft touch, warmth, safe object around you. Let your skin/ body feel “something kind.”
Healing That Lasts: Returning the Traumatized Nervous System to Safety and Regulation
Healing from trauma is a journey, and it doesn’t happen overnight. As much as we all wish there were a quick fix, trauma leaves real changes in how our brains and bodies respond to the world. Recovery is about gently creating new experiences of safety and regulation so that, over time, your nervous system learns it’s okay to stay within a steadier, calmer “window of tolerance.”
Coping tools you use on your own can be very helpful, but research shows that healing often goes deeper when you have the support of a trauma-informed therapist—especially one trained in approaches like Somatic Therapy, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, or Polyvagal-based practices.
You’ve probably had moments where you instantly felt calmer just by being around someone steady and kind—or, on the flip side, noticed yourself becoming tense around someone who’s anxious or angry. That’s not just imagination. It’s your nervous system tuning in to someone else’s nervous system. Through things like tone of voice, facial expression, body posture, and even subtle shifts in breathing, our bodies are constantly “reading” cues of safety or danger in others. This happens automatically, beneath conscious thought, through a process called neuroception (a concept from polyvagal theory). This is why somatic trauma therapies are so effective—they actively use the therapist’s calm, attuned presence to help the body re-learn safety and regulation through co-regulation. Each session is a new experience for the your nervous system to encode!
The Reality of Emotional & Somatic Flashbacks
Flashbacks rarely disappear overnight, and the path to healing is rarely a straight line. With consistent practice and support, they may become less frequent or intense over time, but it’s normal for sensations or emotions to still feel overwhelming at moments. Whenever possible, do this work with someone you trust or a trained professional, and remember to be gentle with yourself—frustration, shame, or fear about having flashbacks are normal, but they aren’t helpful. Every time you notice these experiences with awareness and self-compassion, you are taking steps toward healing.
It’s also important to pay attention to your physical health: if new or concerning symptoms appear—like heart racing, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting—check in with a medical professional, as these could be related to conditions such as arrhythmia, anemia, thyroid issues, low blood pressure, or other health concerns, not just trauma.
Your path forward
Emotional and somatic flashbacks are intense. They can make you feel trapped in the past, disconnected from your body, or overwhelmed by sensations you don’t fully understand. But they are not signs of failure—they are signals. Signals that your nervous system is still carrying unresolved pain. The body is trying to communicate what words sometimes cannot.
The good news: research and many practitioners have shown that with somatic awareness, grounding, supportive movement, breath, and gentle, compassionate self-care, people can learn to ride the waves of flashbacks rather than be swept away by them. Over time, they can lessen—both in frequency and in the intensity of the responses with the help of a trained mental health professional. Your not stuck, your nervous system is crying out for regulation. Healing is right around the corner and your body can learn to be safe again.
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Hi, I’m Addy, a trained integrative somatic trauma therapist. If you notice trauma showing up in your body, whether through flashbacks, muscle tension, or overwhelming sensations, this isn’t something have to go through it alone. I help individuals and adolescents recover from trauma, rewire their nervous system, and tap into their innate inner strength.