Ground yourself in the present
During a flashback, your body believes it is happening now. Press your feet into the floor, name the date and the room out loud, hold something cold. Orient to now.
Trauma & PTSD
What trauma does to the mind and body, why the reactions make sense, and how healing usually works.
Understanding it
What this means
Trauma is the response to an event that overwhelmed your capacity to cope — violence, loss, displacement, threat, or ongoing fear. It is an injury, not a flaw.
After a traumatic experience, most people have intense reactions for days or weeks. When flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance and avoidance persist for more than a month and interfere with daily life, this may be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is treatable. Trauma-focused therapies have strong evidence behind them. Until professional support is available, stabilising skills — grounding, sleep, routine, safe connection — are genuinely useful and not a lesser option.
Common signs
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares
- Feeling constantly alert, jumpy or unsafe
- Avoiding reminders — places, conversations, news
- Numbness, or feeling detached from yourself or others
- Sudden anger, panic or tears that feel out of proportion
- Difficulty trusting people or feeling safe at rest
- Guilt or shame about what happened or what you did to survive
This page is educational and is not a diagnosis. If these experiences last for weeks or affect daily life, speaking with a professional is a good next step.
Try it now
Interactive tools for this topic — they take just a few minutes.
Things you can try today
Build predictability
Trauma removes control. Regular sleep, meals and routines rebuild a felt sense of safety faster than most people expect.
Titrate the reminders
Total avoidance keeps fear alive; flooding overwhelms. Approach reminders in small, chosen doses, and stop while you are still able to settle yourself.
Let the shame be spoken
Shame survives in silence. Sharing one part of the story with one safe person — or a counsellor — usually reduces its weight.
Ask for trauma-informed help
If symptoms persist beyond a month, seek a professional trained in trauma. Novara's support space can help you find one.
Self-care tips
- Limit exposure to distressing news and images
- Keep a comfort object or grounding kit nearby
- Move gently — walking, stretching, slow breathing
- Avoid using alcohol or substances to numb
- Plan what you will do the next time a flashback comes
Watch and learn
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Read more from verified organisations
ArticlePost-traumatic stress disorder — overviewNHSOpen resource GuideUnderstanding PTSDMindOpen resource ArticleWhat is PTSD?US Dept of Veterans Affairs — National Center for PTSDOpen resource GuideGetting help for PTSDUS Dept of Veterans Affairs — National Center for PTSDOpen resource ArticleTrauma — A to Z topicMental Health FoundationOpen resource ArticlePTSD — health topicNIMHOpen resource
If you need urgent help
If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services (in Afghanistan: police 119, medical 102). If you are safe but struggling, free helplines like Awaaz Afghanistan (410) can help.
Related topics
AnxietyUnderstand what anxiety is, recognise the signs, and learn practical ways to calm your body and mind.Grief & LossGrief after death, displacement or the loss of a future you expected — and what helps you carry it.Self-Care & Self-EsteemSmall, daily acts of care that protect your energy — and a kinder way of speaking to yourself.
These tools support your wellbeing — they are not therapy or an emergency service. If you are in danger, call local emergency services (in Afghanistan: police 119, medical 102).