FLASH Therapy

What is Flash Therapy?

FLASH therapy was developed to help people process and cope with difficult memories. It’s especially useful for traumatic memories that can be overwhelming or intrusive. There are two types of FLASH therapy:  Dr. Manfield’s flash technique and Tom Zimmerman’s “four blink flash” technique.  At Long Beach Therapy, we are trained in both.

Small Snippets:

One of the reasons people like FLASH is that you aren’t working on as big of an issue all at once.  Instead, your therapist will address issues in smaller increments.  If you think of a full difficult/traumatic memory as an entire pad of post-it notes, then think of what one of those individual post-notes would represent (compared to the whole pad of post-it notes).  That one post-it note is the amount you are working on in FLASH.

Quick and Gentle:

FLASH therapy is that it’s designed to be less distressing than other types of trauma therapy. The goal of FLASH therapy is to reduce the emotional intensity of memories without having to deeply engage with the traumatic memories.

The Process:

In FLASH therapy, your therapist will ask you to briefly focus on the distressing memory, generally for less than 10 seconds. Then, you quickly shift your attention to a more positive focus (your therapist will help you identify what this is). This ‘light touch’ approach helps in reducing the emotional pain associated with the memory, while still being able to fully process the memory (just without thinking deeply about it).

Client-Controlled:

You, as the client, are in control of the process at all times and can move at your own pace and stop whenever you want. The goal of FLASH is that you can move more effectively through your day without having to navigate through as many triggers.

Effectiveness:

FLASH therapy is showing in early research and clinical experience that it is effective, particularly for resolving difficult memories.  In particular, it is showing to be effective with reducing PTSD and other trauma-related symptoms. It’s a promising option for those who find traditional trauma therapies overwhelming.

Integrating with Other Therapies:

FLASH therapy can be integrated with other therapeutic approaches. It’s not usually a standalone treatment but a tool we can use alongside other strategies to help you in your healing journey.  Many clients see it as a way to “fast forward” therapy.

How Is FLASH Therapy Different Than EMDR:

1. In re-using the example above re: the post-it notes: EMDR is like processing the entire post-it note pad and FLASH is like processing one individual post-it note at a time.   Both have pros and cons, which your therapist can talk with you about.  Often, if a memory is too difficult, a therapist can do FLASH therapy with a client on some of the more difficult aspects of the memory so that the client feels safe in delving into the more triggering memories.   FLASH also allows you to focus on one aspect of a difficult memory, whereas EMDR provides more “global” healing (e.g. the full post-it note pad).
2. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (BLS) where the client watches a light go back and forth to engage a deep healing of a memory. FLASH doesn’t use BLS, and instead uses your blinking (blinking a certain amount of times very fast) to help your brain process trauma.
3. EMDR must be done with a trained EMDR clinician. After a client learns how to self-administer FLASH by a trained clinician, FLASH can be done by a client as a homework assignment from a therapist and does not have to be supervised by a trained clinician.

How to Start Flash Therapy:

If you are interested in FLASH therapy, please call/text Long Beach Therapy at 562-310-9741.