What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
reexperiencing
Example
She was reexperiencing the trauma of her childhood abuse. [reexperiencing: verb]
Example
The smell of freshly baked cookies brought on a flood of reexperiencing memories from my grandmother's kitchen. [reexperiencing: gerund or present participle]
flashback
Example
I had a flashback to my time in the war when I heard a loud explosion. [flashback: noun]
Example
The character in the movie experienced a series of flashbacks that revealed his troubled past. [flashbacks: plural noun]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Flashback is more commonly used than reexperiencing in everyday language, particularly in the context of media and entertainment. However, both terms are used in clinical and therapeutic settings to describe symptoms of trauma and PTSD.
Whatโs the difference in the tone of formality between reexperiencing and flashback?
Both reexperiencing and flashback are formal terms used in clinical and therapeutic settings, but flashback is also commonly used in informal contexts such as movies and TV shows.
