Rewind Technique For Releasing Trauma

Rewind technique enables you to access difficult memories of trauma and to rewrite them without the raw emotional response. Your brain is trying to protect you but has gone into overdrive if it affects your life. Rewind technique is a simple way to enable you to gently move forward by dealing with the past. Please see a therapist if you need more support. This 3-step technique was originally written to support those suffering from birth trauma but can be used for any trauma, painful memory.

Transcript

So I want to talk to you today about the rewind technique.

Rewind technique is a really effective way of reprogramming your brain.

So when you've had trauma or phobia of some sort you are able to move on from that.

It's not about changing memories,

It's about changing our response to that memory.

It's very effective.

So what we need to start to do is think about the scenario you'd like to change in your mind.

You want to get yourself comfortable somewhere where you won't be disturbed.

Just have a think about the situation and this can be really challenging,

This can be really difficult to do.

So go at your own pace,

Do it at your own speed.

What I want you to do is to think about that scenario and if you were to grade it for example,

Where would you grade it with one being a bit of a nah it's ok,

To ten being full on your own,

You're there and all that pain comes back.

And when you think about it,

What just happens in your body,

What changes are you noticing in your body?

Recognise that,

That's a really important step about being mindful and recognising the changes that are happening in our body.

Any time you need to step back that's absolutely fine,

Just take some deep breaths,

Close your eyes.

But if you can,

In your own time,

I want you to think about the situation and the first time you realised something was changing.

And I want you to picture what kind of day was it,

Who were you with,

What was the weather like,

What were you wearing?

Really try and envisage what happened,

That first moment where you went from being safe to realising something was different.

And again in your own time,

I want you to think of the worst moment,

What was the worst time in that whole situation?

It's ok if this is difficult,

It's ok if this takes time.

Let your brain do this for you,

Pick out the worst moment of the scenario.

And then finally,

If you can work out,

You can remember the final part,

The last moment before you started to feel safe again.

This can be tricky because the way the brain works is it is alarming and it's trying to protect you,

It's doing a wonderful job,

It's trying to keep you safe.

So what tends to happen is it is over sensitive,

It over reacts because it's trying to keep you safe.

It's a bit like a smoke alarm in a house,

It's a bit over sensitive and it just keeps beeping,

We can't ignore it,

We have to go round and check the house is all ok and then we can turn it off.

But it does alarm very easily.

And then starting to move on to a nicer part,

Where do you want to be?

How would you feel if this trauma has been removed from your mind?

Can you picture yourself?

Can you picture yourself and your facial expressions,

The words you are using,

People you are with?

Notice how different it feels now this trauma has been removed.

It's really helpful to rewire our brain in that way by imagining where you want to be.

You are doing a wonderful job,

This isn't an easy thing to do.

What I'm going to do now is I'm going to read you the rewind script.

So get yourself really comfortable,

Just listen to my voice.

You could be perhaps 10% more comfortable than you are right now.

Just move your body as your body needs you to.

Get yourself any pillows,

Dim the lights,

Make sure you are warm and cosy.

And when you are ready,

We will begin.

So now that you are sitting really comfortably,

Notice your feet resting on the floor.

Notice the chair underneath you,

Holding you up.

Notice the sound of my voice.

And know that at some point,

But not yet,

You can drift down into a really nice relaxed state of mind.

And if you haven't already,

Just give your eyes permission to close.

Just notice how nice it is to allow your eyes to remain gently closed.

And I want you to focus on your breath.

Your breath is such a powerful tool to relax you whenever you need it.

So in your own time,

Take in a lovely big deep breath in.

Just feel that gentle expansion of your ribcage as your lungs fully inflate.

And then when you are ready,

Breathe out.

Just notice how nice that feels.

Imagine your breath as a wave of relaxation.

Each breath you take just washes over you and carries away the days worries or cares.

Each breath you take helps you to relax just a little bit more.

As you begin to place your awareness in your breath,

You may notice that the air feels cooler as you breathe in and warmer as you breathe out.

With every breath you take,

You just feel more and more comfortable.

And you may start to notice the changes taking place in your body.

Changes brought about by a growing sense of calmness and relaxation.

You may notice the muscles in and around your forehead,

Temples and your eyes.

They're just beginning to relax.

Your eyes are closing more thoroughly now as you begin to just enjoy this feeling of letting go.

Allowing all of these muscles to become thoroughly loose and limp.

And feeling those muscles beginning to melt into relaxation.

And the same quality of relaxation can drift down over the muscles around your cheeks and your jaw as you give them permission to soften and loosen.

Releasing and letting go of any tension you may have.

And as this area relaxes,

It's natural to find that your jaw may recede slightly.

Your teeth might part a little.

Let your tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth.

This soothing feeling of relaxation can continue to spread down and around through all of the muscles in your neck.

Gently easing them into comfort.

The same feeling of relaxation can drift down and around the muscles in your shoulders.

Shoulders are sinking into the frame of your body as you feel those muscles loosen and soften.

Your shoulders dropping away from your neck as you release and let go of any tension you may have.

And that lovely relaxing feeling can move down into your arms.

And you may be wondering which arm is relaxing more than the other.

And it really doesn't matter.

You can just enjoy that nice feeling of letting go.

Letting go of the need to do anything,

Think anything.

There's nothing you should be doing right now or shouldn't be doing.

There's nothing you should be feeling or not feeling.

You're just resting.

Allowing the sound of my voice,

All the background music,

All your breath just relax you deeper.

And deeper.

As that relaxation drifts down into your chest and abdomen.

Releasing and relaxing.

During this relaxation you may be aware of sounds around you.

Sounds from inside the room you're in or from outside the room.

And these sounds have no consequence for you.

They just serve to send you even deeper into relaxation.

All tension drifts away.

That lovely sensation of letting go.

Moving deeper into your legs,

Down to your knees.

As you relax deeper and deeper you may feel heavier or you may feel lighter.

And it really doesn't matter.

You can just enjoy that feeling of letting go.

Of letting the relaxation drift all the way down.

Past your knees,

Down to your ankles and into your feet.

And when you feel the tingling sensation of relaxation all the way down into your toes.

You'll know that you're directing the course of your body's natural relaxation.

So comfortable.

So safe.

Can you enjoy this feeling?

Now that you're so comfortable,

Your body is so relaxed.

It's natural to find that your mind can relax too.

So your thoughts can begin to slow down.

And your imagination can become fluid and free.

And you can imagine yourself in a very calming place of nature now.

Somewhere that you naturally feel relaxed and completely at ease.

It may be a place that you're fond of now.

Or a place that you remember from your childhood.

Or a place that you're creating in your imagination.

It may be a beach.

Or a meadow.

Or a mountain.

And it's a beautiful,

Calm place.

When you've settled on a place.

A place that fills you with peace and serenity.

A place where you can feel free.

This is a place of abundant beauty.

And you can experience this place now using all of your senses.

By enjoying the beautiful colours all around you.

Maybe you can hear sounds around you.

Or appreciate the stillness.

It helps you relax and soften even further.

And it's the perfect temperature on a beautiful day.

So perhaps you can feel the gentle warmth of the sun on your skin.

Or a cooling breeze.

So relaxing.

So comfortable.

And I wonder if you can take in a lovely breath.

And breathe in the fresh healthy air around you.

Taking in any scents that are carried on the air around you.

As you enjoy this peaceful,

Calm,

Serene place.

And you can experience a sense of enormous wellbeing.

Spread through every part of your body.

And as you continue to enjoy this special place of relaxation.

I want you to notice that a little way ahead of you in this lovely place is a screen.

I'd like you to begin to walk towards it.

With every step you take you go even deeper into relaxation.

So I'm going to count from ten down to one.

With every count,

With every step that you take,

With every breath out that you make.

You can go deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Deeper and deeper.

Seven.

Six.

Sensing the wonderful serenity around you.

Five.

Four.

Three.

So relaxed.

Two.

One.

Completely calm in this beautiful happy place.

The screen is now in front of you.

I'd like you now to settle yourself down comfortably in front of the screen.

In this beautiful place that you've chosen in nature.

Somewhere where you sense all the peace and tranquility around you.

It's private,

Peaceful,

Serene.

And there may be a really comfy chair there for you.

Or you may settle really comfortably on the ground.

Whatever feels most relaxing for you,

Most comfortable.

And that's it.

As you settle and get really comfortable.

You're surrounded by this special place in nature.

And this lovely place engulfs you with a sense of relaxation.

In a moment's time,

The memory that you want to change.

Will play forward on the screen.

But before it does.

Just take a moment to float up out of your chair and travel a few feet up.

So that you're looking down at yourself watching the screen.

And you can see yourself sitting there so relaxed and at peace in your beautiful place that you've chosen.

So you're now able to watch yourself watching the television screen.

So in a moment,

The film of what happened will play forward.

It will start at the point just before the first moment I asked you to think about.

When you felt safe and everything was fine.

And it will run right to the end.

Through to the worst part and through to the last part.

When you knew you were safe again and it was all over.

And while the film is playing,

I want you to know that you are in control.

You are in control of the process.

So the film can be paused at any time that you need it to.

Or you can create distance if you need to.

By making the screen smaller or fuzzier.

You're always in control.

And if at any point you want to pause the process.

Just pause this recording.

Maybe come back to it.

And if you find yourself inside the screen.

And try to float back.

The idea is that you're watching yourself watching the film.

So while you're in this deeply relaxed state.

The film will play forward with your memories.

So when you're ready.

In your own time.

You can allow the television screen to play through the memories of what has happened.

And it will do so really quickly.

Very quickly.

So when you're ready.

Just let the film play.

I'll give you a bit of time to do this.

Well done.

You're doing excellent.

So now rest back down into your comfortable place.

Look around you.

The peaceful and serene views.

See if you can hear any sounds of nature.

It's all so peaceful this wonderful place you've chosen.

So now when you're ready.

And in your own time.

Float back up and out of the chair.

So that you can look down at yourself again.

So relaxed.

And this time.

The film is going to play backwards.

Super fast.

Really fast.

All the way to the beginning.

So when you're ready.

In your own time.

Watch the film of your memories rewind.

This time you're going from the last moment.

Through to the worst moment.

Through to the first moment.

And I'm going to give you some time to do that now.

Well done.

You're doing great.

So now you see yourself floating back into your body.

In the armchair.

And you rest back in that comfy chair.

Have a look around you.

Connect once again with that special place that you've chosen in nature.

Taking the peace and serenity of this place.

It's so beautiful.

It's so calm.

So peaceful and relaxed.

And the screen is still there.

So now it is just you watching the screen.

So when you're ready.

In your own time.

Play the memories of what has happened again from the very beginning.

When everything was fine.

And you felt safe.

Right through to the end.

When it was over.

And you knew you were going to be ok.

You knew that everything was well.

So off you go in your own time.

Play the film.

From the beginning to the end.

Super fast.

I'll give you some time to do that now.

Excellent.

Well done.

So now when you're ready.

And in your own time.

Rewind that film and watch it play backwards.

Super fast.

All the way back to the beginning this time.

Just take a moment to do that now.

Well done.

So now rest back in that comfy chair.

Look around your special and peaceful surroundings.

It's so beautiful.

You can see the colours.

You can feel the warmth of the sun.

And there may be sounds around you that help you to relax even deeper.

Just breathe in the peace and serenity of this place.

It's so beautiful.

That's lovely.

So now you see yourself floating out of the armchair.

And this time imagine that you're floating into the screen itself.

And into your own body.

So that you're seeing it all through your eyes from the very beginning.

You're allowing you to become a part of the memory once again.

So when you're ready.

And in your own time.

Play the difficult memories again with you in it this time.

Starting at the very beginning.

Through to the worst part.

And going through to the very end when it was all over.

I'll give you a moment to do this now.

Excellent.

Well done.

So now when you're ready.

In your own time.

Rewind that film.

Play it backwards with you in it.

Seeing it through your eyes super fast.

Really fast.

All the way back to the beginning.

Just take a moment.

To play your film backwards now.

Well done.

That's fantastic.

So once again reconnect with this beautiful calming place that you're resting in.

Look around you.

See the beautiful colours.

Smell the fresh air.

And feel deeply calmed by this serene place.

Just take in the peace and serenity of this place.

It's so beautiful and calm.

So now imagine yourself in front of the computer screen once again.

If you look at the side of the computer.

You will notice that there is a memory stick plugged into the computer.

Allow yourself to take the memory stick out.

Because it contains all of those difficult emotions that you experienced way back then.

That you no longer need.

And in this deeply relaxed state now.

You have the opportunity to dispose of that memory stick.

And all of the negative emotions with it.

The memories will remain.

But they will no longer provoke those old and negative emotions that belong to that time.

You don't need them anymore.

So take a moment now to deal with the memory stick.

In a way that you feel is appropriate to you at this moment.

You can burn it,

Bury it,

Throw it in the sea or put it in your pocket.

Just take a moment now to deal with that memory stick and the way you feel best.

Excellent.

Well done.

So just allow yourself to take a few calming and cleansing breaths in and out.

You may experience a feeling of lightness,

Stillness and peace.

Now that you've freed yourself from those feelings that were burdening you.

And with that sense of freedom and peace that you now have.

I'd like you to take a walk in your beautiful place.

Have a look around.

Enjoy the new sense of lightness and relief.

With a sense of peace and excitement for your future.

And I want you to know that your friends and family are all around you.

I want you to know that you can feel immensely proud of yourself.

And I want you to know that you're strong,

That you're a fighter.

And you're doing a wonderful job.

So resting in your beautiful place once again.

Feeling the serenity all around you.

So calm,

So safe,

So private and so peaceful.

In a moment's time you'll play another film on the screen in front of you.

As you watch the screen now you can see yourself in the future.

So just take a few moments to observe yourself from the future.

Notice how much calmer and happier you are.

Picture yourself.

Notice your facial expressions and the words you use.

Notice how confident and content you are.

How you're really enjoying yourself.

Notice your interactions.

Who's with you.

And if you like what you see you can float up out of your chair a grain now and into the screen.

And become a part of that future you.

And as you experience what it's like to be in your future.

You can also experience these feelings of calm and confidence filling up inside of you now.

So each breath that you take from now on.

These feelings of confidence and happiness grow.

Spread through every cell and fibre of your body.

Creating a blueprint for future feelings.

Feelings of calm,

Confidence run through your entire body.

You're doing a wonderful job.

That's perfect.

In a moment's time I'll begin to count up from one to ten.

By the count of ten you can come back to the room fully wide awake.

You can wake up feeling fine,

Feeling fully refreshed.

With a sense of optimism and well-being flowing through every part of you.

One,

Two,

Three.

You become more aware of your surroundings.

Four,

Five,

Six.

And more and more alert.

And seven,

Eight.

You can open your eyes.

Nine and ten.

You're fully wide awake.

You've done a great job.

Sometimes the effects of the rewind technique is immediate.

You'll notice a change right away.

Sometimes the changes happen over the next few days.

Either way give yourself some time.

Your mind has been working very hard.

Your brain is learning a new way of processing the significance event that you've been through.

But have a think now if you were to grade them back on that scale of one to ten.

How you think you would feel.

One is back to a,

Meh,

It's all okay.

And ten is the most dramatic ever.

Any improvement,

Any change at this point is significant.

If you give it a few more days you'll find that that probably improves even more.

But you can repeat this technique.

You'll get lots of benefits.

So stay strong.

You're doing a wonderful job.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you this is so effective my score went from 8 to 2. 🙏