flash back
Revisit past mentally
Flash back means to return mentally or narratively to an earlier time.
A person flashes back when a memory suddenly intrudes: The sound of fireworks made him flash back to combat.
In film and literature, a story flashes back when it shifts to depict earlier events.
The noun flashback, usually one word, names this shift or the memory itself.
- returnGo back again
- recallMemory retrieval act
- déjà vuIllusory prior experience
- repressed memoryUnconsciously blocked past experience
- recurrenceReturn of something previous
reminisce · nostalgic · retrospect · recollect · memory · remembering · repression · montage · trauma · childhood trauma · catharsis · subconscious · mind's eye · past · revisit · triggered · reflect · time jump
temporal direction
flash backflash forward
Narrative leap to future
anticipate · look ahead · fast forward · foresee · premonition