ABSTRACT
Introduction We suggest that basic principles from cognitive science may be used to help develop an intervention for trauma ashbacks, and propose a ‘cognitive vaccine’ approach. at is, that the delivery of specic cognitive tasks may help ‘inoculate’ against the escalation of ashbacks after a traumatic event. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can result from experiencing or viewing a traumatic event involving death, serious injury, or threat to self or others [1], [2]. A precursor [3] and indeed the hallmark symptom of PTSD [1] is
vivid ashbacks to the trauma, that is, distressing, re-experiencing of the trauma in the form of intrusive, image-based, sensory-perceptual memories. For example, following a motor vehicle accident, a person may later experience intrusive ashbacks where in their mind’s eye they suddenly see a vision of a looming car accompanied by the sound of crashing metal.
