flashback: meaning and definitions

A literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

The episode or scene depicted by means of this device.

An unexpected recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug long after its original use.

Psychology A recurring, intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience: "Another study shows that women who served in Vietnam still struggle with depression, anxiety, and painful flashbacks from the war” ( New York Times).