The PTSD Linen Cupboard Metaphor supports psychoeducation in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. This handout helps clients understand why traumatic memories may feel overwhelming and how therapy can support memory integration.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
The PTSD Linen Cupboard Metaphor uses the image of a cluttered linen cupboard to explain how traumatic memories may feel intrusive and overwhelming. The metaphor illustrates how PTSD treatment involves gradually sorting through these memories to alleviate symptoms.
This metaphor supports trauma-informed practice by:
Especially when flashbacks and intrusive symptoms are frequently triggered by traumatic reminders.
Share the metaphor to support psychoeducation and provide a rationale for memory processing in therapy.
Use the image to explore clients’ experiences of avoidance, re-experiencing, and overwhelm.
Apply the metaphor in training sessions for therapists to convey complex concepts easily.
The linen cupboard metaphor is grounded in contemporary understanding of memory function in PTSD. This model suggests that PTSD symptoms persist when trauma is processed in a way that creates a sense of current threat. Traumatic memories may be poorly elaborated, fragmented, and lack appropriate context — making them prone to being triggered as if the event is happening now.
In this metaphor, the linen cupboard represents the mind's storage system. When trauma occurs, memories may be “stuffed in” without being folded, sorted, or understood. This can lead to overwhelming, unpredictable intrusions — just like a cupboard bursting open. Treatment involves carefully “opening the cupboard,” examining what’s inside, and reordering the contents so they are no longer disorganised or threatening.
This metaphor mirrors key goals of therapy: reducing avoidance, memory processing, and changing unhelpful appraisals of the trauma. It can be particularly helpful in normalising distress, reducing shame, and explaining how therapy helps to process trauma memories so they become more manageable over time.
