A type of autobiographical memory, a flashbulb memoryis an exceptionally vivid memory of a moment/circumstance/event.

A flashbulb memory was once thought to be much like a snapshot (photograph) in that it was highly detailed and was clearly fixed in the mind; recent research has shown that, like other memories, flashbulb memories are not fixed in the mind. The term "flashbulb" was used to represent the flashbulbs of old that were used in photography when more light was needed and actual bulbs were used..

Whether or not a moment/circumstance/event becomes a flashbulb memory is related to how personally important, how consequential, how emotional, and how surprising it is to us. When people discuss such flashbulb memories, they usually can tell you where they were, what they were wearing, what they were doing, who they were with, what the weather was like, what they said, what they felt, etc.

For example, my mother can tell you all of the details of the what, why, when, where, who, how, etc. regarding the day that she heard the news the John F. Kennedy (JFK) was shot. Similarly, I can tell you the details of 9/11 as I experienced it. We hold in our minds vivid images of these events.

Flashbulb memories are not limited to negative life experiences. We can have flashbulb memories of positive moments/circumstances/events as well. For example, I have a vivid image of the day that my husband proposed to me.