If the reference is in a simple scalar (so not a single element access to a hash, function return value, or something else), you can replace the name portion of the variable with the reference.

Sometimes it looks weird, but I tell people to take a deep breath, then start from the inside. Isolate the reference, then find the other parts that gives away the variable type (like @, $#, or [] for arrays, % or {} for hashes, and so on).

With practice, it gets better. :)