scroll down or click on the link to read: 1️⃣ What does it mean to be triggered? 1️⃣.2️⃣ Trigger Info-graph 2️⃣ What is a trigger? 3️⃣ How do I recognise a Trigger? 4️⃣ What causes Triggers? 5️⃣ How to overcome Triggers
1️⃣ What does it mean to be triggered?
To be ‘triggered’ is to be faced suddenly and unexpectedly with a reminder of something that holds bad memories for you.
The reminder could be of a:
▶️ event,
▶️ place,
▶️ or person that
That you want to forget as it makes you feel as if you back in that dangerous and unsafe place where you will be forced to summon up the energy to defend and protect yourself or betray yourself by adopting the freeze or fawn stance. I need to add, again. As you have made these choices before and know the toll this takes on you.
Triggers are like little psychic explosions that crash through avoidance and bring the dissociated, avoided trauma suddenly, unexpectedly, back into consciousness.”
― Carolyn Spring
1️⃣.2️⃣ Trigger Info-graph
2️⃣ What is a trigger?
At its most basic, a trigger is a survival cue. When your brain senses a cue that there is danger present. This threat, real or imaginary, will trigger the automatic release of stress hormones to help you decide how to respond to the threat.
You can decide to react to the trigger:
▶️ In fight or flight mode?
▶️ Or appease/Fawn or Freeze mode
Many different things may make you think that you are in danger. Your reminder, or tigger, could be afrom:
▶️ sight,
▶️ sound,
▶️ taste,
▶️ smell or
▶️ touch.
It could be a:
▶️ situation or
▶️ even the way you or someone else moves.
3️⃣ How do i recognise a trigger?
A trigger nudges the vagus nerve, which sends the bodies functions into high alert. Which is why “stress and fear” is felt in the body first of all.
That is why the fight or fight response makes you feel:
▶️ jumpy, startled
▶️ nervous
▶️ agitated
▶️ and on edge
▶️ your clench your muscles and jaw.
?And the‘ I don’t know what to do’ of Freeze
? ‘please like me so you won’t hurt me’ of appease/Fawn
▶️ can’t breathe,
▶️ you feel sick,
▶️ can’t move
▶️ can’t talk
It is easier to deal with experiences that were bad or terrifying by pretending they didn’t happen. Your brain is amazing at finding other reasons why you feel like this. So, you may decide that the most plausible reason for this is that you are unwell.
4️⃣ What causes triggers?
When the burglar alarm is triggered and starts to make a noise. Even while your response is two fold. To ask your stress security guard to go and check for danger. And if the security guard finds no danger, it needs to call the control room and reset the alarm. If this happens often enough then needs to burglar alarm and control room stop listening to the security guard. So the burglar alarm keeps on ringing. brains memories confuse the time line of the fearful past with time in the ‘here and now’. Your body responds to these imaginary ‘threats’ to save you from danger by releasing more fight-or-flight stress hormones. Causing more uncomfortable physical reactions. Such as a pounding heart, dripping with sweat, stomach aches.
Hopefully it will be comforting to remind yourself that these Triggers are your burglar alarm system that is trying to protect you and make you feel safe.
▶️ This confusing past memories with present ones is called a flashback. event in the present.
▶️ Triggers can evolve over time so different things or objects can be or become your triggers.
As triggers are influenced by what behaviour and/or emotions your brain feels will keep you safe. And the more you practice these safety behaviours, the more situations your brain will interpret as being dangerous to you. You may get to the stage where the triggered response will not be in your best interests. And instead of keeping you safe, these trigger/s are hurting you. Emotionally.
4️⃣.1️⃣ Triggers can come from:
▶️ within (internal) or
▶️ the environment (external).
4️⃣. 2️⃣ Internal Trigger
An internal trigger can be cued from a memory, a physical sensation, or an emotion.
They are often experienced as:
▶️ Pain
▶️ Muscle tension
▶️ Memories
▶️ Anger
▶️ Sadness and Loneliness
▶️ Anxiety
▶️ Feeling overwhelmed,
▶️ Feeling vulnerable,
▶️ Feeling abandoned,
▶️ Feeling out of control
4️⃣.3️⃣ External Triggers
External triggers cues come from the environment. They can be:
▶️ person,
▶️ place,
▶️ or a specific situation.
If the memories of the traumatic event are tied to a doctors surgery or hospital. When entering any healthcare related environment, your threat activation system is triggered and your body and brain stress chemicals prepare to go into battle to ‘protect’ you.
5️⃣ How to overcome Triggers
