It’s natural to feel distressed when faced with difficult content as part of our emotional growth and processing.
Understanding Triggers
Trauma triggers can cause disorientation and make an individual feel detached from time, space, and their own identity. Triggers can mentally transport an individual back to traumatic experiences like a sudden trapdoor.
“NOT A TRIGGER”
It’s common to feel distressed or uneasy when encountering challenging content, as this is a natural part of our emotional growth and processing.
“TRIGGER”
Encountering trauma triggers can induce a sense of disorientation, causing an individual to feel detached from time, space, and their own sense of self. Triggers can be likened to mental trapdoors that unexpectedly transport an individual back to traumatic experiences.
Triggers are highly personal and can stem from both internal and external sources. They can elicit strong emotional responses in a person before they even realize the root of their distress. When triggered, the brain may interpret past traumatic events as if they are happening in the present, causing the body to re-experience symptoms similar to those felt during the original trauma, such as the fight or flight response.
It is crucial to take proactive steps to address triggers. Learning to identify physical indicators of a trigger response, such as changes in breathing, and developing coping strategies to manage these reactions can lead to better trigger management and a more enriching life overall.