How to Start Exploring Your Trauma Triggers

People who have experienced any kind of trauma will eventually encounter trauma triggers. These are events and situations that cause you to relive or remember your past traumatic experiences, sometimes to a debilitating extent.

You might not be aware of how a certain event has affected you. Many don’t realize how current experiences are related to their past trauma, but they are affected by them, nevertheless.

Trauma triggers are events that have an unexpectedly powerful impact on your body, mind, and emotions. While trauma triggers can be frustrating to deal with, they are also wonderful teachers that give insight into your healing journey. They can give you information about your healing and growth.

Echoes From the Past

Some trauma comes from a singular, tragic event that reshapes a person’s life and perspective, while other trauma comes from a prolonged experience, such as being in a toxic relationship or work environment. Often, the more violent the trauma is, the more obvious the triggers will be.

For example, someone who has been in a car accident will understandably be a little nervous to get in a vehicle again for a while. A woman who was violated by a man might feel anxious and afraid when she finds herself alone with a man, especially one who resembles her former abuser. These people live with vivid memories of the details of the trauma that changed their lives. They are often aware of their trauma triggers.

However, some trauma is less easy to define as it happens, and the triggers related to that trauma are less obvious. For example, a person who is being taught the rules of a new board game might find themselves becoming angry and emotional whenever the other players offer correction or advice. Even though they are surrounded by friends doing something fun and light-hearted, their reaction shows that something has been triggered in them, and they might not understand why.

Although their friends are merely offering advice and guidance in the game, this person is triggered because they grew up with a parent who criticized all of their actions and made a spectacle of their failures. They might not know that they are still affected by these things many years later, but their responses show what is happening beneath the surface.

Warning Signs

The old saying “time heals all wounds” is not strictly true. Some wounds still hurt decades later, even when you have grown up and moved on with your life. Trauma triggers are teachers that show what is going on inside of you, offering clues as to how to find peace and healing.

You may think of them as noises in a vehicle. When you are driving and you hear a new, strange noise, you pay attention to it because it could be something seriously wrong with your car. It will likely cost money to fix, but you can’t afford to ignore it in case it’s something important. Your best bet is to pay attention to it, isolate where it comes from, and speak with a professional about it.

Such are trauma triggers. You might have dismissed yourself as “being silly” or overly emotional when you reacted in some way to a certain event. You might want to think that things will get better in time, thinking that you just need to move on with your life. You might experience fewer triggers as time goes on, and you might discover effective ways of handling these triggers, but you would still do well to pay attention to what is happening in your body, soul, and mind.

Learning from your triggers will not only help you find peace after trauma but will also help you be the best version of yourself for those around you.

How to Start Exploring Your Trauma Triggers

A good way of beginning to explore your trauma triggers is with journaling. You don’t have to be a good writer. A journal can be on paper or digital, written, or a collection of voice notes to yourself. Whatever method you choose, try to keep a record of your responses to the following questions. Try to respond to them each time you are triggered by something.

What was happening when you felt triggered?

Consider the events surrounding the trigger. Details are important, like what you were doing, who you were with, what was said or unsaid, and how those around you reacted. Try not to minimize your experience, because your response happened for a reason. Regardless of how irrational or disproportionate it might have felt in the moment, it was telling you something. You might have to think back to the chain of events that led to you feeling triggered.

What emotions are you feeling?

How did the triggering event make you feel inside? Learning to identify your emotions will go a long way in helping you cope with them. Sometimes people begin to feel more at peace when they have simply acknowledged their emotions.

Do these emotions connect with a broader feeling of being ignored, misunderstood, excluded, criticized, invalidated, or rejected?

Trauma often affects a person’s sense of self-worth. It can drastically change the way they see themselves. Many people try to cope with trauma by disengaging their emotions. They might try to intellectualize what they are feeling, so that they don’t have to feel their emotions. The only way out is through. You must acknowledge how you are feeling in the broader sense.

What physical sensations are you feeling?

Trauma affects people on a mental, emotional, and physical level. You might feel an elevated heartbeat, begin sweating, develop an instantaneous headache, or find it difficult to breathe when you are triggered. Knowing how you felt physically during a triggering event can show you how you are carrying the memory of the trauma you experienced.

Does this situation remind you of something that happened before?

Ask yourself what about this triggering situation is familiar. Consider the details of what happened and why you responded to them. They might feel familiar, or the way you are feeling about them might be a familiar feeling. Something about the triggering event likely reminded you of an experience or something that still affects you.

What was your response to this situation?

Trauma triggers often make people feel exposed and unsafe the moment they occur. The event triggers a survival instinct in your brain. Your nervous system responds to perceived danger by trying to keep you unharmed. If you became aggressive, you may have had a fight response.

If you felt like you needed to escape, that was the flight response. Being stuck in fear is a freeze response. When you understand how your body is trying to keep you alive, you can begin working on facing your fears. Assuring yourself that you are aware of your fears helps you gain control over your body and emotions.

What would you most need to hear or know in the middle of your triggering event?

As you think back to the triggering event, try to think of what would have made you feel safe in that moment. Someone could have said something that would have made you feel calmer. You might have been soothed if a specific person had been there, or not been there, because they make you feel a certain way.

How can you practice self-soothing in this moment?

Ultimately, the one person you can rely on is yourself. Learn how to self-soothe by exploring different techniques, such as breath control, verbal affirmations, or physical calming. Self-soothing is often the first response to a trauma trigger. When you find an effective way of doing it, you will be ready to face any trigger.

Next Steps to Address Trauma Triggers

If you have begun working on your responses to trauma, congratulations, and God bless your efforts. It is not easy work. Sometimes you feel stuck or as if you are not making progress. It might help to meet with a counselor with whom you can share your breakthroughs, fears, and frustrations. Contact our offices today for more information if you would like to begin counseling with one of the skilled therapists in our practice.