You've lived through your traumas. You've built a new life for yourself. But sometimes, when you least expect it, all those feelings of trauma come back. Maybe you see an image or hear a song that reminds you. Maybe you sense toxic behavior in someone else and the danger signals start going off in your head. Your heart beats faster, the fear settles in your chest and your body is screaming to RUN. You are triggered.
What exactly is a trigger?
Dr. Michael Genovese, chief medical officer of Acadia Healthcare, says that a trigger is anything that “cause[s] your brain to believe your body is experiencing a threat, even if you are perfectly safe.” He goes on to explain that this occurs “because you’ve encountered something — usually sensory — that reminds you of a particularly negative event in your past."
Essentially, your body is going into fight or flight mode as if the traumatic experience is happening right now instead of in your past. Those stress hormones are necessary during an actual event but can be scary and frustrating when they happen unexpectedly.
What Can You Do When You Are Triggered?
Learn your body's signals
Each individual has indicators that tell them they going into a stress response. Many of my clients report feeling a flood of emotion or a complete lack of emotion. "Once these stress hormones are released, anxiety soars, and we often lose touch with our healthy coping skills and succumb to reactions like lashing out or running away," shares Dr. Sullivan of icfyb.com. Getting to know your own body's response will help you feel it coming, name it, and begin exercises to calm it.
Calm your brain
Mindful breathing calms your brain quickly and can be used anywhere and anytime. Here's a simple one to try when your stress hormones are taking over. Take a breath in for five seconds, hold for five seconds, and release the breath slowly for a count of seven. Continue that breathing for two minutes (or longer if you need it!). The slow out-breath will signal to your brain that there's no need for an emergency response and your heart rate will begin to slow.
Explore your emotions without judgment
Your feelings aren't wrong, friend. They are there to help guide you and support you. Give yourself a quiet space to be curious about your feelings. What body sensations are present? What feelings can you name? There is no shame or no "right" way to feel. Just note them and be aware of them.
Write out your truth statements
Trauma can rewrite the beliefs in your brain into destructive statements that are not true. It can be easy to believe things like, "It was my fault" and "I can't trust anyone after that experience." Write out those negative messages and take a few minutes to pray over them. What does God have to say? Now think about it as if it had happened to your best friend. Would you tell her these things or would you reassure her? What would you say to her? Write out what you would tell your best friend and begin to let those truths sink into your soul.
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