Lesson 7: The Trigger Effect

Triggers can be unpredictable. Your day can progress just fine and then a trigger erupts out of nowhere and you get knocked off track—maybe even for the rest of the day, or longer.

They can cause flashbacks, create panic attacks, prompt you to disassociate or lash out. Remember, your body and mind want to respond the same as they did during the traumatic event. It’s a reflex reaction. To be successful, you must learn how to override that reflex. Your goal is to regain your sense of safety and control as quickly as possible and in a healthy way.

Ever accidentally hit your thumb with a hammer when driving a nail into a board? I’m guessing your reaction included a cuss word or two. Maybe you threw the hammer down or slammed the table with your fist. Maybe you yelped or screamed. And I bet it all happened in under five seconds. Triggers can be like that. It’s a stimulus out of nowhere that creates an immediate response, oftentimes accompanied with detrimental behavior. It’s a natural response, but it’s also a choice. We could respond in any way, theoretically. Yet we often choose to let the moment (and the shock and pain) briefly overcome us. It’s possible, however, to train ourselves to react calmly.

Successful training takes lots of practice, many mistakes, and a dedication to fluency, if not mastery. Success isn’t linear either; expect plateaus and regression—so give yourself patience and grace. Applying this strategy to post-trauma triggers is the difference between moving forward in life and remaining emotionally stuck.