What are some examples of triggers?
Triggers are anything that might cause a person to recall a traumatic experience they've had. For example, graphic images of violence might be a trigger for some people. Less obvious things, including songs, odors, or even colors, can also be triggers, depending on someone's experience.
A trigger in psychology is a stimulus such as a smell, sound, or sight that triggers feelings of trauma. People typically use this term when describing posttraumatic stress (PTSD).
Emotional triggers, also called mental health triggers or psychological triggers, are things (e.g. memories, objects, people) that spark intense negative emotions. This change in emotions can be abrupt, and in most cases it will feel more severe than what the trigger would logically call for.
Responses to Triggers
You may feel strong emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, numbness, or feeling out of control. Being triggered may primarily show up in how you behave; you might isolate yourself from others, become argumentative, shut down emotionally, or become physically aggressive.
Here, I'll discuss three types of trigger: external, internal, and synthetic. These each have different strengths and weaknesses, and each can be used to design great behaviors that form lasting habits.
Face big changes in your life. Are worried about something. Don't have much or any control over the outcome of a situation. Have responsibilities that you find overwhelming. Don't have enough work, activities or change in your life.
- homophobia or transphobia.
- rape and other forms of sexual violence.
- child abuse.
- violence.
- incest.
- animal abuse or death.
- racism.
- self-harm.
- interpersonal conflict.
- sexual situations or stimuli.
- angry people.
- intoxicated people.
- perceived narcissism.
- seemingly arbitrary criticism or accusations.
- rejection.
- perceived abandonment.
To identify the emotional trigger, you have to look at the situation around you. For example, you might go to the doctor's office one day and suddenly feel an intense emotional response. If this happens every time you see that doctor, then the trigger could be going to the doctor's office.
Some more common emotional triggers:
Someone discounting or ignoring you. Someone being unavailable to you. Someone giving you a disapproving look. Someone blaming or shaming you.
How do you identify trauma triggers?
- Anger or Irritability – Key to identify: overreaction.
- Mood – Key to identify: unexplained changes in mood.
- Dissociation – Key to identify: the mind's distance from the body.
- Anxiety – Key to identify: evaluation and control.
Triggers are the SQL codes that are automatically executed in response to certain events on a particular table. These are used to maintain the integrity of the data. A trigger in SQL works similar to a real-world trigger. For example, when the gun trigger is pulled a bullet is fired.
- Deep breathing.
- Expressive writing.
- Grounding.
- Mindfulness.
- Relaxation.
- Self-soothing.
- Social support.