7 Steps to Turn Triggers into Freedom
How to liberate yourself from the trauma that is underlying the trigger
Image by Fajar P. Domingo
Let’s talk about “triggers”.
Because it seems that everywhere we turn, there are people or collective groups of people, getting triggered about one thing or another.
So what is a trigger?
A trigger is something that sets off a feeling or memory correlated to a trauma of the past, even if the trauma is unconscious.
Why are so many people being triggered these days?
Because there is so much trauma to heal in ourselves and our collective.
This is true even if you don’t think you have trauma or can’t think of anything “traumatic” that has happened to you…
If you have experiences of being triggered from time to time, you likely have unresolved emotional wounds or stories in your mind-body that are asking you to observe them and heal.
This biological reaction we call a “trigger” is pointing directly to our trauma.
Triggers can come up unexpectedly in response to something happening in the present moment, but they point to a memory of the past that your mind-body has not integrated most optimally.
This trauma stored in your body WANTS to be retriggered so it can heal. Our “triggers” change our body chemistry and our fight, freeze, or flee response is activated. The feeling of a trigger is often uncomfortable.
Despite the discomfort and the real-time stress of the triggers, they are simply directing us to a place inside of us that needs love and care.
We can be easily triggered in personal relationships or in spaces like social media which has, unfortunately, become a dangerous playground for unaware triggered people to shame each other back and forth.
But to be triggered isn’t a bad thing -- it’s a HELPFUL thing. It is the intelligence of the body guiding us towards growth, resolution, more energy, happiness, safety, and connection with others.
However, we must be educated on how to handle our triggers so we don’t continue to feel hurt and unintentionally hurt others, furthering division in our relationships and trauma in ourselves and our collective.
We are in a time where it is essential for us to find a way to move forward in harmony. To do this, we must learn to identify when we are triggered, understand how to examine our internal landscape, and do the work to heal it.
When we don’t turn inward to heal but instead turn outward in blame, we perpetuate disharmony in our personal lives and the collective at large.
If we all could understand how to give to ourselves and ask for the care we need rather than blaming the world around us, we would build cultures of support, inclusion, and safety for all.
Let’s get more personal on this subject...
Have you seen a post on social media talking about a certain subject that evokes a strong uncomfortable response in your body?
Have you recently had someone say something that provokes an uncomfortable reaction in your body?
You may experience an emotion like anger, shame, or sadness.
But triggers aren’t always as obvious as a strong outward reaction. A trigger can also shut us down, numb us, or cause dissociation or spaciness.
If you ever experience this, I invite you to explore the following process.
Here is a step-by-step exercise you can do to understand what inner wounds your triggers are pointing to so you can act responsibly and lovingly to yourself and others:
NOTICE: When you experience a response of either fight, flight, or freeze ( or a version of anger, shame, or shut down ) take a moment to slow down and notice what is taking place for you without judgment. (note: self-judgment only makes it worse)
BREATHE: Take deep breaths into the parts of your body where you feel sensation or a lack thereof.
FEEL: Silence the chatter of the mind and any stories rooted in blame or shame, and simply feel what YOU feel. Take ownership of what is taking place in your body and feel it with compassion for yourself. (Note: if feeling the sensations feels like too much for you or feels dangerous, it’s important to get in touch with a healing professional. I suggest working with someone who specializes in somatic therapy and trauma).
LABEL: After you have given yourself some space to feel, ask yourself, “How does this make me feel?” Without blaming others, identify and label how you feel.
REMEMBER: After you have labeled your emotions, ask yourself, “ What unresolved trauma or experience is this trigger pointing to?” It is likely that if you sincerely meditate on this question a memory will emerge into your awareness. It may be something you think you healed ages ago. Even if you think it’s already healed, be with it and be open to learning.
BE CURIOUS: Ask yourself, “What about this situation is unresolved within me?” Note: Even if you have worked on an issue through your mind alone, the trauma could still be in your body. Ask your body what it needs.
DO THE WORK: Find yourself a healing professional to hold space for this healing. I recommend someone who specializes in somatic therapy. Talk therapy alone can not get to the core of the wound because of the physiological way trauma works. It’s not just in the mind... It’s in the body.
Here are some references for you to go deeper into the study of and also the practice of healing trauma:
https://themindlight.com/consumer-page
https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Tiger-Healing-Peter-Levine/dp/155643233X
At Global Sisterhood, we teach the modality of women’s circles and train women on how to create spaces of healing and transformation where accountability and relational intelligence is very important.
The practice of circling with women will help us learn more about where we may have unresolved trauma and through supportive sisterhood, we can become more aware of what steps to take for ourselves.
We believe that as we come together in circle we can heal from the shame and judgement that keeps our trauma buried within us.
If we normalize trauma and educate ourselves and each other on how to handle things like triggers, we can help pave the way for the type of global healing we need.
If you are interested in joining us in circle, you are invited to join us every new and full moon.
You can reserve your virtual spot here:
