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Tumbler Ridge Counselling Services |
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Dealing
with Emotional Triggers:
Taking Back Your Life
By Russell Webb
Throughout the years of counselling, I have come across many people who have come to me thinking that they might be crazy. They explain that they came upon a situation or a person where they suddenly had a intense emotional reaction to what was an ordinary type of event. They wonder whether they are losing it. However, what they don't know is that they have just experienced a "trigger".
You see, we all have an emotional logic of sorts, that tells us whether we are responding appropriately to any given situation. If it is a small event, we assume and expect a small emotional reaction. And if it is a big event, we expect to experience a large emotional reaction.
Emotional Logic
However, when we experience what we deem to be a small event and have a large emotional reaction, this defies our emotional logic and can be very disturbing.
An Emotional Trigger
When an emotional trigger happens, it does not make sense in the context of the situation or present circumstance. However, emotional triggers do make sense when we add in the past. It is in our past that we must look to uncover the meaning of the trigger in order to take away its power over us.
The Past is the Key!
Within our past (whether recent or distant) there is an event or trauma that that is large enough to evoke such an emotional response. The trigger is only a small representation or icon of the previous trauma or some aspect of the trauma that we experienced in our past.
Triggers can be anything that we see, hear, smell, taste, touch or feel that may evoke the intense emotional response.
How Can I Deal with Triggers?
- Be aware of body cues. Become more aware of when you are reacting to a trigger and not the actual situation or other person.
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Step back, don’t knee jerk react! Try not to react, but step away from the situation with the knowledge that something else is happening inside of you.
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Look at your feelings (be very specific) & write them out. Writing out our feelings can help us clarify what is happening and the nature of the trigger.
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Allow yourself travel back over the path of your life and look for an "emotional puzzle piece" match. It will eventually "click" with you and you will know who you are really responding to. You will recognize what aspect of the trauma was the trigger for you.
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Mentally "pull apart" the super-imposed images by identifying differences. Our brain tends to naturally work against us by categorizing new information and experiences through looking for any similarities to old experiences. This does not serve us well. We can end up responding to present situations because we have super-imposed the image of the person we were hurt or traumatized by onto the person who evoked the trigger. Thus, we need to pull apart these super-imposed images in order to respond differently to the individual who caused the trigger to begin with.
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Deal with the primary past Event (trauma). Once you have clarified what the trigger is and who you are really reacting to, it is important to address the original trauma. It may be valuable to seek counselling to work through the trauma or at least pick up some books on dealing with the type of trauma that you experienced in the past to learn more about how to deal with it.
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Choose to respond differently to the present event. With the super-imposed images separated, it becomes much easier to respond differently to the present situation.
When I visited Paris, I was mugged in the underground subway system. It was shocking and unnerving. Later, I was attending university and I found myself reacting and avoiding men who were of a particular ethnicity. I didn't feel I could trust them or feel safe around them. I realized that my previous trauma was now being triggered by these new strangers in my life.
I didn't want to become a racist, so I realized that I had to do 2 things. I had to deal with the past trauma and I had to get to know these men much better so I could differentiate them from my previous experience.
It worked and it can for you as well. I have had other triggers in my life and understanding how they operate and what to do about them allows me to overcome them, rather than let them rule me.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email Russ Webb at russ.webb@spcs.bc.ca.
Trauma:
Anatomy of a Trauma -
This article (see also a related "trauma freedom" link) describes
the origin of traumatic responses in schematic format.
- Sex Abuse of Males: Prevalence, Lasting Effects, and Resources - Extended excerpts from a masters thesis on sexual abuse in males, written by Jim Hopper at U. Massachusetts at Boston.
- National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization - NOMSV is dedicated to the prevention, treatment and elimination of sexual victimization.
- Sexual Assault Information Page - Extensive information -- including poetry, links, and legal codes -- concerning rape and sexual assault incidents.
- "We Didn't Know What Would Happen: ..." - Full text of Kali Tal's (1991) cultural/historical analysis of the early rape and incest testimonial literature.
- Recovering from Rape - Brief article by Clare Holzman discusses medical attention, reporting a rape, and finding safety and support.
- Victims Of Incest Can Emerge Survivors - VOICES assists incest and child sexual abuse victims, and generates public awareness about these issues.
- Trauma Psychology Related to Childhood Sexual Abuse - Noel Clark's website includes annotated articles on CSA, as well as domestic violence links.
- Sexual Assault Support Services - SASS is a volunteer organization in Eugene, Oregon offering telephone referral and crisis assistance for victims.
- Moving Forward: Trauma and Loss Resources - Moving Forward's excellent site notes the connection between loss and trauma, emphasizes child abuse issues.
- Incest Survivors Resource Network - International educational resource network run by survivors for survivors and professionals working with them.
- SurvivorShip Home Page - An international forum on survival of sadistic sexual abuse, ritualistic abuse, mind control & torture.
- Sexual Abuse Treatment: Referral, Resource, and Research - Matthew Rosenberg's site focuses on prevention, treatment and education re: sexual offending.
- Women Veterans: Sexual Harassment and Assault - Captain Barb's page on PTSD among women who experienced sexual trauma while in the military, and what to do.
- Victims of Crime: Justice Information Center - Information and many useful links from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
- National Organization for Victim Assistance - Home page for NOVA, an organization working on behalf of victims of crime and disaster.
- Victim Assistance Online - A very comprehensive online resource for victim survivors of crime or tragedy; searchable site.
- Gavin de Becker, Inc. - Gavin de Becker, author of "The Gift of Fear", has a webpage describing threat assessment.
- The Stalking Victims' Sanctuary - A website to educate people about stalking, and to offer support for those exposed to it.
- National Crime Prevention Council: Online Resource Center - NCPC site includes useful information about crime prevention, community building, and planning.
- National Crime Victim Research & Treatment Center - Homepage of a center in South Carolina that focuses on PTSD issues in victims of crime.
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - NCMEC spearheads efforts to locate missing children, and raises awareness about prevention.
- Sidran's Traumatic Memories Info - Informative and detailed brochure about traumatic memories, from Sidran Foundation.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [article] - This Harvard Mental Health Letter article (June-July 1996) discusses symptoms, vulnerability, dissociation & treatment.
- I Can't Get Over it: a handbook for trauma survivors - Brief blurb about a paperback book, written by Aphrodite Matsakis PhD, that trauma survivors may find helpful.
- Aphrodite Matsakis's Home Page - Links to seminars and books by this internationally recognized PTSD specialist and author.
- Reflections on Hope - An inspiring essay by Yvonne Dolan on the value of endurance in overcoming the traumatic effects of sexual abuse.
- Self Help & Psychology: Trauma Articles - A collection of online articles about traumatic stress, presented by Self Help & Psychology Magazine.
- PTSD: Identification & Diagnosis - Babette Rothschild, MSW's article proposes ANS arousal is a driving force behind PSTD symptoms.
- Essay on Emotional Healing - This hypertext article, by Jeffrey Smith MD, describes two kinds of healing from emotional trauma.
- Dissociative Model for Understanding Post-Traumatic Conditions - Brief article by Louis Tinnin, MD, discusses dissociation in trauma responses and treatment.
- PTSD Annotated Bibliography - An annotated bibliography of books and articles about PTSD, for survivors and others. Read online or email to yourself.
- A Librarian's Guide to Books on PTSD - Fred Lerner (responsible for the excellent PILOTS database), has developed an annotated list of useful books on PTSD.
- Healing and Thriving After Trauma - Anne Dietrich's wonderful site covers choosing a trauma therapist, practice & ethical guidelines, and supportive resources.
- Sexual Exploitation of clients by professionals - Advocate Web offers educational resources for victims / survivors to help overcome such sexual exploitation.
- The Post-Traumatic Gazette - Patience Mason's online sample of a newsletter providing a healing perspective for survivors, families, friends, and therapists.
- Car Accident Family Web Site - Site offers support and information to those suffering after a motor vehicle accident (MVA).
- Transformations - Transformations is a site for self-help, support, and recovery issues: chat discussion areas.
- Trauma Anonymous / PTSD Page - A Canadian site, offering a trauma support group newsletter, information, and links for PTSD sufferers.
- Psychological Self-Help - Full text of a 15 chapter book by Clayton Tucker-Ladd; includes chapter on stress and anxiety.
- Self Help & Psychology Magazine: Articles - Wide ranging collection of online articles on mental health topics.
- Abuse: Self Help Links - Extensive collection of links to support organizations or sites for various abuse survivors.
- Kathy's Essential Information on Trauma and Dissociation - This homepage offers a carefully selected collection of important resources to help others in healing.
- CalypsoSun's PTSD Page - Information about trauma, PTSD symptoms, and the critical need for support in healing.
- Another Day Ministries - Another Day Ministries is a free outreach program to provide peer support to trauma victims.
- Los Angeles Center - A non-profit group dedicated to training and support for trauma victims and those working with them.
- Nate's Traumatology Page - A wide-ranging collection of links covering many aspects of trauma, including individual and larger system responses.
- Trauma Neutalisation Therapy - Gordon Kenny's self-help package (book and tape) for normalizing traumatic experiences.
- Survivors Art Foundation - A nonprofit oganization to promote healing and well-being of trauma survivors through the arts.
- PTSD Help - Australian site has links to other web pages with PTSD information or support.
