What Are Trauma Triggers?

A trauma trigger is any internal or external stimuli that reminds a person of a past traumatic incident.  There are numerous types of triggers, and what affects one person may not affect another.  While not an exhaustive list, following are some examples of some common types:

• Something you saw at the time of a traumatic shock such as a specific type of flower
• A sound such as a bark, a loud noise, or a particular tone of voice
• Certain feelings in the body, such as tension, pain, or touch
• A specific food or flavour linked to the memory
• Specific sounds such as smoke or a particular scent

If a particular person was linked to the trauma, then any reminder of them can reactivate the same trauma response.  If a particular type of animal was present at the time of a traumatic shock, any reminder of this can be a trigger.  If you were in a particular place, this too can trigger psychological and physical distress.  Similarly, internal reminders such as certain thoughts, bodily sensations or feelings may trigger the initial traumatic stress.  

Anything that is the same or similar to what was present at the time of a past trauma can act as a trigger.  

Why is it Important to Understand Triggers? 

Primarily because they can reactivate traumatic distress, which can present in the form of:  

• Intrusive memories or feeling like you are reliving a traumatic event
• Negative, often unrealistic beliefs, about what happened
• Emotional distress
• Physiological stress symptoms

Remember, trauma is not just a mental and emotional response.  It is a physical one too.  This means it can cause physical dis-ease.  If the underlying mental and emotional distress stemming from specific events is not addressed, then triggers become an issue because they continually reactivate traumatic stress symptoms.  In turn, this impairs the mind and body’s ability to heal, and can result in chronic mental and physical health challenges. 

Developing an awareness of trauma triggers and healing unresolved traumatic stress safely and  effectively is therefore vitally important.  

I hope you found this article useful.  If you have any questions or would like support in identifying and resolving trauma triggers and unresolved emotional distress, feel free to get in touch.

Wishing you happiness and success.

Sadaf