After a Breakthrough Comes Clarity
In trauma recovery, triggers can feel like landmines, sudden, overwhelming, and discouraging. But what if we reframed them not as setbacks, but as messages from the body and mind, gently pointing us toward what still needs care?
This post explores what triggers really are, why they show up when they do, and how to handle them with less fear and more self-compassion, turning them into guides, not enemies.
What Is a Trigger, Really?
- A trigger is a reaction – emotional, physical, or mental, that’s activated by a reminder of past trauma.
- It can be obvious (like an anniversary date or a loud noise) or subtle (like a tone of voice, a smell, or a look).
- Triggers don’t mean you’re broken or weak. They simply show where healing is still active.
How Triggers Can Affect You
Sudden mood changes, anxiety, panic attacks, or dissociation
Flashbacks or intrusive thoughts that pull you back to “then”
Exhaustion or shutdown after emotional overwhelm
Shame, frustration, or feeling like you’re “back at square one”
Why Triggers Are Not Setbacks
- They reveal unhealed wounds, not failure.
- They allow you to notice patterns that still hold emotional weight.
- They provide an opportunity to learn new responses, not just relive old ones.
- Every trigger faced with awareness gives you more emotional strength over time.
How I Learned to Work With Triggers (Taken From M y Memoir: Redefining My Limits)
For me, it was the ambulance sirens.
That sound, distant or close, would send a jolt through my entire body. I could be walking down the street or sitting at home, and the moment I heard it, my breath would catch. My heart would pound. I’d freeze or try to make myself disappear into the background. Panic would rise from nowhere, hijacking the present and dragging me back to the chaos of the crash.
At first, I avoided it. I’d plug my ears, shut the windows, or walk a different route. But I started to realise: the siren wasn’t just noise. It was a signal, from my nervous system, from memory, from pain that hadn’t yet been heard.
I began to meet that sound differently. I didn’t force myself to be brave, I just let myself be aware. I named what was happening: “That sound scares me. It reminds me.” I’d put a hand over my heart, breathe deep into the fear, and remind myself: This is not then. I’m safe now.
It didn’t make the siren vanish. But it gave me my power back, one breath, one trigger, one reminder at a time.
How to Handle Triggers With Compassion
Step1 – Pause
Stop what you’re doing if you can. Place a hand over your heart or on your chest. This small gesture signals safety to your nervous system.
Step 2 – Breathe
Inhale slowly through the nose for 4 counts. Hold for 2. Exhale slowly through the mouth for 6 counts. Repeat 3–5 times. (Longer exhales activate the parasympathetic, your calming, nervous system.)
Step 3 – Name It
Gently say to yourself, “I’m feeling triggered.” Or, “That reminded me of something painful.”
Use your own words. The goal is to name the emotion without judgment.
Step 4 – Ground Yourself
Look around and name:
– 3 things you can see
– 2 things you can touch
– 1 thing you can hear
This re-anchors you in the now.
Step 5 – Affirm Your Safety
End with a soft phrase:
“This is not then. I am safe now.” Or, “It’s okay to feel this. I’m here for myself.”
🧡 Key Takeaway
This practice won’t erase the trigger, but it interrupts the spiral, softens your body’s response, and reminds you that you’re no longer in the trauma. You’re in the recovery. And that matters.
💬 Somebody may need to hear this – please share it.
Discover more from Trauma Pain Support Ltd.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
