How do I identify a trigger?

A trigger could really be anything that reminds you of something that might have hurt you or still hurts you.

How do I identify a trigger? We suffer from emotional triggers for three main reasons: Opposing beliefs and values– When we are strongly identified with a certain belief, we may find it hard to be tolerant of other opposing beliefs. For example, there’s a reason why religion is such a triggering topic for so many people: beliefs give us a sense of safety and comfort, and when they are challenged, we feel (from an emotional and psychological standpoint) like our lives are being put in danger. Values stem from beliefs and involve what we hold as important in life. When another person disagrees or challenges our values, we get triggered because they are calling into question the truth and legitimacy of what we hold dear. Trauma – Getting “triggered” is a term that traces back to the experiences of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experienced by soldiers coming back from the war. When we are triggered due to past traumatic experiences, our reaction is often extreme fear and panic (or in some cases, anger). We get triggered when we see, hear, taste, touch, or smell something that reminds us of the previous traumatic circumstance. For example, a rape victim might be triggered when she sees men with Mustache because her abuser also had a mustache. A man who was assaulted by his alcoholic mother as a child might be triggered whenever he smells alcohol. An adult who never fit in as a child may feel triggered when seeing groups of people have fun. Ego preservation – The ego is the sense of self or “I” we carry around. This artificial identity that we carry is composed of thoughts, memories, cultural values, assumptions, and belief structures that we have developed in order to fit into society (read more about the ego). We all have an ego and its primary purpose is to protect us by developing elaborate “self-protection” mechanisms in the form of beliefs, ideals, desires, habits, and addictions (in order to prevent us from facing what we fear the most: the death of ego or self). When our egos are challenged or hurt by others, we are prone to becoming triggered – immediately. We will argue, insult, belittle, defame, backstab, sabotage, assault, and even murder (in extreme circumstances) people who pose a threat to our ego’s survival. The only way to be liberated from our egos, to experience permanent ego death, is to do some deep inner work, or soul searching. #experienced also I can identify triggers by realizing that changes occur right away, for example a change in voice, a change in body shaking, facial expression, or I can even faint or cry when around an object, person, or atmosphere, which is the triggers. Thankyou.

It can be useful to start to keep what can be referred to as a trigger diary, what were you doing prior to being triggered, what were you feeling prior to being triggered, what was was the trigger if you can identify what the trigger was (some people cant), what were you experiencing during the trigger |(all senses), how did you manage the trigger, what thoughts did you have about yourself during and after the trigger

I suspect I got triggered by something when I experience a sudden strong emotional wave (sadness, irritation or fear). Analyzing the situation and acknowledging what might associate to a past experience helps a little bit to accept the reaction going through

Triggers differ from person to person, and it can be hard to figure out which subject triggers us! What I've done in the past is kept a log for when something came up that made me feel strongly sad or angry, and I have identified triggers that way. In the future, I can steer conversations in a more positive direction, or get out of the conversation before I go too far, emotionally!

A trigger is more than just being uncomfortable and simply remembering something you've experienced. Memories come up all the time. It's when the topic or thing gives you anxiety, often to the point of panic, and gives you true flash backs of what has happened in the past. A true flash back feels as real or almost as real as being in the situation again, even though you are not.

From my experience, some triggers are hard to identify. You can look for telltale signs of discomfort, such as fidgeting, looking at the floor, not making eye contact, twitching, etc. Some other signs are uncalled for anger or sadness, defensive postures, such as crossing the arms, and abruptly ending the conversation, or changing the subject. Facial expressions can also be a give away. I have PTSD myself, and I am still finding triggers, and sometimes I have no reaction until later when I'm having a panic attack and I don't know why. I have to think back on my day and try to find what triggered it. Hope this helps!