Understanding triggers: A window into trauma and healing
The word trigger has become a common part of our language, often used to describe things that provoke distress or discomfort. But for individuals living with trauma, a trigger is more than just an unpleasant experience—it’s a powerful emotional response that reconnects them with a past that often feels unbearably present. Drawing on the insights of trauma experts like Bessel van der Kolk and Gabor Maté, we can delve deeper into what triggers really are, why they happen, and how we can work towards healing and understanding. These two authors have shaped how I work significantly since learning about them in university. Since graduating I have done further training with both of them and read their rather enlightening books.
What Are Triggers?
In the context of trauma, a trigger is an internal or external stimulus that brings up memories, emotions, or sensations related to past traumatic experiences. These triggers can be anything—a sound, a smell, a place, or even a feeling. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, explains that traumatic memories are often stored in fragments within the body, resurfacing in unexpected ways that make it difficult for people to distinguish the past from the present. This phenomenon explains why a seemingly innocuous event, like hearing a loud noise, can plunge someone back into a state of panic or fear that mirrors the original traumatic experience.
Triggers are deeply personal and highly specific, often taking people by surprise. Gabor Maté, a renowned expert on trauma, addiction, and childhood development, describes trauma as “not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.” This inward change often disrupts a person’s ability to manage emotional states effectively, leading them to react with heightened sensitivity to certain stimuli. Maté emphasises that these reactions are not overreactions or signs of weakness, but rather a profound response rooted in survival.
The Role of the Body in Trauma and Triggers
Both van der Kolk and Maté agree on the critical role of the body in processing trauma. Van der Kolk’s work highlights how trauma is not just a story of the past, stored neatly in our memories. Instead, it lives on in our bodies, affecting how we respond to the world around us. When someone encounters a trigger, their body may react by releasing stress hormones, experiencing muscle tension, or reenacting the physical responses associated with trauma, such as a racing heart or shallow breathing. This “body memory” can feel as real as the event itself, which is why triggers often feel so overwhelming.
Maté similarly discusses how trauma lodges itself within the body, leading to patterns of chronic stress that can manifest as illness or other physical conditions. He believes that by understanding the body’s connection to past traumas, individuals can begin to see triggers not as random disturbances but as messages from the body that carry crucial information about unresolved pain. By listening to these messages, people can start to piece together the ways in which past experiences shape their present lives.
Healing Through Awareness and Compassion
The first step toward healing is awareness. Recognising a trigger and understanding where it comes from can be immensely empowering. As van der Kolk suggests, cultivating an awareness of the body through practices like mindfulness and somatic therapy can help individuals become more attuned to their physical sensations and emotional states. This awareness fosters a greater sense of control, enabling them to navigate their responses to triggers rather than being overwhelmed by them.
Maté takes this a step further by emphasising the importance of compassion in the healing journey. Often, individuals respond to their triggers with self-criticism or shame, believing that they should simply “get over it” or that they are somehow at fault for their reactions. Maté argues that by cultivating compassion for oneself, individuals can begin to understand that their triggers are not signs of weakness but reflections of their resilience. Triggers reveal the ways that people have adapted to survive, even if those adaptations no longer serve them.
Moving Forward: Integrating Triggers into the Healing Process
Healing from trauma is a journey, and understanding triggers is a key aspect of that journey. When we see triggers as gateways to understanding our pain, rather than as setbacks, we can start to use them as tools for growth. Engaging with trauma-informed therapy, like the approaches championed by van der Kolk and Maté, can provide people with the support they need to navigate their triggers and integrate their experiences in a way that fosters healing.
By reframing triggers as opportunities to better understand ourselves, we can begin to rewrite our relationships with them. Instead of seeing them as frightening or unmanageable, we can view them as reminders of our ability to endure. Through awareness, compassion, and support, we can begin to heal and ultimately transform the way we live with our past.