What To Do When You Are Triggered
For me, one of the toughest things about recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety has been learning how to manage triggers.
If you’ve got PTSD or you have panic attacks, you know what I mean by triggers; those little things that, once your “anxiety brain” gets hold of them, send you into a downward spiral of fear, panic, and sometimes, even depression.
My worst trigger is child abuse. If I see a news story about an abused child, or even if I overhear someone talking about an abused child, my pulse rate just shoots up. If the abuse is sexual, then all bets are off and I have to take action to manage the trigger before I get anxious.
I do a couple of little things to manage triggers and minimize the effects that they have on me. They may work for you.
Know the Signs
One of the most important things to learn about triggers is how to recognize when something is triggering you. This doesn’t mean that you have to walk around being hyper-vigilant, but it does mean that you need to maintain a certain level of awareness of your surroundings.
I know that I am being triggered when an event causes me to have butterflies in my stomach. Not the “ohmiGod she just looked at me” butterflies, but the “wow that dog looks dangerous” butterflies. If something happens, and you feel an immediate twinge of anxiety, watch out. You might be being triggered.
Go Somewhere Safe
If you get triggered, no matter where you are, excuse yourself and go somewhere safe. Public restrooms are perfect for this. You need to get somewhere where there is nothing that will make you even more anxious. Don’t worry about how it will look if you have to leave; it is much worse to have a major panic attack in public than it is to have one in a bathroom stall. Not that having one in a stall is a picnic either, but at least you are in a controlled situation.
Breathe and Visualize
Once you are safe, start focussing on controlling your breathing, and on a “safe” image. For me, a “safe” image is a battleship. Don’t ask me why, for some reason battleships make me feel very safe. For some tips on controlling your breathing, check out one of these articles: How To Relax Using Deep Breathing Techniques or How To Survive A Panic Attack.
The breathing and the safe image help distract your body from the fear reaction to the trigger. Keep both of them up until you feel your anxiety level dropping and you begin to calm down.
Recovery and Prevention
When you are calm and back to normal, carefully (very carefully) review how you were triggered. Back when I had flashbacks, I used to write everything down whenever I noticed something was triggering me, so keeping a “trigger journal” can be a big help. This has two benefits: 1) writing it down helps you process the trigger and your response, and 2) writing it down helps you understand how you were triggered and helps you avoid future triggering situations. If you are in therapy, it is also a really good idea to let your therapist know if you have been triggered.
Hair Trigger
Being triggered is not a sign of weakness, so try not to beat yourself up if something does trigger you. Triggers definitely suck, but they also serve a useful purpose by helping you learn about your sensitivities and anxiety. With proper management and guidance from a therapist, you can use triggers as an opportunity to help your recovery.
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isabella mori responds:
Posted: September 20th, 2007 at 8:47 am →
thanks for sharing this with us - yet again, in your brandmark clear, pleasant and respectful way. yes, the public washroom can be a very safe place (unless, of course, that place is a trigger).
i wonder whether it has happened to you that something similar to a trigger experience happens when there is another insight about the PTSD. i’ve seen that happen. a person would be walking along somewhere, for example, thinking about something, and they’d make a connection between that thought and what they experienced in the past and bang, it hits them like a brick: extreme shortness of breath, shaking, etc. an insight colliding with a memory, and it seems for a moment like the world is lifted out of its axis.
Scott Davis responds:
Posted: September 20th, 2007 at 10:53 am →
“it seems for a moment like the world is lifted out of its axis.”
Yup, that’s pretty much how I remember it feeling.
I had those types of triggers. They were actually more common than the other “wow that person looks familiar” type of trigger for me. Interestingly, even though it has been a couple of years since I recovered from PTSD, every now and then I still have insights that trigger memories of the assault. The memories aren’t traumatic any more but they definitely make me stop and think.
I deal with them by writing them down, but I wonder if that is because I am a writer and I tend to process my thoughts and feelings through my art. What other ways could people use to process their triggers?
isabella mori responds:
Posted: September 20th, 2007 at 7:21 pm →
i’ve found no better way to deal with trauma than through poetry but then again, like you, that’s what i DO. i think we all need to find our very unique ways of processing. of course, ritual can be a wonderful tool. i know someone for whom cooking, especially the slow work of baking and making soup, is a way of processing.
Maya responds:
Posted: October 2nd, 2007 at 8:44 am →
Hi Scott,
I loved the article on meditation. I am glad to know that you have recovered from your experiences and that you are trying to helping others through it. God Bless you!
I’ve been meditating for a few years now to deal with stress and anxiety which my doctor said may also lead to high blood pressure and other disorders.
In addition to a combination of yoga, breathing exercises and meditation, I have learnt a mantra meditation that has been very effective in panic situations when you cannot get away from the situation.
Most of the time, the mantra meditation is so effective that our breathing and our senses calm down and we are able to think and rationalize effectively.
I liked your meditation technique and will try to practice it. I am also trying to learn circadian meditation at http://www.meditationhome.com
Circadian meditation is believed to work with our body rhythms to cure insomnia, nervousness and anxiety disorders
I am glad that there are so many sites that help us effectively deal with life’s challenges.
Take care.
Maya
Chesa Keane responds:
Posted: January 17th, 2008 at 10:21 pm →
Meditation is such a perfect answer to opening awareness. Imagine how it is when you are under immense stress — you focus becomes very tunnel-visioned and you see less and less and, therefore, make more and more mistakes. It has been my experience that the time spent learnign to first concentrate and then to meditate on a desired outcome is (like the ad says) priceless. Thanks fo this posting. It is very insightful.
Chesa
Josie responds:
Posted: February 22nd, 2008 at 5:43 pm →
Wow.
I’ve just started reading through this blog and it’s so good.
This post in particular hit home. I was a victim of child abuse too. I don’t know if the panic attacks, anxiety and flashbacks i experience now are severe enough to be labelled PTSD, but it seems like that’s what i’m experiencing. The perpetrator of my abuse was a school teacher, and i get severe anxiety almost daily when in an acedemic situation like going to college.
Thanks so much for your great site.
Scott Davis responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2008 at 11:12 pm →
HI Josie,
Thanks for dropping by. I’m glad you like the site.
When my flashbacks first started I didn’t think I had PTSD, and it wasn’t until I began therapy that I was actually diagnosed. Have you spoken to a counsellor or therapist?
Take care,
Scott
Linda responds:
Posted: May 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am →
I have adjustment disorder related to relationships/abuse. To be clear it’s the differential diagnosis of PTSD. I’m trying to figure out what the best approach is when your trigger is someone you’re dating or care about? My mind makes all kinds of distorted connections when this happens and it seems when I try to talk about it with the person I just end up offending or scaring them off. I mean the basic options are 1) Habituate myself to the trigger or 2) Avoid it. And if it’s a minor thing they could change then how do I address that? If it’s a personality issue there isn’t much I can do but leave the relationship. Sigh.