What is an Emotional Trigger? And How to Deal with them - Rachel Devine

Have you ever been around someone who reacted to a minor situation in a way that was over the top? Have you ever been around a person whose anger is way out of proportion to the angry event? Or perhaps you were around an adult who has violent tendencies. These people are experiencing emotional triggers. Emotional triggers come out of left field and instill havoc in ones psyche. Inner healing is the key to getting rid of the triggers. I know, because I experienced my own share of emotional triggers and I can tell you first hand they can be overwhelming. I did a ton of research on emotional triggers that I share with you.

Let’s explore emotional triggers in detail and see how to deal with them.

What are emotional triggers?

Emotional triggers are sudden fear, anger, panic, or sadness, grief, feelings of being overwhelmed, out of control, abandoned, or helpless. They come out of left field as flashbacks, which could involve reliving a memory, emotions, physical sensations or physical symptoms such as a racing heart, rapid breathing, or shaking.

Triggers can stem from many disorders, from obsessive-compulsive disorder to substance abuse to PTSD, depression, and anxiety to name a few. Part of root the cause can be traced back to childhood trauma and experiences.

A person’s strong reaction to being triggered may come as a surprise to others because the response seems out of proportion to the stimulus. But this is because the triggered individual is mentally reliving the original trauma.

For example, an adult who experienced fear of abandonment as a child might feel triggered by an unanswered text. The uncertainty of why they didn’t receive a response may cause them to relive feelings of abandonment, that come unexpectedly.

What causes emotional triggers?: 

• Anniversaries of traumatic events (car accident, death in the family, divorce or other trauma)

• Certain locations, buildings, or environments are associated with trauma

• Specific sounds (sirens, screams, gunshots, etc.)

• Particular smells (smoke, alcohol, perfume, etc.)

• Seeing certain people or types of people

• Relationship conflicts or dynamics reminiscent of past abuse

• Media depictions of violence, war, abuse, etc.

• Physical or medical situations that feel threatening

• Being fired from a job

• Relationship breakup

• Sudden death of a loved one or pet

• Any trauma, minor or major, from childhood

• Intense arguments

What are emotional responses to triggers?:

• Anxiety/panic attacks

• Feelings of terror, dread, or impending disaster

• Anger/rage that is out of control or violent

• Sadness/depressive episodes

• Shame/feeling worthless

• Detachment/dissociation

• Flashbacks/intrusive memories

• Physical reactions (shaking, sweating, nausea, etc.)

• Avoidance of triggers or numbing emotions

• Hypervigilance or being on high alert

• Difficulties with emotional regulation

• Self-destructive behaviors

• Relationship conflicts

The emotional responses can be highly intense and feel disconnected from the present circumstances. Managing triggers often requires recognizing when one is triggered, using grounding techniques, and allowing the wave of emotion to peak and eventually subside. When the actual trigger is happening, it’s hard to grab a tool to cope with it. Having a good therapist around can help tremendously. Especially a therapist who specializes in this type of trauma response.

How to cope with emotional triggers:

While emotional triggers can be disturbing, there are strategies that can help minimize their impact:

1. Identify your triggers: Reflect on the situations, cues, or thoughts that seem to spark excessive emotional responses. Understanding your personal triggers is the first step.

2. Breathe: When triggered, practice deep breathing exercises to calm your body's stress response. Slowing your breathing can short-circuit a panic episode. Inhale for 4 seconds. Hold 4. Exhale 4. Repeat. Or breathe into a paper bag. Concentrate on the breaths as a distraction.

3. Use grounding techniques: engage your senses by touching a textured object, smelling something pleasant, or listening to soothing music. This shifts your focus to the present moment.

4. Reframe your thoughts: Remind yourself that you are not actually in danger in this moment. The trigger has activated an inappropriate fear response based on past events and in the present moment cannot harm you.

5. Reach out for support: Discuss triggers with a therapist, a friend or life coach, so you can process the emotions when they arise in a safe environment. A therapist is crucial to have.

6. Get help: Consider professional treatment. For PTSD sufferers, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, or EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), can effectively treat triggers.

7. Techniques: Another great technique therapists use is brainspotting. Look for a therapist who specializes in this technique.

8. Talk it out: Life coach can guide you and help talk things out.

In closing, from my own experience, processing any emotional triggers is the way to eliminate them from coming back. The more you can work on each emotional trigger the better you will be. Left unchecked, these triggers can cause havoc in your life. With patience and professional guidance, emotional triggers can be defused before they spiral into more severe anxiety or traumatic responses. The key is developing healthy coping strategies to manage and ultimately desensitize these exaggerated fear reactions rooted in past hurt. And it’s imperative to heal the inner child, which is the root of most triggers. I can’t stress enough the importance of getting a good therapist or life coach to help cope with triggers.

Rachel Devine is the author of, Discover the Power of the Secret Within - Healing your Inner Child to Manifest your Dreams.

Devine Intervention - Inner Healing Center

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