Tools to Counter Trauma Triggers
Trauma triggers can come out of seemingly nowhere. A sound, sight, touch, smell, danger producing emotions (anger, fear, frustration), a particular voice, the color of light… and wham! Your heart rate accelerates, you have trouble breathing, you feel panicky or find yourself frantic and in your frenzy unable to hold a thought or utter a coherent sentence. You may find yourself reacting in ways that aren’t the “real you” – lashing out in anger, hitting something or someone, crying, yelling, going flat inside – all because your past trauma was triggered, which in turn activated your fight-or-flight stress response (FFSR).
Examples of traumatic incidences include: combat, family dysfunction (living with a parent, spouse or sibling with a substance use disorder, for example), divorce, death of a loved one, sexual assault.
The FFSR a system is centered in the reactionary part of the brain and was initially intended to kick into gear when mankind was faced with physical danger. This makes sense when we recall that back in the day the primary danger humans faced was physical danger, as in, “Run or Fight (or Freeze)!”
Thus, this system was/is designed to prepare the body to do just that – fight or run, or if necessary, freeze.
In very GENERAL terms, it works as follows.
A cue (sound, sight, touch, smell, danger-producing emotions, a person’s voice, seeing someone that is a spitting image of the person who caused the initial trauma…) triggers the key stress hormones, adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol to activate the FFSR. These stress hormones cause a number of things to happen to help us RUN or FIGHT.
They cause blood vessels to the skin to constrict to lessen blood loss if injured. They shut down the digestive system in order to conserve glucose needed for energy to run or fight. They cause muscles in the neck, shoulders and back to constrict. They dilate the bronchial tubes in the lungs in order to carry more oxygen to the muscles. And they increase heart rate to push blood flow to large muscles in order to react quickly, run fast or come out fighting. It is truly astounding what the FFSR does in such a short period when triggered (often mere milliseconds, which is how a person jumps out of the way of an oncoming car). These physiological changes explain why a person experiences the various physical and emotional changes I described in the opening paragraph.
It is not uncommon for a person to experience flash backs to a past traumatic event when the brain experiences triggers related to that traumatic event. This can be true even if the person got help for processing the physical and emotional impacts of the event(s). And that’s because the brain has a way of protecting itself/it’s person, if you will, by activating the reactionary coping skill(s) the person mapped to handle that initial (or repeated) traumatic event. These reactionary coping skills typically involve fighting (yelling, hitting, lashing out), running (as in doing, doing, doing anything to stop the emotion triggered), or shutting down/freezing when in conflict or faced with an angry person so as not to provoke their anger further.
It is not uncommon for a person routinely experiencing trauma triggers to turn to alcohol or other drugs to soothe the emotions triggered or to block out the traumatic event memories, which is why finding tools that can work for them can be especially important.
Tools to Counter Trauma Triggers
Learning ways of coping with the trauma triggers can be a life-changer. These tools can help a person recognize the trigger, use their tools, and then settle their FFSR and return their life to “normal.” As for these tools, check out:
Robyn E. Brickel, MA, LMFT‘s post, “Flashback Halting Guide: 10 Tips to Halt Flashbacks for Yourself or a Loved One.” As Robyn writes in her post,
“Flashbacks can trigger intense emotions and sudden reactions that are beyond your momentary control. You may suddenly jump or panic. You may raise your arms to block out other people, duck or run from loved ones. You may dive for cover. You may freeze, and be unable to speak. You may yell or even burst out swearing at yourself without wanting to — these may be shame flashbacks. Spontaneous reactions like these are among the many ways people experience flashbacks.
“Flashbacks can make you feel hopeless and helpless. But you can learn ways to help yourself become more fully present in your daily life.
And here’s the link to her Flashback Halting Guide With 10 Ways to Help Manage Flashbacks (Scroll down to the end of her post.)
There are many, many other tools that can help, as well. Feel free to contact me via email at lisaf@BreakingTheCycles.com for suggestions specific to your needs and the traumatic event(s) you experienced.
Lisa Frederiksen
Latest posts by Lisa Frederiksen (see all)
- Does a Loved One Have to Hit Bottom? - November 20, 2022
- Resources for Parents of Children with Substance Use and Mental Disorders - October 18, 2022
- 4 Things to Support Brain Health and Function for Recovery - August 30, 2022