PTSD Triggers: The Role of Compassion in Healing

After my last post Understanding PTSD Triggers: Finding Hope in Darkness, one of my readers who has not experienced PTSD asked: “Can trauma victims learn some self-coaching skills that could enable them to reject diving back in that pit of despair?” While her comments came from a place of caring and compassion, it is clear that many who don’t have PTSD don’t understand trauma triggers or the involuntary effects that it has on its victims.

The term “triggered” has become widely used to describe anything that causes emotional discomfort. However, for individuals who have experienced trauma, triggers can be extremely distressing, pervasive, and often appear unexpectedly. Trauma triggers are stimuli that evoke memories of past traumatic events. These triggers are unique to each person. Trauma is known to have long-lasting and recurrent effects on mental health.

Sadly, when a “trigger” happens, there is no space between the present moment before the trigger and the resulting pit. That is what makes it so hard to navigate. One minute you think you’re doing great, and then suddenly and unexpectedly you’re not. It feels a bit like your brain is not your own. There is no space to simply step back and avoid the pit.

A Coping Device

Working through the emotion of your trauma can eventually disable the severity of the triggers, but in the meantime, we have to hold onto the truth that our PTSD is only a part of who we are. PTSD is a complicated problem with complex solutions. Healing is possible, but is not a simple, one-act play. It is a process–sometimes a very long one. But the Lord understands that and walks with us every step of the way.

Just as in the trauma response of dissociation, “the disorder is a coping device. The trauma I experienced as a child was too much for my brain to process. The pain, fear, and hopelessness of the most traumatic events were transformed into separate identities, each fulfilling roles to help me survive when things get scary. The diagnosis is that I’m not crazy, just very hurt.

Like so many mental struggles, the healing journey is unique to each person. For me it involved talk therapy and working through the traumas that caused me to dissociate. It was about focusing forward and believing that healing was possible. In working toward and finding my own healing, I have learned that it is an ongoing process.” Understanding Dissociation

What are triggers?

The following article from PsychCentral explains triggers and how they work:

A trigger can be anything that sparks a memory of a trauma, or a part of a trauma. When you encounter a trigger, memories and thoughts associated with the trauma come back without warning. You cannot stop the intrusive thoughts, and in response, you feel a turn in your emotions and begin to react. A trigger might make you feel helpless, panicked, unsafe, and overwhelmed with emotion. You might feel the same things that you felt at the time of the trauma, as though you were reliving the event.

The mind perceives triggers as a threat and causes a reaction like fear, panic, or agitation. Think of the reaction to triggers as a defense mechanism: The memory of the traumatic event places you right back into the experience, which causes your walls to go up against the perceived threat in an attempt to protect yourself.

After encountering a trigger, it can take some time for your nervous system to recover and return to baseline. This is partly because trauma reduces your window of tolerance — the emotional zone in which you feel grounded, balanced, and calm. A smaller window of tolerance means stressors are more likely to cause greater emotional upset.

Spreading Awareness and Increasing Compassion

Trauma can leave us feeling alone and isolated even when surrounded by kind people with good intentions. Compassion is key in helping those who struggle with trauma’s effects. When a person encounters a trigger after trauma, a strong emotional and behavioral reaction comes over them. It’s as if they are reliving that trauma all over again. What they need are kind, encouraging words—not advice—in those moments.

While it may not be feasible to eliminate all trauma triggers or undo past traumas, there is hope and assistance available for individuals dealing with these challenges. Individuals can pursue professional help, participate in therapeutic interventions, and seek supportive environments to foster healthy relationships and personal development. Trauma-informed care and other treatments can help them live a happy and fulfilling life.

In working toward and finding my healing, I have come to realize that it is an ongoing process. But it is a rewarding one. Supportive, empathetic, and impartial interactions with others are crucial in the recovery process. I know that, regardless of the pains and heartache we are called to go through, all of us can find light and hope, ultimately thriving in a life that is uniquely our own. Surrounding ourselves with people who believe this truth will help us find hope and healing on the journey.