Identifying Physical and Emotional Triggers: A Guide to Self-Awareness (Trail Marker #48)

Experiencing sexual abuse can leave deep and lasting scars on a woman’s life. These scars often appear as physical and emotional triggers that can affect us living each day. Understanding and identifying these triggers is a crucial step toward healing and being aware of ourselves. 

So what are triggers? Triggers are reminders of past trauma that can cause emotional or physical reactions. They can be sights, sounds, smells, touches, or even thoughts that unconsciously bring a person back to the traumatic event. For me, one trigger that affected me for years was cigarette smoke and the smell of oil. The perpetrator when I was child was a heavy smoker who worked on cars. Through EMDR those smells no longer trigger me. Identifying triggers is essential for managing them effectively. One book that has been helpful to me is written by Dr. Peter Levine, “Healing Trauma,”  He explains that there are two types of triggers.

• Physical Triggers: These can include certain places, physical sensations, or activities that remind you of the abuse.

• Emotional Triggers: These often involve feelings of fear, shame, or helplessness that surface unexpectedly, sometimes in response to subtle cues.

Here are a ways you can use to identify triggers:

Self-Reflection and Prayer

1. Begin by spending time in prayer and reflection. Ask God to reveal hidden triggers and provide you with wisdom and discernment. Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Be gentle with yourself. Healing is a journey, and it's okay to have setbacks. Remember Romans 8:1: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." 

Journaling

1. Keep a journal to document your experiences and emotions. Note any patterns or recurring situations that elicit strong reactions. Writing down these moments can help you see connections that you might miss otherwise. Here are five journal prompts that can help:

2. What happened? Review the facts

3. What emotions am I feeling?

4. What negative things is this making me think about myself?

5. How am I identifying this with my trauma?

6. What specific things am I doing to cope?

Seek Professional Help

1. A trauma-informed therapist can help you navigate through identifying and managing triggers. Proverbs 15:22 reminds us, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."

Body Awareness

1. Pay attention to your body's responses in different situations. Physical reactions such as increased heart rate, sweating, or muscle tension can signal a trigger. Learning to recognize these signs can help you understand and manage your reactions better. Grounding techniques help you stay connected to the present moment. One effective method is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, where you identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

Engage in Safe Community

1. Surround yourself with supportive and understanding friends and family. Being in a loving community can provide safety and comfort. Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages us, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another."

Dr. Levine offers thirteen steps to manage a flashback. These include: 

1. Say to yourself, “I am having a flashback.” The feelings you are having are past memories and can no longer hurt you.

2. Remind yourself, “I feel afraid but I am not in danger. I am safe now. I am here in the present.”

3. Own your right to have boundaries. You do not have to allow anyone to mistreat you. You are free to leave dangerous situations.

4. Speak reassuringly to the inner child, she needs to know that she is loved, safe and feels comfort.

5. Deconstruct eternity thinking, fear and abandonment felt endless during trauma but remember this flashback will pass.

6. Remind yourself that you are in an adult body. You have skills and resources to protect you that you never had as a child.

7. Ease back into your body. Ask your body to relax, Breathe, Slow down, find a safe place, feel the fear.

8. Resist the inner critic’s catastrophizing. Use thought-stopping to stop the endless exaggeration of danger and trying to control the uncontrollable. You can use thought substitution to replace negative thoughts with truth.

9. Allow yourself to grieve. Flashbacks are opportunities to release old, unexpressed feelings of fear, hurt and abandonment. Grieving can offer us self-compassion and self-protection.

10. Cultivate safe relationships and seek support. Do not isolate. Feeling shame does not mean you are shameful. 

11. Learn to identify the types of triggers that lead to your flashbacks. Avoid unsafe people, places, and activities. Practice before the trigger happens how you can use these steps.

12. Figure out what you are flashing back to. Flashbacks are opportunities to discover, validate and heal our wounds from past abuse. They can point out our still unmet needs.

13. Be patient with the recovery process. It takes time to decrease the intensity, duration and frequency of flashbacks. Don’t beat yourself up for having a flashback.

As you work to identify and manage your triggers, remember that you are not alone. God walks with you every step of the way, offering His love, comfort, and healing. In Jeremiah 30:17, God promises, "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the Lord. Trust in His promise and lean on His strength. Through prayer, support, and self-awareness, you can find a path to healing and wholeness.

Identifying physical and emotional triggers is a significant step toward greater self-awareness and healing. By integrating these thirteen steps and leaning on God's Word, you can navigate this journey with hope and resilience. Remember, you are a beloved child of God, and your path to healing is a testament to His grace and love.

Have a trauma life coach to help you on this healing journey. I offer a twelve week coaching program “Thriving After Trauma.” You received one-on-one coaching with inner healing prayer. Learn more at: linktr.ee/beingrestoredtojoy