Here is a list of 12 categories of triggers, taken from the book The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook Second Edition, by Glen R. Schiraldi, PhD. Having a list of a bunch of different categories of triggers can make them easier to conceptualize, and it certainly serves as a good reminder that a trigger can be anything that reminds you of a traumatic event (even if you cannot see the connection between the trigger and your trauma yourself).
Here's the list(note: the list itself is taken from the book, however the examples are my own [save for #12]):
Sight (visual): Seeing someone with red painted nails might bring up memories of an abusive family member who also wore red nail polish.
Sound (auditory): The sound of fireworks might remind someone if gunshots.
Smell (olfactory): The smell of a specific perfume or cologne might remind someone of an abusive partner.
Taste (gustatory): Eating a steak might bring up memories of family dinner time, and family dinner time was always filled with tension.
Tactile/touch: Being hugged might feel similar to being forcebly held.
Internal body sensations: The heart pounding fast might remind one of a traumatic time when their heart beat in a similar fashion.
Kinesthetic/proprioceptive means the sensation of movement, tension, or body position. For example, I once put my head under my pillow and closed my eyes, which triggered a flashback about an abusive time where my body was in that same position.
Pain: Nausea might remind someone about a time when they were severely sick.
6. Significant dates or seasons
Anniversary dates of the trauma or other significant dates: Halloween, Christmas, RA/SRA. Someone could become distressed on the birthday of a family member that they cannot visit due to safety reasons.
Seasons of the year with their accompanying stimuli (temperature, lighting, colors, sounds): If something bad happened to someone during fall, they might have emotional or full flashbacks during fall. The crunching of the leaves, leaves changing their colors, and the cold breezes may be unwelcome intrusions.
7. Stressful events and arousal: Sometimes your brain may interpret any stress signal as a recurrence of the original trauma, due to changes in the brain (yep, trauma changes your brain!). Sometimes, seemingly unrelated events are triggers. Here are some examples:
•Arguing with your partner may trigger memories of family members arguing.
•Having to give your college teacher a reason for being late to class may feel similar to your family's strict household, where you couldn't be late for anything.
•A friend rolling their eyes may be reminiscent of a condescending family member.
8. Strong emotions: Feeling lonely can remind one of being abandoned. Feeling scared can remind one of times when they were scared before and things did not go so well for them.
9. Thoughts: If you do something that you perceive as upsetting someone, you may have the thought "I am a bad person", which triggers the same thought that occurred when you were abused at a young age.
10. Behaviors: Playing a shooting game might remind a veteran of the war.
11. Out of the blue: Sometimes intrusions occur when you are tired, or relaxing. A thought or something you're not aware of could elicit symptoms; so might the habitual act of dissociating during stressful times.
12. Combinations: Often triggers contain several memory aspects at once.
An important thing to note here is that you may not be aware of what triggered you. You may just suddenly be flooded with memories. You may not even be flooded with memories, you may "just" feel bad (emotional flashback), without clearly knowing why. Often, you are only subconsciously aware of your triggers, at least at first. That isn't the case with everyone though, and certainly not all the time. Triggers are manageable with some practice and coping skills and you can triumph over them. We'll hopefully be making a post on that sometime in the future.
annaxmalina
germansingergirl
gummygunk
izzy806
