Triggers can be associated with mental health, trauma, and substance abuse. They are environmental cues that remind individuals of past traumatic experiences and can include things such as colors, songs, certain words, names, smells, and more. Triggers vary from person to person and are often quite distressing when experienced, even if the person has ways of coping with them. However, triggers are not always bad. They can point you in the direction of healing by teaching you what needs further healing; this is how you can use your triggers to heal emotional wounds.
Identify Your Triggers
During treatment, you will most likely work with a therapist to help identify your triggers. This can be done by reflecting on past memories or anything that makes it difficult to stay in the present moment. Think about internal or external cues that remind you of a distressing memory. Knowing these can help you be aware of times you may come across them.
Notice Your Reaction
When a trigger is present, you will most like have some sort of reactionary response. This response is normal, as triggers can be distressing and remind you of a memory that you would most likely rather forget. However, if you want to use your triggers to help your healing process, try to avoid reacting to them and instead try observing. Identify what you feel and ask yourself why this cue affects you so much. A great way to do this is by journaling. Write down what you are feeling, even if it doesn’t make sense at the moment. Doing this will help you lessen your reaction and help you begin to observe your triggers without becoming overwhelmed.
Work Through It
As you begin identifying your triggers and observing them, you can then start the process of working through them. Triggers are often unhealed emotional wounds, and this process can help you learn to work through them without becoming overly distressed or overwhelmed. Working through your triggers can help you boost your overall healing and set you up for further success in recovery.
Triggers can be difficult to cope with at the beginning of your recovery journey, whether related to mental health, trauma, or addiction. However, your triggers can sometimes be used as a guide to healing by revealing the unhealed emotional wounds still inside of you. Alta Loma Transformational Services has expert staff to help you work through your triggers and learn how to cope with them. Together, you can begin understanding why specific cues affect you and work with our therapists to overcome them. Call us today to get started at (866) 457-3843.