Have you ever been triggered before?

...let me stop you there, I know the answer!

Recently I was talking to a friend when the conversation veered into an experience she had where an evening at a poetry reading devolved into a profoundly triggering event.

Long story short, an interaction she had resurfaced old wounds associated with feelings of exclusion and the pain of being bullied as a child. 

As the narrative unfolded, it got me thinking about the nature of triggers.

Triggers are a crucial part of the work we do over here at Aurora Somatic Medicine, although they are often not thought of as helpful at all... let alone as medicine as I have come to consider them.

But here's why they matter:

Triggers are strong reactions - emotionally and physiologically - that we have to a stimulus.

While it seems as though we are reacting to something in the present moment, more often than not triggers are evoking a spectrum of emotions tethered to childhood experiences.

Some triggers are obvious: Let's say we got bit by a dog when we were 4, so now we get triggered when we see dogs - or at least those that look like the one that harmed us.

But most triggers are not so obvious, and that is because they were programmed into our subconscious minds early in life in responses to not getting our basic needs met. 

This leads to an even deeper truth: Triggers, while uncomfortable, are doorways into uncovering these otherwise subconscious entrenched beliefs and thought patterns that act as invisible shackles, limiting our progress and contributing to a range of physical ailments.

How do they lead to health issues?

These thoughts and beliefs we adopted in childhood are in response to not getting our core needs met. 

While we often don't think of it this way - not getting our basic needs met (like the need for love, attunement, trust, and more) is considered a traumatic event.

When our needs are not met, this directly threatens our safety, our capacity to survive. Because we are 100% reliant on our caregivers at this time of life, we therefore must find ways to adapt to not getting this need met in order to ensure our survival in other ways.

In other words, we have to alter how we show up in the world and who we are in order to survive.

This altered self then becomes the lens through which we interact with the world, and every time we either encounter a situation that causes us to behave in this old way (like people pleasing) or the more chronically we embody this shifted persona,  our nervous system is activated .

And chronic activation of the nervous system is not a state in which healing can occur. 

Therefore - when we get triggered, we are presented with a choice:

1. Respond in the way we typically do, which often results in nervous system activation and keeps things in the present moment, or
2. Pause, and consider what this trigger might be pulling at from our past, which then allows us to examine, reintegrate, and eventually reprogram this pathway so that we are no longer triggered by that stimulus. Aka, we heal that childhood wound and programming in order to be more in alignment with our authentic selves.

This second response is crucial for us to shift our physiology into a state of calm: when we are able to be with the trigger and get curious about it, rather than react to it immediately, we are sending the message to our bodies: This isn't the threat you think it is. 

And when we shift into a state of calm, all of the innate healing capacity of our bodies is able to come back online once more.

The theme of embracing discomfort as a route to healing is a foundational aspect of health and healing. After all, if something doesn't hurt, we usually don't pay attention! 

We must learn how to pivot towards our unease, to lean into it as an occasion for self-discovery and learning.

Overcoming the powerful response elicited by our nervous system when we are triggered is a challenging one for sure, but reprogramming triggers - therefore releasing us from their grasp - is not only possible, but gets easier and easier with practice.

And with that release comes increased resilience to stress, feeling more empowered and embodied, and of course improved health outcomes across the board.

Interested in more deeply exploring your triggers but not sure where to start?

We have two great options:

1. Our Unlocking Triggers Masterclass provides you with a deeper dive on all of the above information as well as our proven, neuroscience-backed method for working with and releasing triggers. Click here to purchase this course!
2. The Sacred Illness™ Group Coaching Program is where you will learn to walk the steps to truly and sustainably healing the underlying causes of chronic symptoms. This includes triggers (and you get the Unlocking Triggers Masterclass among others for free as part of your membership) as well as many other aspects to understand and consider when doing this deep healing work. Membership is only $37 a month! Click here to become a member and get started today!

Thanks for being here - until next time!