The word “triggered” has become a popular term to describe anything that causes emotional discomfort. For people who have experienced trauma, triggers are a reminder of the traumatic events experienced throughout life. Although triggers are often harmless, they are perceived as dangerous due to their association with the original trauma and thus can cause emotional disturbances or physical discomfort. Understanding how triggers affect your mental health is a key part of emotional recovery. Learning to identify and manage your triggers can feel difficult at first, but it’s an important part of the recovery process. Understanding your emotional responses is key to building self-awareness and resilience. According to “Triggered? Learn What Emotional Triggers Are and How to Deal with Them” by Allaya Cooks-Campbell on BetterUp, emotional triggers are deeply tied to how the brain encodes traumatic experiences, linking sensory cues like smells, sounds, or places to the body’s fight-or-flight response. The article explains that while there’s no single “cure” for triggers, strategies such as mindfulness, grounding techniques, and therapy (including CBT and EMDR) can significantly improve emotional regulation and resilience. Understanding these mechanisms not only helps individuals manage their responses but also empowers them to transform emotional reactivity into greater self-awareness and healing.
Internal Triggers
Internal Triggers are things that occur within your mind and body. Thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations can be internal triggers that remind you of the traumatic event.
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Certain thoughts or memories can make your brain bring you back to a trauma, often unwillingly.
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Sometimes feelings or emotions can trigger your trauma. Sadness, anger, loneliness, feeling vulnerable or abandoned, frustration, tension, feeling out of control, or being in pain — all of these can trigger a past traumatic experience.
These emotional responses are often connected to deeper issues such as anxiety, chronic stress, or unresolved attachment styles.
External Triggers
External Triggers are things that occur outside of your mind and body. People, places, and situations can be external triggers that remind you of the traumatic event, making emotional triggers a powerful response outside of your mind and body.
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Hearing certain sounds, music, or songs associated with the trauma can take you back.
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Seeing someone who is related to the trauma or who has physical traits that remind you of the trauma.
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Our human sense of smell is strongly tied to our memories. As a result, certain scents can trigger memories of the trauma.
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The place where the trauma happened can be a strong trigger, as well as similar places.
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A news report, a particular movie, or a television series can show a scene that is similar to your trauma.
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If you find yourself in a situation that is similar to or reminds you of your trauma, it can be a trigger. External triggers can consist of a breakup, news, anniversaries, witnessing an accident or similar event, holidays, or arguments.
This is especially common in individuals recovering from PTSD or going through exposure and response prevention therapy.
How to Identify Trauma Triggers
Experiencing anxiety or an overwhelming reaction that seems to be out of context for the present situation could be the result of a trauma trigger. If you do become triggered, try to be kind to yourself. Learning to identify and ultimately manage triggers is all part of the trauma recovery process. If you’re having reactions that appear “bigger” than the situation at hand, you may want to consider getting outside help from a licensed trauma therapist who can offer support as you navigate and heal difficult, uncomfortable symptoms.
When you’re feeling triggered, take a few soothing breaths to calm your nervous system. When you’re in a place to reflect and unpack what triggered you, try asking yourself these questions:
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What was happening before you were triggered?
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How were you feeling physically and emotionally?
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What were you thinking about?
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Where were you?
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Who was there?
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What was happening at the moment you noticed you were being triggered?
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What physical sensations did you have?
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What emotions did you experience?
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What thoughts did you have?
Increased self-awareness during this process builds resilience and helps develop long-term coping strategies.
How to Manage Trauma Triggers
Healing from trauma is challenging and takes time. PTSD is counterintuitive. It may seem beneficial to just avoid your emotional triggers forever; however, doing so will actually prolong your symptoms. The first step in your recovery is to learn how to manage triggers.
Even if you are unable to identify what has triggered you, managing the symptoms will be helpful so you can go about living your life. Engaging in healthy coping will assist with soothing and regulating your nervous system.
Here are 8 coping skills to turn to when you’re feeling triggered:
1. Going to a Safe Place (if possible)
Trauma triggers can cause symptoms that make it difficult for you to pay attention to what is happening around you at the moment and leave you feeling vulnerable. If you can, go to a safe place (e.g., a bathroom, a private bedroom, find a place to park if you are driving) until your trauma reaction has passed and you can get grounded again. Creating a calm physical environment is a fundamental part of behavioral health management.
2. Acknowledge your feelings
Experiencing distress when triggered is normal. To begin with, take time to be kind and loving toward yourself. Next, acknowledge how you are feeling in the moment and hold space for anything that comes up. For example, many people experience fear, shame, anxiety, or embarrassment when they become triggered. Remember, you are not alone! Instead, avoid comparison (to your past, to other people). Rather, try to stay connected to the present moment by noticing where you feel the feelings in your body. Ultimately, acknowledgment is an important first step in emotional regulation and trauma-informed therapy.
3. Visualization
If you are experiencing intrusive thoughts or images about the traumatic event, picture yourself in a place where you feel safe and calm. This can be a beach, a cabin in the mountains, or with a beloved pet. Allow yourself to experience the sight, sounds, and everything this soothing, safe place has to offer to help manage emotional triggers.
4. Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises can help you relax. It is the slow, deliberate exhalations that really allow your nervous system to calm down. Try this breathing exercise:
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Inhale for 5 seconds through your nose.
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Hold that breath for a full 5 seconds in your core or heart space.
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Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 5 seconds, releasing anything that needs to be released emotionally and physically from your body.
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Repeat this for 2-5 minutes, until you feel calmer and more grounded.
This type of relaxation is also supported in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) for anxiety and stress.
5. 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
Using your senses to ground yourself can assist with self-soothing. Try identifying:
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5 things you can see
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4 things you can touch
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3 things you can hear
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2 things you can smell
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1 thing you can taste
6. Create a Safety Plan
When you’re feeling triggered, it can be difficult to remember healthy coping skills at the moment because you have gone into fight-or-flight mode. Creating a safety plan with coping skills is like having a handy toolbox ready to go whenever you become triggered. It can include people you can contact, like a trusted friend or therapist; places that make you feel safe, objects that are soothing and can help you ground yourself, breathing exercises, and activities that assist with distraction. You could also include kind and loving affirmations such as, “I know I am strong, and this feeling will pass.”
7. Avoid Known Triggers (if possible, until you can manage symptoms)
Exposure to trauma triggers can increase PTSD symptoms. Until you engage in trauma therapy and have learned how to manage your triggers, it would be better to avoid them for the time being. Some examples of trauma triggers that might be avoidable include:
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Movies, books, and the news that are related to your trauma
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People related to or involved in the trauma
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Places related to the trauma
Avoidance can be a temporary and protective coping strategy, especially for first responders dealing with traumatic experience.
8. Journal
Writing about your emotions and experiences can be very therapeutic. Journaling can be an outlet for self-care and may provide you with a different perspective. It can also assist with identifying emotional triggers and serve as a guide for positive change. However, writing can be perceived as a tedious task for some people. If this is the case for you, try starting with a one-line-a-day journal. You may find you have even more to say than just one sentence! Journaling is a mindfulness-based practice that supports emotional healing and cognitive clarity.
Trauma Therapy Can Help
Triggers are unique to each individual. By understanding your triggers, you can learn how to manage them effectively. At Reflection Psychology, we have the training and experience to assist you through your healing journey and help you accomplish your treatment goals. If you are considering taking the first step toward healing, schedule a free 15-minute consultation to find the right therapist for you.
