PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is an unfortunate part of life that may exist all around anyone’s life. If you think deeply, the majority of people experience some kind of trauma in life, but a small percentage among them sometimes develop PTSD, which is a medical condition. It is a psychiatric condition that develops out of a stressful or traumatic experience. Incidents like violence or loss of someone near one are some of the scenarios that may cause trauma. Not only suffering but also witnessing traumatic incidents can be the cause of PTSD. Due to PTSD, the distress may last for years. If something triggers the trauma, people suffer from extreme symptoms and emotions that worsen their mental condition. But if we can identify the PTSD triggers it may ease the situation.
Depending on the type of trauma experienced, the PTSD triggers can affect a person differently. It may be related to their traumatic experience or unrelated. Examples of PTSD triggers can include people related to the traumatic event, specific objects, sounds, or places. Usually, people avoid the events that may trigger their PTSD.
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Types of PTSD Triggers
PTSD triggers can be of two categories –
Internal Triggers – This is something that one can feel or experience inside their body. This may include emotions, thoughts or memory, bodily sensation like heart racing.
External Triggers – These are the people, places, or situations that one can encounter outside their body.
Here is a list of internal and external triggers-
Internal Triggers
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Feeling abandoned
- Feeling out of control
- Feeling lonely
- Frustration
- Feeling vulnerable
- Muscle tension
- Memories
- Pain
- Sadness
- Racing heartbeat
External Triggers
- An argument
- An anniversary
- End of a relationship
- Certain smells
- Holidays
- Reading a news article that reminds you of your traumatic event
- Seeing someone who reminds you of a person connected to your traumatic event
- Watching a movie or television show that reminds you of your traumatic event
- A specific place
- Witnessing a car accident
Different Types of Triggers
Mostly PTSD triggers are people, sights, events, or sounds around a person that can lead to a traumatic event. These are the case when people are acutely aware of the triggers of their PTSD. But there are incidents when the trigger may be sensory, which is very uncertain and stressful. Triggers are associated with an extreme fear response and can include certain objects which were implications of a traumatic experience. This could include a vehicle, cloth, or something else notable for the person. Sometimes it could be the feelings like panic or stress that remind one about their traumatic experience or sound-based trauma usually faced by war veterans. Or it may be a particular date like an anniversary that brings on thoughts or memories related to trauma.
Identifying and Recognizing PTSD Triggers
You can always obviously identify PTSD triggers. Someone who has PTSD may not always be able to identify what causes their PTSD. This is particularly true with sensory triggers like smells, colors, tastes, or touch. To recognize PTSD, one may require a combination of talk therapy or observation by a psychiatrist to examine parts of the environment that provoke an emotional response.
Recognizing PTSD triggers when they occur can be different for different people. While some people may be fearful or avoidant, others may be angry, aggressive, or panicked. While some people may be able to recognize these behaviors in themselves, others may not. In these cases, healthcare professionals and family and friends may be needed to help to identify triggers.
Coping With Triggers
Now, the best way of coping with triggers is to avoid them altogether. However, this is almost impossible to do. Why? Because if it is internal, you cannot always completely avoid your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. Much of these are out of our control.
However, we can take some steps to avoid external triggers by managing our environment by avoiding some people or places. But honestly, we cannot control everything that happens to us. For example, you might inadvertently come into contact with a news story or conversation that reminds you of your traumatic event.3
Because we often cannot avoid triggers, it is important to learn ways of coping with triggers. Effective, healthy coping strategies for lessening the impact of triggers include:2
- Deep breathing
- Expressive writing
- Grounding
- Mindfulness
- Relaxation
- Self-soothing
- Social support
The more strategies you have available to you, the better off you will be in managing your triggers. In addition, the more coping strategies you have, the more likely you will be able to prevent the development of unhealthy coping strategies, such as alcohol and drug use.
Further, simply being more aware of your triggers can be beneficial. As a result of this increased awareness, your emotional reactions may begin to feel more understandable, valid, predictable, and less out of control. This can definitely positively impact your mood and overall well-being.2
Some of the treatment options for managing PTSD triggers include:
· Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
· Prolonged exposure therapy
· Group therapy
· Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
· Medication
· Family therapy
Final thought
If someone is suffering from PTSD, it is necessary to increase the awareness of triggers, But sometimes it may cause distress as people may get triggered by trying to identify the cause. So, before you identify the PTSD trigger, make sure you have a safety plan in hand to handle the distress.