"Why Triggering Happens": Understanding Trauma Triggers

Being “triggered” has become a common phrase in our culture, but many survivors experience triggers in ways that feel confusing, overwhelming, or even shameful. Here’s the truth:

A trigger is not a weakness. A trigger is a memory inside the body.

Triggers happen when your nervous system reacts to something that reminds it — consciously or unconsciously — of danger from the past. It might be:

A smell. A tone of voice. A look. A sound. A certain type of person. A memory. A place. A season. Even a silence.

A trigger is your body saying:

“This feels like before. I need to protect you again.”

You are not dramatic. You are not “doing too much.” You are not overreacting.

You are remembering — through sensation, not thought.

What Exactly Is a Trigger?

A trigger is anything that cues the nervous system to shift into a survival state: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

Triggers can be:

External

Things outside your body, such as:

Yelling
Crowds
Sexual situations
Being touched unexpectedly
Police sirens
Slamming doors
Hospitals
Being ignored
Seeing someone who resembles a past abuser

Internal

Things happening inside your body, such as:

Increased heart rate
Sudden emotion
Pain
Certain bodily sensations
Loneliness
Fatigue
Hunger

For trauma survivors, a body sensation that once signaled danger can still activate the alarm system today.

This is not overreacting — this is conditioning (Van der Kolk, 2014).

Why Triggers Feel So Automatic

Triggers are fast because they bypass the thinking part of your brain (the prefrontal cortex) and activate the amygdala — the alarm center — within milliseconds (Rauch et al., 2006).

This means:

You can be triggered without knowing why
Your reaction can feel “bigger” than the moment
Your body responds before your mind understands
You cannot logic your way out of a trigger

This is biology, not willpower.

When something reminds your body of past trauma, the nervous system says:

“We’ve been here before. Prepare.”

Common Trauma Triggers

Some triggers are nearly universal among trauma survivors. Others are deeply personal.

For survivors of childhood trauma:

Yelling
Being dismissed
Being ignored
Sudden anger from someone else
Feeling trapped
Feeling powerless
Being watched

For survivors of sexual trauma:

Certain touches
Sexual images or sounds
Loss of privacy
Someone standing too close
Being pressured
Nighttime or darkness

For survivors of racial trauma:

Police presence
Stereotyping
Being followed in stores
Being talked down to
Medical settings
Schools or workplaces where harm occurred

For survivors of domestic violence:

Tone changes
Someone slamming something
Sudden movements
Feeling criticized
Someone “checking” your location

For survivors of historical and land-based trauma:

Forests, rivers, or territories tied to past violence
Community tensions
Family separation
Stories of historical harm
Places where ancestors suffered

Triggers reflect the world your body had to survive, not the world you live in today.

Why Triggers Can Feel Embarrassing

Many survivors say:

“I shouldn’t be reacting this strongly.”
“I don’t know why this bothers me so much.”
“Other people handle this fine.”
“I feel childish.”
“I feel ashamed.”

But here is the truth:

Your reaction is not to the present moment — your reaction is to the past living inside your body.

Your body remembers pain your mind may have forgotten.

Your reaction is not immature — it is the intelligent response of a system designed to protect you.

How Triggering Affects the Body

When triggered, the nervous system activates the survival response:

Fight

Anger, irritability, defensiveness, wanting to confront.

Flight

Anxiety, restlessness, the urge to leave or escape.

Freeze

Shutting down, going quiet, feeling numb or detached.

Fawn

People-pleasing, apologizing excessively, trying to keep the peace.

None of these are choices — they are automatic survival reflexes.

Triggers in Black and Indigenous Communities

Triggers in marginalized communities often reflect both personal trauma and generational trauma.

Examples include:

Hearing police sirens
Driving through certain neighborhoods
Being the only person of color in a room
Hearing slurs
Witnessing microaggressions
Being questioned about belonging
Medical settings
Family conflict shaped by historical trauma
Seeing land or water contaminated or harmed
Images of enslaved people or boarding school children

The nervous system remembers community danger just as much as personal danger (Brave Heart, 2003).

Your body may be reacting not only for you — but for those who came before you.

Can Triggers Be Healed?

Yes. Healing triggers does not mean you never feel activated again. It means your body learns to recognize:

“This reminds me of danger, but I am safe enough right now.”

The goal is not elimination — it is regulation.

At Little River Psychological Services, healing triggers involves:

Understanding Your Triggers Without Judgment

Compassion replaces shame. Awareness replaces confusion. Naming replaces chaos.

Grounding and Somatic Practices

These help teach your nervous system to return to safety:

Deep breathing
Touching something cold or warm
Naming colors and objects in the room
Feeling your feet on the floor
Slow stretching
Body scanning
Placing a hand on your chest or stomach
Drinking water

Trauma Processing (when appropriate)

In a safe therapeutic relationship — not alone — we can gently address the root of the trigger through:

EMDR
Narrative exposure
Somatic trauma work
Parts work
Dream-based healing

This helps the brain update old memories.

Cultural + Land-Based Healing

Black and Indigenous clients often regulate through:

Water rituals
Prayer and meditation
Talking circles
Drumming
Dance
Returning to ancestral land
Connecting with elders
Ceremony
Storywork

These practices settle the nervous system in ways Western models cannot capture.

Strengthening Safety in Relationships

Triggers soften when the body learns that safe relationships can exist.

Regulation happens through connection.

You do not have to handle triggers alone.

If You Are Triggered and Need Help

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME or CONNECT to 741741
Native Text Line: Text NATIVE to 741741
BlackLine: Call/text 1-800-604-5841
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call/text 988
IHS Suicide Prevention: https://www.ihs.gov/suicideprevention

Your body deserves safety, clarity, and support.

References

Brave Heart, M. Y. H. (2003). The historical trauma response among Natives and its relationship with substance abuse. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 35(1), 7–13.

Rauch, S. L., Shin, L. M., & Phelps, E. A. (2006). Neurocircuitry models of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 29(1), 1–23.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach.

Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

Williams, D. R., Lawrence, J. A., & Davis, B. A. (2019). Racism and health: Evidence and needed research. Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 105–125.

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