Activity
When you feel ready to begin…
Get present:
– Take a few deep breaths in and out your nose.
– You should not engage in this practice if you are presently triggered.
Now that are you present, let’s begin…
- Review a bit about triggers:
- A trigger is your body’s perception of danger in your environment. Triggers can respond to our physical, or emotional state. It may be something we have felt in the past, a pit in our stomach, a feeling of fear. Triggers can be people, places, sounds, smells or images. Some triggers feel like they are coming from inside of us as thoughts and sensations. Triggers might arise when we encounter a familiar situation, or what we perceive as a familiar situation. A trigger is not rational, it will apply old logic to new problems. Triggers are also unique to the individual should never be compared or minimized. While it is not always possible to avoid being triggered, you can learn how to manage your reactivity to the trigger.
- Take a moment to explore a trigger moment for you.
- With this exercise, you will be exploring a particular moment that you were triggered and your body’s response. Please choose an incident (or incidents) that feels manageable for you to explore safely.
- Fold the sheet of paper in half lengthwise.
- One the left side, list the trigger(s) and on the right side you record your nervous system responses. You can do this for one particular trigger moment, or move through a few moments and notice how you respond(ed) in each situation.
Example:
Trigger: Someone makes a joke about sexual violence. Bodily Response: My heart rate increased, I felt sick to my stomach, and I felt like I wanted to run away.
Trigger: The smell of a food you once enjoyed. Bodily Response: My shoulders get heavy and my stomach starts to turn.
- Naming and noticing your triggers can help you manage the intensity of triggers. The more familiar you are with the bodily sensations connected to your trigger the sooner you can address the trigger. Be patient in your exploration of your bodily noticing, sometimes it takes time to connect with sensations in the body.
