In this episode of the Recovery Rebirth Podcast, we discuss a fairly ubiquitous term–triggers. In the world of addiction & recovery, triggers can cause us to relapse & fall back in our addictive behaviors. Triggers are also discussed in psychology, especially when treating PTSD.  A trigger can be defined as something that causes an unexpected emotional response.  

Jilian explores her triggers, which are rooted in her fears of abandonment & rejection stemming from her relationship with her mother. These fears manifest as codependency, people pleasing, and love addiction among other behaviors when she’s triggered.  

Dom delves into his fears of financial insecurity borne out of his childhood experience of observing his parents wrestle fears of financial scarcity.  He observes that even when things are going well money-wise, the old fears of scarcity can resurface.

Sometimes the thought that something could go wrong is enough to trigger our fears & the cascade of maladaptive coping mechanisms we’ve developed. When triggered, we experience four trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. When in this state, our amygdala (brain’s fear center) is activated & our prefrontal cortex (center of reasoning) goes offline & we feel helpless or out of control. We talk about how certain songs or smells can trigger painful memories. We also ponder the perspective that “triggers are our teachers”.   

We discuss techniques & tools to calm ourselves when triggered such as grounding ourselves in the moment. Repeating the Serenity Prayer can be a powerful tool, especially focusing on the things we can change. Meditation, visualizations, and journaling are other tactics to overcome triggers. Reminding ourselves that “It’s not happening now” when painful memories come flooding back can re-center us. We touch on Dr. Joe Dispenza & Brendon Burchard’s approaches to creating a new vision for the future since triggers are  tied to our past.

We hope you will hear something in this episode that will help you navigate triggers & transform them into learning opportunities rather than being paralyzed by fears. Please see resources below for additional information.

Resources

https://psychcentral.com/addictions/5-tips-for-managing-triggers-during-addiction-recovery

https://www.betterup.com/blog/triggers

https://www.verywellmind.com/ptsd-triggers-and-coping-strategies-2797557

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/fight-flight-freeze-fawn

https://www.valentaonline.com/trauma-response-fight-flight-freeze-fawn/

https://drjoedispenza.com/

https://brendon.com/

Recovery Rebirth Episodes on Trauma Recovery  

https://www.vivacityventures.com/trauma-part-1-of-3/

https://www.vivacityventures.com/trauma-part-2-of-3/

https://www.vivacityventures.com/trauma-part-3-of-3/