WHAT IS A TRIGGER?
A trigger is a reminder of a past trauma. This reminder can cause a person to feel overwhelming sadness, anxiety, or panic. It may also cause someone to have flashbacks. A flashback is a vivid, often negative memory that may appear without warning. It can cause someone to lose track of their surroundings and “relive” a traumatic event. Triggers can take many forms. They may be a physical location or the anniversary of the traumatic event. A person could also be triggered by internal processes such as stress and external process such as changes in their facial expression.
As an Intern I got the chance to explore on my thoughts and emotions during counseling session, I experienced trigger during case presentation, I tried to journal my thought, emotions about that trigger which helped me in channeling my emotions in better manner. Experiencing trigger is common in the initial period of training as a counselor but meanwhile you should learn how to overcome or deal with those triggers in appropriate direction without affecting in your daily lives. During the internship program I researched on triggers experienced by the therapists/ beginner and how to tackle with those emotions in proper manner. Therapist mostly undergo many negative cases and sometime which may affect and trigger some past events too. So to overcome such emotions, experiences there are some various techniques to avoid such blockage in the counseling session or after counseling session. Following are some list of coping skills which I came across while doing the study.
4 ways To Cope & Be Effective:
As a counselor, social worker, mental health experts who occasionally experiences some reactions or counter transference when dealing with a particular client/ case? Would you like to look after some tools which may help you avoid getting triggered while in session ?
Lisa Schwarz, M.Ed. and Ron Schwenkler L.M.F.T., L.P.C. provided a valuable training on "When the therapist gets triggered" at the the 2014 Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. Schwarz developed the Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM) which helps you to release traumatic material from the nervous system. This, in turn, enables you to not be triggered or dissociated when working with clients.
Why Do We Get Triggered?
As per Schwarz, we have all experienced to one degree or another attachment disruptions due to the fact that our parents have all experienced some degree of attachment disruptions.
When you come across a client who triggers you, Observe:
What emotions/thoughts you experience in your mind?
1. Which of these thoughts are you having that are connected to the four above survival terrors?
Regardless of what issue a person is bringing/discussing with you, it manifests itself in one of these four survival terrors.
Schwarz explains that our normal mode of operation is to step away from anything that reminds us of these survival terrors. Survival terrors are kindled by conducting therapy.
You want to be able to step in and be fully present with your clients when they are sharing their most painful experiences. This is what enables our clients to be fully present with us.
There are the little truths of your life (the sources of your woundedness) and the BIG Truths of your life (the sources of joy).
2. The Little Truths of Your Life (Sources of Woundedness)
§ What happened
§ What didn’t happen that should have
§ The grief of not having the parents you wished you had
§ Experience and consequences of being attached to a perpetrator (loosely defined)
§ How has your life been shaped, limited or influenced by the above?
3. The BIG Truths of Your Life (Sources of Joy But Only Accessible After Little Ts Are Healed)
§ What is the light in you wanting to express?
§ What is your soul path, essence or life purpose?
§ What has gotten in your way and taken you off your path? (traumas, disruptions but how do those obstacles become your teachers)
§
4. Are You Being Triggered By a Client?
Some of the typical indications that you may be feeling when triggered and/or dissociating are:
§ Holding your breath/sighing
§ Heart rate increase
§ Sweating (hands, feet, armpit, forehead, back or butt)
§ Muscle tightening (hands, feet, shoulders, butt or stomach)
Some healthy coping strategies for lessening the impact of triggers are:
1. Deep breathing.
2. Keep a journal.
3. Exercise.
4. Mindfulness meditation.
5. Calling on your social support.
About Self-Doubt
It’s normal to experience feelings of doubt when we are faced with new or challenging situations. Self-doubt is characterized by feelings of uncertainty regarding one or more aspects of the self. It is something that we all may experience at certain times in our lives. However, when it becomes debilitating for us, that’s when we may need more tools to overcome self-doubt.
Self-doubt may stem from previous negative experiences or from attachment style issues. Those with insecure attachments may have experience being criticized, that can contribute to self-doubt later in life. If someone has been told in the past that they’re “not good enough” or incapable of something, then this can have a large negative effect on their self-worth. We also have a deep societal pressure to achieve, which can be more harmful than motivating for us.
If persistent self-doubt is not addressed, it can lead to:
Anxiety
Depression
Procrastination or lack of motivation
Emotional instability
Low self-esteem
Difficulty making decisions
How to Overcome Self-Doubt?
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