Trauma trigger
Encyclopedia
A trauma trigger is an experience that triggers a traumatic memory
in someone who has experienced trauma
. A trigger is thus a troubling reminder of a traumatic event, although the trigger itself need not be frightening or traumatic.
Triggers can be quite diverse, appearing in the form of individual people, places, noises, images, smells, tastes, emotions, animals, films, scenes within films, dates of the year, tones of voice, body positions, bodily sensations, weather conditions, time factors, or combinations thereof. Triggers can be subtle and difficult to anticipate, and can sometimes exacerbate post-traumatic stress disorder
, a condition in which trauma survivors cannot control the recurrence of emotional or physical symptoms, or of repressed memory
. A trauma trigger may also be referred to as a trauma stimulus or a trauma stressor.
and other visual media represent an especially powerful form of trauma trigger. Because of the realistic portrayal of graphic violence in visual media, trauma survivors may encounter life-like trauma triggers while watching movies or television. Because trigger scenes can be difficult to anticipate they can be difficult for a trauma survivor to avoid; by the time the viewer is aware of the content of the scene, a traumatic memory may already be triggered.
websites, a trigger warning may appear at the beginning of certain articles. These are to warn that the articles contain disturbing, often rape
-related themes, which may trigger traumatic memories of abuse survivors.
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
in someone who has experienced trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
. A trigger is thus a troubling reminder of a traumatic event, although the trigger itself need not be frightening or traumatic.
Triggers can be quite diverse, appearing in the form of individual people, places, noises, images, smells, tastes, emotions, animals, films, scenes within films, dates of the year, tones of voice, body positions, bodily sensations, weather conditions, time factors, or combinations thereof. Triggers can be subtle and difficult to anticipate, and can sometimes exacerbate post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
, a condition in which trauma survivors cannot control the recurrence of emotional or physical symptoms, or of repressed memory
Repressed memory
Repressed memory is a hypothetical concept used to describe a significant memory, usually of a traumatic nature, that has become unavailable for recall; also called motivated forgetting in which a subject blocks out painful or traumatic times in one's life...
. A trauma trigger may also be referred to as a trauma stimulus or a trauma stressor.
Therapy
The first step in helping trauma survivors begin the healing process involves establishing a safe environment, in particular, an environment in which the survivor does not feel threatened with recurrence of the original trauma, and also feels safe from encountering situations that will trigger the memory of the original trauma. Because traumatic memories are stored differently in the brain, their recurrence is often difficult or impossible for the survivor to control. Creating a living condition in which a survivor feels protected from trauma and from people or situations that will trigger traumatic memory enables the survivor to begin the healing process, in which survivors integrate their dissociated traumatic experience into acknowledged memory and are able to reconnect with their surroundings.Visual media
FilmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and other visual media represent an especially powerful form of trauma trigger. Because of the realistic portrayal of graphic violence in visual media, trauma survivors may encounter life-like trauma triggers while watching movies or television. Because trigger scenes can be difficult to anticipate they can be difficult for a trauma survivor to avoid; by the time the viewer is aware of the content of the scene, a traumatic memory may already be triggered.
Trigger warning
In some publications, most notably feministFeminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
websites, a trigger warning may appear at the beginning of certain articles. These are to warn that the articles contain disturbing, often rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
-related themes, which may trigger traumatic memories of abuse survivors.
See also
- Flashback (psychological phenomenon)Flashback (psychological phenomenon)A flashback, or involuntary recurrent memory, is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual has a sudden, usually powerful, re-experiencing of a past experience or elements of a past experience. These experiences can be happy, sad, exciting, or any other emotion one can consider...
- TraumaPsychological traumaPsychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Acute stress reactionAcute stress reactionAcute stress reaction is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event...
- Glossary of trauma terms
- Emotional dysregulationEmotional dysregulationEmotional dysregulation is a term used in the mental health community to refer to an emotional response that is poorly modulated, and does not fall within the conventionally accepted range of emotive response...
- Survivor syndrome
- Repressed memoryRepressed memoryRepressed memory is a hypothetical concept used to describe a significant memory, usually of a traumatic nature, that has become unavailable for recall; also called motivated forgetting in which a subject blocks out painful or traumatic times in one's life...