Trauma Trigger: What’s That?

You do not know me from a can of paint. If you come across this blog, thank you for reading. If you have lost someone you love, I’m sorry for your loss.

What is a trigger? In my words, a trigger is a reminder of past trauma. The reminder can cause a person to feel breathtaking sadness, panic, or anxiety.

I had not experienced a trigger in a very long time. Let me briefly explain. My husband was having a procedure done at the hospital where my sister died in 2018. I rehearsed going to the hospital in my mind and I assured myself it would be okay. The day came for the procedure. The check in went well for my husband then I was off to pick-up some needed paperwork from another area of the hospital. When I arrived to the records department, I filled out paperwork to retrieve the needed paperwork. The lady behind the glass said, “Have a seat. This will be about 7 minutes”. I moseyed over to an open space to have a seat. The area was full of people waiting on loved-ones having a procedure, records, or appointments.

That’s when it hit me, the anxiety! You know, the heart racing, breathing heavily. As I scanned the room, the table I selected was in the exact area where Dr. Pullen met with me and my brothers to pray with us for our sister, Rita. I smelled the same smell I previously smelled which was coffee, paper, and medicine. We can all that a flashback. A flashback can be described as a vivid memory that may appear without warning. Often it causes a person to “relive” a traumatic event. And that is absolutely what happened to me.

I quickly found a focal point which happed to be a gigantic clock located inside the office of the records assistant. I closed my eyes and began to breathe in, two, three, four, hold 4 seconds, breath out two, three, four. I repeated this process a few minutes, which seemed like forever until I heard my name being called. I think I leaped from the table and walked quickly to retrieve the paperwork. As I was walking back to the area where my husband was having his procedure, I realized I had just gotten through a “trigger” moment!

If you find yourself having a “trigger” moment, close your eyes, (IF you can) and began to breathe in two, three, four, hold 4 seconds, breath out two, three, four. Repeated this process a few minutes or until the anxiety passes.