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What strategies can help me reduce triggers? · Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor

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  SPEAKER_00: So when we talk about trauma triggers, it's important to understand that the goal isn't to eliminate triggers completely.
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  SPEAKER_00: Triggers are reminders of past experiences and for many people they might still occur from time to time.
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  SPEAKER_00: Instead, recovery is about reducing our sensitivity to these triggers so they no longer have the same intensity or control over our lives.
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  SPEAKER_00: One of the most effective ways to reduce trigger sensitivity is through developing awareness, learning to recognise the activation point, whether that's a particular sound, smell, situation, or interaction, helps us move from reacting automatically to responding with intention.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is because when we're experiencing a trigger, our nervous system is reacting to a threat, so we're grounding ourselves out of the threat.
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  SPEAKER_00: Grounding techniques are also a powerful strategy.
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  SPEAKER_00: When someone is triggered, the nervous system, as we've just said, is responding through danger.
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  SPEAKER_00: So grounding exercises such as noticing five things you can see, focusing on box breathing or feeling your feet firmly on the floor, help remind the brain and body that you're safe in the present moment.
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  SPEAKER_00: Regulating the nervous system over time is equally important.
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  SPEAKER_00: Regular self-care practices such as good sleep, physical activity, and connecting with supportive people can all help in building resilience and capacity outside of those experiences.
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  SPEAKER_00: A calmer nervous system is generally less reactive when reminders of past trauma arise.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's not because they make the trauma vanish or disappear, it's because we're breaking the cycle of reactivity.
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  SPEAKER_00: Therapy, of course, also plays a significant role.
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  SPEAKER_00: Trauma-informed approaches such as CBT, EMDR, somatic therapies or other evidence-based interventions can help the brain process traumatic memories so they become less overwhelming.
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  SPEAKER_00: Healing doesn't mean forgetting what happened or invalidating it, it means remembering it without feeling as though you're reliving it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Healthy boundaries, of course, are another protective factor because the processing of triggers does take a lot of capacity.
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  SPEAKER_00: Reducing exposure to unsafe people or environments, if that is possible, and creating relationships where you can feel respected and supported and have your needs met can significantly decrease ongoing activation of the stress response.
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  SPEAKER_00: Finally, it's important to remember self compassion.
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  SPEAKER_00: Healing from trauma is very rarely linear.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some days triggers feel stronger, and that doesn't mean you've gone backwards, it means you might have less capacity on those days.
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  SPEAKER_00: Every time you respond to a trigger with awareness or grounding, you're pushing yourself towards breaking that cycle.