PTSD triggers are anything that reminds a person who has PTSD of a traumatic event and they are triggered as a result of that reminder.
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is a terms which describes a set of symptoms which can sometimes be experienced four weeks or more after an event which is interpreted by the mind and body as overwhelming. Trauma symptoms might be experienced immediately or soon after an event but when they go on for longer than four weeks they are classified as PTSD symptoms.
PTSD symptoms are separated into distinct categories. These are:
- Intrusion symptoms
- Persistent avoidance
- Negative Alterations in Cognitions and Moods
- Alterations in arousal and reactivity
PTSD triggers are part of the 'Intrusion symptoms' a person could experience.
PTSD triggers are anything in every day life which reminds us of the traumatic event and triggers us. Triggers could be a smell, sound, taste, situation, word or something we see.
Resulting symptoms might include psychological, behavioural or somatic reactions to the triggering. These PTSD symptoms are a sign of maladaptive coping. A person is still trying to keep themselves safe after the danger has passed.
When triggered a person with PTSD is re-living their scary experience in the present to a greater or lesser degree.
What is a PTSD trigger?
A PTSD trigger or cue is anything which reminds us of a traumatic event or something related to that traumatic event. When a person is triggered they experience intrusion symptoms which can be, behavioural, psychological and somatic. A trigger could the smell of a type of food, that they experienced at the time of the traumatic event. e.g. the smell of fresh doughnuts.
Examples of PTSD Triggers
PTSD triggers remind a person of the traumatic incident or incidents which they experienced. Examples therefore differ from person to person. Examples of PTSD triggers might include:
Smell: A specific smell can trigger trauma symptoms. For example if you experienced abuse by someone wearing a particular type of aftershave when you smell this type of aftershave again it could trigger traumatic symptoms.
Sounds: Hearing a sound which is similar to one associated with trauma can be triggering. An example might be a car backfiring. If you experienced trauma from combat a car backfiring might sound similar to a gun or military weapon. Being spoken to in a particular way with a particular tone can bring back trauma symptoms.
Situation: If you experienced repetitive trauma at a particular time of the day for example when the sun was going down this time of day can trigger trauma symptoms. If you experienced trauma in a busy place with lots of people entering a similar environment can trigger PTSD symptoms.
Taste: Eating or drinking something that you consumed at the time of a traumatic event can remind you of a traumatic event.
Words: Specific words or combinations of words can cue trauma type symptoms.
Media: We live in a media saturated world where we have access to hundreds of different types of media. Watching a news article where someone experiences a similar trauma to our own can trigger symptoms.
What happens when a person is triggered?
Trigger example:
A person experiences a shooting in a shopping centre. The experience was particularly traumatic and the person develops PTSD symptoms because they feared for their life and still feels unsafe.
They go shopping a few weeks after the event. They smell fresh doughnuts being cooked. This was the same smell they experienced at the time of the shooting incident.
They get triggered. The trigger or PTSD cue is 'the smell of doughnuts.'
Intrusion symptoms result.
Intrusive memories: They experience sound flashbacks of the sound of the gun going off.
Physiological intrusion symptoms: They feel dizzy and feel like they can't breathe.
Emotional intrusion symptoms: The person experiences intense fear.
Avoidance behaviour: The person stops going shopping and eventually stops going out of their apartment.
PTSD symptoms might be experienced differently by different people. Two people who experience the same thing might have different trauma or PTSD symptoms. One person might feel traumatised when the other is not and they might experience a difference in severity of symptoms.
How do we develop PTSD triggers?
Trauma memories are encoded sensorially, not linguistically. This means that they are encoded through the senses. What does this mean? When we experience a trauma our brain attaches sensory experiences to the trauma memory. This means that when we experience a similar sensory stimulus again it can trigger PTSD symptoms. When we experience a similar sensory stimulus to one we experienced at the time of the trauma our brain tells our body that we are in danger. It is telling the body to mobilise the resources needed to either fight or flee the danger. PTSD triggers can include anything we experience through the senses of sight, smell, touch or taste. They might also include anything that reminds you of the trauma.
What can you do about PTSD symptoms and PTSD triggers?
It is normal to experience trauma symptoms after a traumatic event. If they still persist a month after a traumatic event it is important to seek professional help. You might be experiencing PTSD symptoms. This is just a sign your mind and body is struggling to integrate the trauma and what has happened. You just need a little help to do this.
The leading evidence based treatment for PTSD is EMDR therapy.