Anyone involved with chemical dependency is all too familiar with triggers. These are the little programs in the brain that respond when certain stimuli are presented. Any of the one or combination of the senses can trigger the desire to use. Sights, sounds, tastes, smells and even the feel of an object can provoke the impulse to take that first drink.
(Please note: Details have been changed to protect individual's confidentiality)
But triggers aren't limited to the chemically dependent. A woman I once worked with suddenly became depressed, hyper vigilant and defensive for no observable reason. When asked she said she heard someone walking downing the hall outside. The footsteps sounded just like her ex-husband's when he'd come home drunk and violent. It took quite a bit of the session to get past her belief that the person who walked by (who happened to be a very nice therapist) wasn't an abusive alcoholic. The little program in her brain had been triggered and the response became her reality.
In another situation an enraged father called, swearing his daughter had returned to use. When asked what had happened to raise his suspicions he blurted out, "She slept until 10:30 and was almost late for her job." While that's hardly an indicator of drug use, it was enough to trigger his suspicion program which triggered his frustration program which was enough to put him into a complete, over the top rage.
Both of these situations underscore the problem with emotional triggers. When these occur the stimulus causes the person to enter a fight or flight response. A key component to this is a semi-psychotic state of mind in which the higher mental functions become impaired and the more primitive parts of the mind take over. The person is quite literally unable to consider the problem rationally and responds to it emotionally. That response does little more than alienate those around him.
To recover from triggers first requires understanding that the problem isn't the person but the trigger. Did someone or some situation in the past create the trigger? Yep! Can we go back in the past and stop that from happening? Nope! Can we make that person change so we're no longer triggered? Nope! But that's not fair! Yep! The trigger is in our mind, it is our problem. Change occurs from learning to stop ourselves from reacting to the trigger and consider the reality of the here and now. That requires having a healthy support system of people we trust to provide reality checks. That requires safe places to process through the events of our lives to develop our own insights. The payoff of this work is a life that isn't thrown off track by our anger and fear.
Over the next month consider what triggers you emotionally and what support you have for chance.
Have a great day.
John
(Please note: Details have been changed to protect individual's confidentiality)
But triggers aren't limited to the chemically dependent. A woman I once worked with suddenly became depressed, hyper vigilant and defensive for no observable reason. When asked she said she heard someone walking downing the hall outside. The footsteps sounded just like her ex-husband's when he'd come home drunk and violent. It took quite a bit of the session to get past her belief that the person who walked by (who happened to be a very nice therapist) wasn't an abusive alcoholic. The little program in her brain had been triggered and the response became her reality.
In another situation an enraged father called, swearing his daughter had returned to use. When asked what had happened to raise his suspicions he blurted out, "She slept until 10:30 and was almost late for her job." While that's hardly an indicator of drug use, it was enough to trigger his suspicion program which triggered his frustration program which was enough to put him into a complete, over the top rage.
Both of these situations underscore the problem with emotional triggers. When these occur the stimulus causes the person to enter a fight or flight response. A key component to this is a semi-psychotic state of mind in which the higher mental functions become impaired and the more primitive parts of the mind take over. The person is quite literally unable to consider the problem rationally and responds to it emotionally. That response does little more than alienate those around him.
To recover from triggers first requires understanding that the problem isn't the person but the trigger. Did someone or some situation in the past create the trigger? Yep! Can we go back in the past and stop that from happening? Nope! Can we make that person change so we're no longer triggered? Nope! But that's not fair! Yep! The trigger is in our mind, it is our problem. Change occurs from learning to stop ourselves from reacting to the trigger and consider the reality of the here and now. That requires having a healthy support system of people we trust to provide reality checks. That requires safe places to process through the events of our lives to develop our own insights. The payoff of this work is a life that isn't thrown off track by our anger and fear.
Over the next month consider what triggers you emotionally and what support you have for chance.
Have a great day.
John
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