I'm not sure which forum this should go in since I really don't have a serious issue I need to get advice on, butI was wondering what exaclty is it like to be triggered?
I'm always careful when I post content so that people will have warning in case it does trigger something (especially since so many people here are triggered incredibly easy), but I've just kind of realized I don't actually know what it would be like...
Back in November my friend had texted me in the night threatening to take his life and, long story short, I ended up believing he had already swallowed the bottle of narcotics he had after he refused to reply or answer the calls. I still kept sending text after text though and calling all night long until he finally answered a text after like 8 hours of me being completely distraught. He was so close to taking his life and would have been gone if I had happened to be asleep when he sent the text...
About a month and a half after that I was constantly on edge. When a friend would jokingly say "kill me now" or "shoot me" or any innocent comment like that I'd start shaking and lose my breath... I'd panic and remember almost losing him... and have to calm myself down before anyone noticed...
different people will explain what it feels like for them to be triggered in different ways. what may be "normal" for one person, may not be for another. for myself, being triggered means something has kicked up whatever it is that im struggling with at the moment.
-edit-
say like, flashbacks of a certain thing, i'd be triggered if someone else had been talking about flashbacks in detail, as it'd trigger them off.. if that makes any sense?
Last edited by Emmabob. : 11-06-2011 at 02:13 AM.
Reason: explaining.
Yeah, it's different from one person to another, and even from one situation to another. Emmabob sums it up pretty well, I think. It's basically something (an event, a sight, some comment, even a meaningful smell) that causes your thoughts to turn back onto whatever is troubling you.
Also, just to say.... I'm sorry that you had to go through that. It's fantastic to support your friend, and what you did was amazing, but I just wanted to say that it's also all right to look out for yourself, by calling someone physically closer to him, or better yet, any professional support group if he has one, to back you up in a situation like that. That's horrendous to have to deal with on your own, because there's so little you can do.
I don't get triggered easily but when things are crap generally the thoughts etc. are there but I may read a post which kind of accentuates the bad thoughts.
Stupidly it can be something completely random or something very graphic but it just resonates with me.
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^ Like Cam said, I don't get triggered easily either. But what triggers a person differs from person to person and the thoughts and how you feel varies between people as well.
DILLIGAF
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Im not easily triggered by a single comment but more by a whole series of events (the straw that breaks the camels back I guess). Its hard to explain how it feels but I guess the best way to put it is that I start to feel physically and emotionally heavy and all my thoughts revolve around one thing (although they dont always necessarily follow a logical order) and I become very distant, like i wont even hear people talking to me...im almost trapped inside my own head, but thats the best I can describe it....but like the others have said, it varies from person to person.
You did a wonderful thing though, you're an amazing friend. I hope you feel more at ease soon
Yeah, it's different from one person to another, and even from one situation to another. Emmabob sums it up pretty well, I think. It's basically something (an event, a sight, some comment, even a meaningful smell) that causes your thoughts to turn back onto whatever is troubling you.
I agree with the above. I was once on a bus and someone had a ringtone of a song, which triggered me!!
That was bad, because I couldnt walk away and due to the fact I was on a bus, couldnt distract myself easily either.
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Like others have said, the experience of being triggered varies from person to person. When I am triggered, my thoughts revolve around SI, and I may get images of hurting myself, but not always. I also become very agitated, have difficulty concentrating, etc. Like another person said, I feel very emotionally heavy, like I am going to explode. My skin may tingle in the area where I want to cut.
I don't get triggered easily, but when I do it's a tough feeling to shake.
It can be a million things I think, and different for every person.
I used to get really triggered when a particular person I loved talked about their problems ... not so much how they felt bad, but how many meds they took, their diagnosis, etc.
Reading about my own diagnosis (bipolar) used to really set me off too.
Hearing someone else talk about cutting can sometimes make me want to as well, although not usually.
Then just bad days, fights with friends or family, bad grades etc can make me feel bad, which makes me more likely to think about hurting myself or actually do it.
Also I would call this a form of triggering although it's not the same, but certain things trigger destructive behavior when I'm manic, such as too many people, small children who annoy me, messy rooms, noises, etc.
Basically anything that makes you feel worse, leads to a decline in your mental health and makes you more likely to think about or perform dangerous acts such as an overdose, cutting, suicide, drugs or alcohol, etc would be considered a trigger
The smell of particularly greasy fried food triggers me. I start to panic and sometimes it makes me physically sick. I tend to associate being triggered with strong physical or emotional reactions.
Being triggered to me feels like I'm being completely overwhelmed by all of the things in life that get to me, to the point where thoughts of harming myself come to mind. Certain songs trigger me, being told I have to eat certain foods triggers me, having plans changed suddenly triggers me. And apparently thinking about triggers triggers me :S
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