Nowadays, the word ‘triggered’ is routinely used in the real world and online. When someone has been triggered, it is likely to mean that something or someone has reminded them of something that took place in their past.

It doesn’t stop there, though, as they will have been reminded of something that is anything but pleasurable. What triggered them might have been fairly innocuous but it will still have elicited a negative reaction from them.

A Natural Response

So when someone is triggered, it can be normal for them to do something about the trigger or to get away from it. One will have experienced pain and they will do what they can to mitigate the pain.

However, while this approach may allow them to settle down again, what it probably won’t do is empower them. The reason for this is that they won’t be facing what is going on; they will be avoiding it.

No Alternative

Now, it could seem as though this is the only thing that can and even should take place. After all, why would someone want to face something that would cause them to experience pain?

This can sound accurate, yet it will only sound right if one believes that being triggered is something that is wholly negative. Of course, there is no point in one going out of their way to be triggered, but that doesn’t mean that one should do everything that they can not to be triggered.

A Closer Look

One way to look at being triggered is to say that it just causes someone to experience pain, pain that won’t serve them. Another way to look at this would be to say that this will allow then to become aware of an important part of themselves and that there are times when facing this pain will actually serve them.

When one experiences something that is traumatic, they will end up disconnecting from a part of themselves, and this part will be brought up to the surface when they are triggered by something. What this means is that unless they reintegrate the part that has been split-off, they won’t be able to operate as a whole human being.

A New Outlook

If one embraces and works through what comes up when they are triggered, it will enable them to become stronger. By taking this approach, what is triggered inside them won’t control them and neither will they have the need to control what other people say and do.

Not only will one benefit from taking this approach, the people around them and society as a whole will also benefit. This is something that will take courage and one may even need to reach out for external support.

Final Thoughts

If one does need external support, they may need to work with a therapist or a healer. Some of the wounds that they need to work through may relate to what has taken place in their adult years, while other wounds may relate to what occurred during their early years.

Author's Bio: 

Teacher, prolific writer, author, and consultant, Oliver JR Cooper, hails from England. His insightful commentary and analysis covers all aspects of human transformation, including love, partnership, self-love, and inner awareness. With over two thousand, two hundred in-depth articles highlighting human psychology and behaviour, Oliver offers hope along with his sound advice.