Trigger Mapping
There are two types of triggers, big T and little t triggers, similar to trauma. When we’re big T triggered, we get that flood of emotion and stress response that puts us in Flight, Fight, Freeze, Fawn mode. When we’re little t triggered we perform a response to a stimulus that is autonomic, meaning involuntary or unconscious. We go into a patterned response, and that response is informed by whatever emotional state we get triggered into.
You mentioned weight issues developed as a response to emotional dysregulation. For this practice you can choose to work with emotions that are current triggers for you.
For example, I have a client, we’ll call her Tia, who has a history of intense critical self-talk as an internalized response from being bullied as a kid.
Repetition teaches the brain what to believe.
So Tia has an internalized pattern of critical self talk that now shows up when her insecurity gets activated, in this case, when she’s having sex with a beautiful, enthusiastic, and willing partner.
Her fear is that somehow her partners are going to find out that she’s ugly, disgusting, and not worthy of the relationship.
Needless to say, that kind of thinking gets in the way of her ability to feel pleasure and confidence.
Right now, I want you to consider and write down in your notebook or journal some of the ways that little t traumas show up in your life that block you from believing what you want to believe or feeling the way you want to feel or acting in a way that feels empowered and aligned with your vision of your better self.
This can be around whatever feels most potent right now.
What triggers you? What are your common responses? What emotions does that bring up? What core belief does this associate to?
How do your daily beliefs/patterns/habits contribute to your triggers?
What is your current narrative? What is it costing you to believe this?
How does it show up and hold you back in different areas of your life?
If you’re able to discern it, what is the core belief or need that your trigger is asking for?
So this is the one of the crucial pieces that’s missing from every article I’ve ever read on managing emotional triggers and I honestly believe it’s the most important step – more so than even understanding and identifying your trigger responses.
We need to know where we want to go. Without a target, you’ll always miss.
How do you want to feel? What do you want to believe? How do you want to respond? What is your desired narrative about what your trigger is telling you?
Use this map as an aide to your deep programming work.
