Process Triggers to Heal Emotional Wounds

When you are triggered into anger, fear, judgment, anxiousness, sadness, or any other emotion, that trigger serves two very important purposes. One, it’s an opportunity to address a wound you have been avoiding or ignoring, and two, it’s an opportunity to become a more whole you.

A trigger is an S.O.S., a cry for attention, an alert that an emotional need within you has not been met. The burden is on you and on no one else to meet that need.

Being triggered is a gift if you choose to accept it, and until you do, it will keep coming up.

When you are triggered, a quick reaction is normal, but first, begin practicing noticing. Noticing means bringing to your awareness the rising emotion, the sensations in your body, and the thoughts that spring to mind.

Identify what was said or done that manifested the trigger. Identify the need within you that was not being met at the time. Perhaps you felt abandoned, unappreciated, undermined, or disrespected.

Whatever is lacking within you is up to you to provide, bolster, and solidify. When you rely on others to provide you with your value and worth, you are telling yourself, “I have no value, and I am unworthy.” This creates a vibration around you that attracts experiences that either support that belief or you actively work to sabotage experiences that attempt to negate that belief.