PTSD Triggers Years Later: What To Do When You Are Triggered

PTSD Triggers Years Later: what to do when you are triggered

Navigating the aftermath of trauma is a tricky journey that often resembles a winding road, filled with unexpected turns and occasional setbacks. PTSD triggers years later can still cause us to have trouble in our life and experience an uptick in trauma symptoms. Many of us struggle with what to do when you are triggered.

For many, the initial stages of healing may seem promising, yet the reality is that anxiety and other trauma symptoms can resurface unexpectedly, reminding us of the scars left behind. 

These relapses can evoke feelings of frustration and hopelessness, as we grapple with the notion that healing is not always linear. 

I, personally, had a relapse of intense anxiety and panic, which prompted me to take a step back to focus on taking care of myself. I’d like to share a bit about that experience here and what to do when you are triggered.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the intricacies of these relapses, understanding their triggers, and discussing practical strategies to help manage these symptoms as we continue on the path to recovery.

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Dealing with Trauma Triggers: How I survived falling apart

Over the past year, I noticed dealing with trauma triggers meant a significant amount of stress accumulating due to various life challenges, including personal and professional-related issues. This stress of dealing with trauma triggers gradually intensified as time went on.

I may not have adequately managed or coped with the stress as it continued to accumulate throughout the year. By the time the holidays arrived—a naturally stressful period for many—I felt increasingly overwhelmed dealing with trauma triggers. 

I was particularly troubled by numerous issues that were beyond my control and were causing significant challenges in my life. These were problems I hadn't created myself, and I realized I couldn't solve them on my own.

I became extremely overwhelmed and experienced a major anxiety episode. For me, this manifested as an abrupt switch where my body and mind went into fight-or-flight mode and remained stuck there. 

I found myself trapped in a state of intense fear and survival, along with all the accompanying sensations and reactions.

What I realized is that as a survivor, I am especially vulnerable to stressful situations. My history of PTSD makes my brain more susceptible to entering survival mode when stress arises, particularly when it builds gradually over time, as it did for me. 

This slow, insidious accumulation of stress made it difficult for me to remain mindful and proactive in addressing it, preventing me from taking the necessary steps to care for myself and reduce my stress.

What Does a Trauma Trigger Feel Like?

A trauma trigger can feel like fight-or-flight, and trauma triggers can feel like overwhelming dread and doom. I felt deeply activated in fight-or-flight mode, experiencing overwhelming anxiety and nervousness. This led to panic attacks and made it hard for me to focus or concentrate on anything other than my fears.

I knew rationally and logically that my fears and the sense of impending doom I was experiencing were not accurate. I recognized what a trauma trigger felt like and that the facts that contradicted these feelings, yet they didn’t align with the emotions I was going through.

My body was overcome with the sensation that something awful was about to happen. I repeatedly found myself consumed by the fear that everything was falling apart, despite the reality that it wasn't. 

The stresses I faced throughout the year were related to business issues where others weren’t fulfilling their responsibilities, leading to challenges and consequences for me. However, in that fight-or-flight state, my mind was interpreting these situations through a distorted lens.

Instead of recognizing that I had successfully navigated through these challenges and was coming out okay, I found myself fixating on the notion that, given these events, terrible things were bound to happen in the near future. 

My body and mind were in a heightened state of activation, and it felt as though there was nothing I could do to truly calm the situation.

I found myself caught in intense rumination, with my mind fixating on all these stressful thoughts. I couldn’t find any sense of calm. I was applying all my skills and attempting to challenge those negative thoughts, but it seemed to only make things worse.

One valuable lesson I learned during this experience, which my therapist also shared with me, is that when my body is in an activated state, my brain attempts to make sense of that reaction. 

In response to the fight-or-flight sensations—like the adrenaline, nervousness, anxiety, and hypervigilance—my mind tries to address this response by worrying and searching for a solution, often leading to rumination.

My brain believed that worrying was the solution to the problem created by what my body was feeling.

This understanding really helped me shift from being trapped in my thoughts, attempting to solve the problems my mind was creating. I was constantly checking the facts and trying to reassure myself that everything was fine. 

However, this effort seemed to make things worse, as my mind would quickly drift to future concerns—things that I couldn’t control.

Instead of being caught up in the worry, I began to understand deep down that my brain was trying to fix my body’s reaction by worrying. This realization allowed me to shift my focus toward managing and tolerating the physical responses I was experiencing as I worked on my recovery.

As I mentioned, I recognize that I am particularly vulnerable to episodes like this for several reasons, especially due to my history of trauma and PTSD. 

Much like other survivors, this background makes our brains more susceptible to fight-or-flight activation, as they have been affected or injured in these ways, and such injuries can certainly be reactivated.

It's similar to how, if you injure your knees, you're more susceptible to future injuries and need to take extra precautions. 

Ultimately, I was feeling extremely miserable. My body was signaling that disaster was either imminent or lurking nearby and that any misstep would lead to everything falling apart. 

This thought kept echoing in my mind: everything is going to fall apart.

To put it plainly, it was awful. 

However, I’m feeling much better now. I’ve been focusing on my recovery and am doing significantly better now that I’ve moved past this.

Occasionally, I still face moments where I have to put in effort to ground myself, refocus my thoughts on the present, and calm the anxiety that arises in my body. However, things have definitely improved. I wanted to share some of what has been helping me along the way.

What To Do When Trauma Is Triggered

It’s important to know what to do when trauma is triggered and to take steps coping with triggers right away. The most impactful factor that greatly contributed to my recovery from when trauma was triggered during this stage was undoubtedly social support. It was the most transformative aspect for me. 

When trauma was triggered, I had to slow things down, focusing on one day at a time and even one moment at a time, continually asking myself what I needed to do when trauma is triggered to survive in that moment. I understood that my brain was healing and recovering from when trauma was triggered, and I would eventually make it to the other side; I just needed to navigate through the present moment. 

Social support played a crucial role in my journey. 

Coping with Triggers: Social Support

I had to learn the important skill of accessing social support, and I think this was one of the first times I felt truly effective in reaching out and connecting with others for help in coping with triggers.

I definitely have a history and a tendency to suffer in silence, not sharing what’s going on with me. I often find myself curling up and isolating, sometimes mentioning what’s happened after the fact, or providing only a glimpse of my struggles while conveying a message that I’ve got everything under control.

Ultimately, it can be quite uncomfortable to accept and receive help or support from others, as it often involves a lot of discomfort and vulnerability during times of pain.

One of the lessons I learned through coping with triggers is that sharing important stories about ourselves involves vulnerability. There is also vulnerability in expressing our feelings and personal history.

Being completely open and raw about our pain, suffering, and misery in front of another person can be daunting. That was the type of vulnerability I feared the most; I worried that it could lead to losing people, worsening my misery, or causing others to distance themselves from my life.

This time around, I have social support from friends who encouraged me to be more open about what I’m going through, along with family support, particularly from my sisters, whom I love dearly.

I was able to practice and explore what it feels like to reach out and share what I was truly experiencing. It was difficult to reach out and felt like a risk, but in the end, it was a highly rewarding and empowering experience.

Each of my support systems provided something unique. Some people made an effort to text me and check-in, asking how I was doing and offering words of encouragement, which was immensely helpful. 

I would call others and just cry on the phone about what I was experiencing, receiving encouraging words and validation like, 'Yes, I understand that. I've been through it too. You will get through this; I did as well.’”

Additionally, having people who could hold space for me was invaluable; being able to sit in a room with someone, cry for a while, and have them simply listen was so helpful. They would share their own wisdom and experiences, providing me with the room I needed to express myself.

Sometimes, just sitting together and watching TV or a movie provided the comfort of distraction and helped me feel less alone during the toughest moments, which was really beneficial.

It also helped add structure to my time. Having too much free time while my mind was racing with rumination was incredibly challenging, as it would fill that time with worry and negativity, making it harder to avoid getting sucked into that vortex. 

However, having people come over to watch TV, enjoy a show with me, or run errands together provided a sense of structure and helped me truly feel that I wasn’t alone in what I was experiencing.

While the idea of simply knowing that you’re not alone may seem overly simplistic and easy, there’s a distinction between recognizing it mentally and feeling it physically. 

In my experience, my body truly felt the presence of support and community, which created a sense of safety. As a result, it was able to calm down and achieve a level of stability much more quickly.

Dealing With Trauma Triggers: Gratitude

In dealing with trauma triggers, I also want to take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone who has offered their support of me. When dealing with trauma triggers in various ways during this time; it has been life-changing for me. Not only did dealing with trauma triggers help me navigate this episode of anxiety and come out okay on the other side, but it also taught me a powerful skill. 

I realized that a sense of safety and a safety net don’t solely come from material possessions; they also arise from connections with people, community, friends, and support. I truly felt the strength of that safety net when dealing with trauma triggers.

This is the kind of community that I hope we can strive to build for one another as survivors. Our society often works to isolate us through the perpetuation of rape culture, the way we interact with survivors who come forward, and even in how we offer support in such an individualized way.

It truly drives a wedge between us, making us feel isolated and alone, even though community is by far the most powerful element not only for our recovery but also for reclaiming our sense of power and effecting real change.

Even though my body and mind were in a state of panic, connecting with social support and community allowed me to realize that I wouldn’t be completely left to face the overwhelming turmoil on my own. 

Despite all my fears, things were not actually falling apart.

The sense of precariousness I feared was occurring turned out to be baseless, and being around other people truly helped my mind and body come to that realization.

Trauma Resurfacing and Going to Trauma Therapy

With trauma resurfacing, another significant aspect that supported me through this process was going to trauma therapy. 

I am both a therapist and a client, and I strongly believe that all therapists should engage in therapy because we carry a lot and need to prioritize our own self-care to effectively support our clients. 

Additionally, I have received ongoing trauma therapy and trauma recovery support specifically for my experiences as a survivor with PTSD and trauma resurfacing.

If you're here reading this, you likely understand the significance of trauma therapy. You might currently be in trauma therapy, seeking it, or have experienced it in the past, so I realize I'm preaching to the choir. Nevertheless, I’m still going to advocate for its importance.

Having a trauma therapist I trust, someone I genuinely feel connected to who truly understands me and my experiences, was incredibly helpful.

Their interest and eagerness to assist me in overcoming challenges and achieving my goals provided me with a lifeline—a tether that kept me from drifting off into the abyss. 

I had someone to reach out to for support and guidance, helping me feel better and gain a deeper understanding of my situation.

It was my therapist who helped me realize that my thoughts were reactions rather than predictions. They guided me in reconnecting with my body and utilizing mindfulness and self-soothing techniques to regulate my emotions and escape from overthinking. This was incredibly empowering.

It was immensely reassuring to know that she was monitoring my progress and guiding me through this process. I didn't have to be solely responsible for keeping track of everything; I could trust others to help me with these aspects. 

How Trauma Therapy Helps When PTSD is Triggered

My trauma therapy helps when ptsd is triggered by using various techniques. Together, we worked on EMDR, breathwork, and various body-based mindfulness exercises. This approach has been profoundly healing and continues to offer me healing.

A third thing that significantly supported me during this time was getting back on medication.

While I understand that everyone has their own individual relationship with medication, I’m not offering this as a recommendation or endorsement in any way.

For me, finding the right medication was crucial to my recovery. I see my brain as just another organ in my body that may require medication for optimal function. 

Starting medication led to significant progress in my recovery by stabilizing my brain and providing it with the support it needed to work properly.

This allowed me to utilize the skills I was learning, benefit from the social support I received, and ensure that my brain was functioning properly with the help of medication. Together, these elements played a vital role in my healing and recovery.

Collaborating with my doctor to find the right balance with my medications provided me with another person to monitor my situation and ensure I received effective support throughout this process.

Radical Acceptance Skills

Another crucial and valuable aspect of my recovery was practicing genuine radical acceptance skills and surrender to the process. 

I believe that in times of suffering, radical acceptance skills become a way of life and offers profound lessons about the depths of acceptance.

For me, this meant truly letting go of any expectations I had for this period, including my goals and how I envisioned using my time. 

Feeling this way was certainly not how I wanted to spend the holidays or the beginning of the year; I had ambitious plans for what I intended to accomplish with my time.

This was certainly not part of my plans. As a Virgo, I thrive on organization and get quite disappointed when I can't adhere to my plans. 

In a way, this called for radical acceptance skills of the need to adjust my plans in order to prioritize my well-being and what my body was experiencing.

However, I also had to embrace a deeper level of radical acceptance skills, acknowledging that my body was going through something beyond my control. 

I was doing everything I could—through therapy, medication, my coping skills, and social support—to support my body, and I had to accept that its recovery would occur at its own pace.

I couldn't speed up the process, but I also wasn’t going to engage in anything that might hinder it. It was simply going to unfold as it would. 

In each moment when I felt that surge of adrenaline and shakiness, along with the thoughts that everything was about to fall apart, I learned to embrace a sense of surrender, accepting that this is what was present in that moment.

In this moment, my body is trembling. In this moment, I am filled with adrenaline, and in this moment, I feel extremely uncomfortable and am experiencing a great deal of pain.

Surrendering to that doesn’t mean I’m accepting it as fine and just coping with it—that feels more like resignation to me. 

Rather, surrendering meant allowing myself to engage in whatever actions would help me navigate through it more comfortably.

That could mean lying down when I need to, bringing my weighted blanket with me wherever I go, spending time in my bedroom surrounded by beautiful lights and pictures, taking hot baths, and reaching out to my friends and sisters for support—essentially surrendering to what I needed in that moment.

It allowed me to become more skillful, helped the time pass as swiftly as possible, and ultimately enabled me to reach the other side.

Pushing through this simply wasn't an option for me. However, work served as a helpful distraction, as it does for many people, and it provided me with a sense of structure as well.

On top of that, for me and many others, not working simply isn’t an option, so I continued working during this time. Otherwise, I would have spent all my time focusing solely on recovery, trying to do so without judgment or without “shoulding” myself by thinking that things should be different.

That doesn't mean I was completely free from judgment or those “shoulds.” I often found myself thinking, “I should be feeling better,” “I shouldn’t think this way,” “I should start feeling this way soon,” and “I should be achieving this.” 

However, those feelings also made it clear to me that I needed to embrace a bit more surrender.

Surrender and radical acceptance truly mean embracing the present moment exactly as it is, free from judgment. 

It involves acknowledging what I'm feeling in my body without criticism and reassuring myself that I am present for myself. I’m here for my body, and I can be with it through this experience.

I wanted to share this as a way of being completely open and genuinely transparent about what I've been going through. 

I deeply value authenticity in my work with survivors and those who have experienced trauma. I'm also quite certain that many of us go through episodes of intense anxiety or depression that can arise seemingly out of nowhere.

Or perhaps they do have an underlying cause. For me, it felt sudden, but there was certainly a reason behind it. 

There was a significant build-up of stress and tension that contributed to my situation. Throughout this episode, I learned more about how to take better care of myself by being more mindful of my experiences and finding more effective ways to address them.

I don’t believe that this could have been prevented; rather, I understand myself better now and how I can support myself in the future. I also recognize that there are resources available to me that can assist in my recovery whenever similar situations arise.

I wanted to share this so that others going through similar experiences don't feel isolated. It's important to recognize that this is a normal aspect of being human and, especially, being a survivor. As survivors, we will encounter relapses and recurring symptoms.

We may feel as though we've experienced a significant setback, but in reality, it's just our body processing life as it is. I also want to emphasize that it's possible to recover from these experiences and move forward.

I'm sending love to all the survivors out there, to everyone who is struggling or experiencing pain. 

I stand with you. 

We're in this together, and we are recovering together.

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You can listen to this episode on my podcast, “Initiated Survivor.” The episode is titled “How I Survived Falling Apart” and is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! 

Thank you for reading. Until next time!

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