When is a trigger, not a trigger ?
Thoughts on how 'triggers' have changed over the years, some tips on how to handle them and a quick introduction to the biggest elephant in the room !
– 8 min read
Late Starter
I was 39 when I first learnt about triggers in a psychology and wellbeing context. Up until then, they were just things that guns had and Roy Rogers' horse (yes I am that old but I was quite pleased that Google's AI overview of a search on 'trigger' mentioned Mr Rogers and his trusty steed). Like all of us, I had experienced them and, you could say, suffered from them, but I didn't know they had a label and were a thing. It was just how life happened.
On my NLP (Neuro-Lingusitic Programming) practitioner training in 2003 I learnt about triggers - how to sort my own out and how to help others with theirs. The subject still fascinates me as triggers can really impact on your wellbeing and resilience.
Fast forward to now and the term trigger in the psychological context is commonplace. You hear it being used by people of all ages to refer to events that have triggered them. The more I've heard it the more I've started thinking that either the amount of triggering going on has increased massively, or the word is being used to reference stuff that pisses us off a bit. When i hear the word now I imagine the person saying the word whilst doing air quotes.
