A car backfiring on a crowded street. The smell of alcohol. An unshaven man. These sounds, smells, and sights can be very upsetting to some people with PTSD. Why? Because they are triggers.
What is a Trigger?
A trigger is something that provides a reminder of a trauma. A trigger can make a person with PTSD feel like they are right back in the event: facing an assailant, or in a terrifying situation. Anxiety and distress increase in response to triggers. In people who are experiencing PTSD, their distress can often feel unmanageable.
Triggers and Avoidance
Because there are so many things in the world that can be triggers for people with PTSD, they may avoid going out, being with friends, or even thinking about things related to the trauma. This is called avoidance.
In the short term, it may feel like avoidance works. But in the long-term life becomes more and more limited. PTSD sufferers can often end up avoiding reminders of reminders. Additionally, by avoiding triggers, and therefore any distress related to the traumatic event, the person never becomes desensitised to these reminders. Their distress levels don’t decrease in the long-term.
Treatment Helps Build Coping Skills
Cognitive Processing Therapy, a trauma-focused treatment can help people with PTSD to stop avoiding. They won’t get rid of triggers, but they build skills to help take triggers more in stride. They learn that they can cope with the distress they feel when they encounter a trigger. Ideally, they stop avoiding possible triggers, start living more fulfilling lives, confident in the knowledge that they can manage their anxiety in the face of a trigger.
