TRIGGERED
What is a trigger?
A trigger is a person, place, feeling or thing that immediately induces a stress-based physical or emotional response based on a past traumatic experience and its cumulative impact.
What is the point of using grounding skills?
To focus on something that makes you feel present, more calm, and connected... moving AWAY from distressing trauma symptoms.
You know that you accidentally triggered your buddy. Now you hear him in the other room saying aloud, "I will survive. Oh, as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive. I've got my all my life to live. I've got all my love to give. And I'll survive, I will survive."
What the heck is he up to?
He is reciting song lyrics that are inspirational to him. He could also use a quotation or poem.
This is an 8-phase program that uses an external stimulus to initiate bilateral stimulation in careful balance with the processing of a traumatic experience... connecting the left and right brains and keeping one foot in the present.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
True or false: Stress and trauma can shrink your "window of tolerance" and make it easier to throw your nervous system off balance.
TRUE
Is it more important to know what your triggers are, or to know that you have been triggered?
Identifying your triggers can be extremely helpful but recognizing that you are triggered is often more important. If you know that you are triggered, you can support yourself by using grounding techniques and strengthening new connections in your brain that enable it to feel safe.
A song just started playing on the radio that has Mark's face getting hot, his stomach hurting, and his heart racing. He knows he is triggered, and pulls to the side of the road to do some breathing. Describe one breathing technique that Mark could practice.
Pursed lip breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, breath counting, "finger" breathing, box breathing, belly breathing and more!
Simply focusing on taking long, slow, deep breaths is good too!
Juan decides to recite something in order to ground himself. What are two ideas for something he could recite?
The alphabet, multiples of "3", objects in alphabetical order, a detailed description of how to do an everyday activity (brushing your teeth, making coffee, etc.)
Name two different ways to incorporate Mindfulness practice into your life.
Meditation
Body Scans
Present-Moment awareness focused on a specific activity (music, art, nature, showering, eating, etc.)
Yoga, Tai Chi, etc.
Exploring emotions in the body (RAIN technique)
What are some things you can do to widen or stay in your "window of tolerance"?
Have enough food, water, and sleep. Yoga or Tai Chi. Work/Life balance. Engage in stress decreasing activities that you enjoy (listening to music, writing, art, etc.). Exercise. Social connection. Mindfulness.
If a person is triggered, their nervous system will likely speed up or shut down. What are the four trauma responses that begin with an "F"?
Fight
Flight
Freeze
Fawn
Name two grounding skills that involve your MOUTH.
Drinking cold water, eating something crunchy, eating something sour, gargling water, chewing on ice.
Leah just got into a minor argument with her partner, but suddenly she's feeling like she wants to run away. What phrases or words could she repeat to herself to help her feel more safe and less scared?
"I am not in danger. I am simply triggered."
"This is just my 'old' brain at work. I am okay."
"This is just a 'feelings' flashback. Nothing bad is happening to me."
"I'm safe, right here, right now."
Name two reasons THEATER supports trauma recovery.
Practice embodying different emotions, Feeling more comfortable and confident in your body by playing different roles, contributing and collaborating with others increases self worth, Effectively navigating situations where you may feel vulnerable or even scared, etc.
Why would practicing Mindfulness be beneficial to a trauma survivor?
enhancing present-moment awareness, increasing self-compassion, and enhancing our ability to self-regulate emotions, thoughts, and behavior. It can help to integrate trauma by regaining a sense of agency by reconnecting us to our bodies and our control.
Bob is experiencing a flashback after a police officer pulled him over...
Name two somatic (body) symptoms and two emotional symptoms he might experience.
Somatic: Headache, Racing heart, Rapid breathing or feeling “short of breath”, Stomach issues, Sensation of being “foggy” or “floaty”, Fatigue, Dizziness, Sweating, Changes in body temperature, Muscle tension or pain
Emotional: Feeling small/fragile/young/immature, belittled, helpless/powerless, and/or stuck/trapped; Intense rage, fear, or shame; Feeling hopeless; Feeling a need for “pay back” or vengeance; Feeling “on edge” or “out of control”; Intense self-criticism or judgment of others
Name four grounding techniques that focus on moving your body.
-Exercises like pushups or jumping jacks -pacing/brisk walking -crawling on all fours -jumping up and down -"shaking" it off -yoga poses like child's pose -butterfly hug -stomping your feet or alternating foot taps
Explain what the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise is...
Using your senses to name or list:
5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
What's the difference between "Top-Down" and "Bottom-Up" therapy approaches?
Top-Down: Therapy starts in the more developed parts of the brain that we associate with thinking, speaking, and emotional awareness. It focuses on changing your thoughts and behaviors.
Bottom-Up: Therapy starts with the more primitive parts of the brain and accepts that feelings, body sensations, and automatic survival responses happen first. It focuses on feeling safe in the body BEFORE bringing in "thinking."
Name three BEHAVIORS that might result from the nervous system being HYPERaroused (in fight or flight mode)?
substance use, over-eating, emotional outbursts, physical or verbal aggression, impulsivity, being overly-suspicious of others and surroundings, rigidness, running away, difficulty staying still
Samuel was just triggered by the smell of cigar smoke. In as much detail as possible, describe what is happening in his brain as soon as the sensory information (cigar smoke) enters it.
Your primitive brain perceives a threat. Your amygdala (emotional memory center) sets off an alarm. Your reptilian brain (brainstem) then responds immediately and instinctively with a trauma reaction.
Meanwhile, your frontal lobes or "smart brain" shut down, and you become flooded and overwhelmed by intense emotional memories, body memories, and impulses. It is difficult to think, talk, or remember.
Marla just splashed her face with really cold water to ground herself. Which gigantic nerve is she stimulating, and which part of the nervous system does it activate?
The VAGUS nerve.
The PARASYMPATHETIC division of the autonomic nervous system.
Tyler starts to become dysregulated after learning that his mother is coming to town. He has learned the grounding technique of picturing a safe place, and his safe place is his grandfather's barn, which he used to play in as a child. If you were inside of Tyler's head while he was exploring this safe place, what might his description sound like?
Describe safe places in detail, using all of the senses.
Example: I can see sunlight seeping in between the barn boards and the small green tractor that's covered in dirt and parked in the corner. I can feel the sturdy floor and the roughness of the wood. I can smell hay and cow manure.
Different types of biofeedback therapies measure different body functions - but what the heck is the point?!
To learn strategies to self-regulate otherwise automatic physiological functions, resulting in connection and harmony between the body and the mind and achieving a more coherent emotional state.
Anna was under a lot of stress with finances, a divorce, and the death of her brother. She was getting irritated with everything and wasn't doing her typical activities of enjoyment. Soon, her nervous system became HYPOaroused and she entered a "freeze" state that lasted several days. Name four symptoms she might experience in this state.
feeling disconnected, numbness, "spaciness", memory loss, low energy levels, shame/embarrassment, decreased reactions, slow or disabled cognitive processing, reduced physical movement overall, difficulty saying "no" or defending oneself, operating on auto-pilot