What Does *Triggered* Mean 4 You?

I see a lot of posts on the BPD forum with *May Trigger* in the subject line, and I read them; but don't see where the trigger fits in all the time.

BPD is a crazy disorder (because we all experience it differently, at different times) so maybe some of what we experience as triggers are different as well? Not sure, and that's what I'm asking here.

Not necessarily what triggers you (although that would probably be helpful); but more so what happens when you're triggered?
What emotional state are you in when you're triggered?
What does being triggered DO to you emotionally?
How do you feel when you're triggered?


For me personally, the things that I see as my own triggers are things that make me loose my conscious awareness and overtake me, tempt me, and put me in a negative place. Things like rage, sex, drugs or hurt trigger me, and they make me feel high in the air, insanely out of control; or very down down and near suicidal.

So what is a trigger for you and how does it make you feel/react?
I'm curious to see how that is for everyone, and if it's the same or different.

Thanks

Triggered means nothing to me, and in the past the term irritated and annoyed me until I realized what the triggering can lead to for many people.

I'll never really tag anything as *may trigger* as I don't believe I post anything overly triggering. If someone does get triggered by anything I say generally, then they'd have to be pretty sensitive and very used to being triggered by every other post. When I write anything constant, conscious thinking process is going on that goes something like: "Could this cause extreme emotional pain, is this too personal, could this make someone harm or think of suicide, could this bring back memories of abuse which many --especially female-- pwBPD have, could this cause someone trying not to drink or drug, drink or drug." Etc,.. you get the idea.

I think I'm successful more often than not. I'm never overly concerned with triggering anyone as I'm confident in my judgement, consciousness and thoughtfulness. I'll mess up but it's rare. On occasion, though, I will override that thinking process and post something anyway if I feel it needs to be said; or, on rare occasion I'll act out as I do not act-in so much. I get the impression the majority of pwBPD act in to hurtful things or attacks,.. I will go on full-blown assault.

I really don't get 'triggered' personally unless something is, or is perceived as a personal attack.

So, while I understand that triggering is something to respected in others for many a reason, my answer is: Triggering means nothing to me.

I will admit though, part of why I'm opposed to the idea of *triggers* is I feel it encourages people to hide from things rather than get tough enough to handle it, also it keeps people in a state where they'll have to be treated with kid-gloves for their whole lives and that's bad for them. But again, having said, and as I said, I respect *triggers* and not *triggering* anyone.

I realize that I'm probably jaded and bit hard and that may be one contributing factor to my thinking; but it's not that simple and there are multiple factors to why I think and feel as I do in this area.

Anyway, why say *trigger* when instead you can just think... or try to... just my opinion (like who elses opinion would it be).

AliceWonders wrote:I see a lot of posts on the BPD forum with *May Trigger* in the subject line, and I read them; but don't see where the trigger fits in all the time.
BPD is a crazy disorder (because we all experience it differently, at different times) so maybe some of what we experience as triggers are different as well? Not sure, and that's what I'm asking here.
Not necessarily what triggers you (although that would probably be helpful); but more so what happens when you're triggered?
What emotional state are you in when you're triggered?
What does being triggered DO to you emotionally?
How do you feel when you're triggered?
For me personally, the things that I see as my own triggers are things that make me loose my conscious awareness and overtake me, tempt me, and put me in a negative place. Things like rage, sex, drugs or hurt trigger me, and they make me feel high in the air, insanely out of control; or very down down and near suicidal.
So what is a trigger for you and how does it make you feel/react?
I'm curious to see how that is for everyone, and if it's the same or different.
Thanks

I like your questions, because understanding these triggers are the key for maintaining health and happiness. I believe triggers are the key of where our distress stems from.
To me, a trigger is a type of symbol that stirs up emotions and feelings in me that make me vulnerable to losing control. I believe that first one must recognize what triggers them, then question them, and find out how to better cope with them. They can be like a warning mechanism that danger is near.

InvisibleGhost wrote:
I like your questions, because understanding these triggers are the key for maintaining health and happiness. I believe triggers are the key of where our distress stems from.
To me, a trigger is a type of symbol that stirs up emotions and feelings in me that make me vulnerable to losing control. I believe that first one must recognize what triggers them, then question them, and find out how to better cope with them. They can be like a warning mechanism that danger is near.

This.

InvisibleGhost wrote:I like your questions, because understanding these triggers are the key for maintaining health and happiness. I believe triggers are the key of where our distress stems from.
To me, a trigger is a type of symbol that stirs up emotions and feelings in me that make me vulnerable to losing control. I believe that first one must recognize what triggers them, then question them, and find out how to better cope with them. They can be like a warning mechanism that danger is near.

So what does that mean though? Lossing control? How do you loose control? What do you do when you loose control? Where does that take you?
That's the part I'm trying to understand the most here.


Triggers are defnitely warning signs, and learning to recognize them can help keep you more grounded and stable over time. I'm learning to recognize many of my triggers and monitoring myself in how they affect me so that I can better learn to reform my reactions to these things.
It does work and it has been helping me a lot in many cases too.

Apocallcaps wrote:on rare occasion I'll act out as I do not act-in so much. I get the impression the majority of pwBPD act in to hurtful things or attacks,.. I will go on full-blown assault.

I'm totally the same way. If I suffer 'YOU' suffer (not you specifically ) because I'm totally extroverted in my projection of hurt, rage, and it becomes an act of revenge. I don't take it inside myself so much (sometimes if I can't release it at the one who triggered me; but more often not) the only time I really do take it internally is if it's someone I care about and don't want to hurt. But even that has a breaking point because I can only take in me so many times before the inevitable lashing out of destruction and complete obliteration overwhelms me, and then it's back to revenge as usual...

Apocallcaps wrote: "Could this cause extreme emotional pain, is this too personal, could this make someone harm or think of suicide, could this bring back memories of abuse which many --especially female-- pwBPD have, could this cause someone trying not to drink or drug, drink or drug." Etc,.. you get the idea.

Yeah. I don't get triggered by the trauma of others, I'm pretty protected against that as a trigger (I will feel compassion and understanding, but it doesn't put me in 'bad' place) but I do get triggered by coke if someone mentions it so I guess I do understand that...

I think what's interesting is that some of us lash OUT and some of us lash IN towards ourselves- right?
So in seeing that difference of lashing in vs. out, do you think that those of us who more prone to lash out are triggered differently?
Because like you said in your statement

Apocallcaps wrote:I really don't get 'triggered' personally unless something is, or is perceived as a personal attack

I'm the same way. I won't be triggered by people talking about themselves, or someone else (unless I feel someone is being picked on- I hate that!) but if it's something directed at me, or something I take as personal- I will lash out at who ever said/did it...

I'm not sure how that works...
Just thinking...

So what does that mean though? Lossing control? How do you loose control? What do you do when you loose control? Where does that take you?
That's the part I'm trying to understand the most here.

My losing control manifests in different ways and on different levels of intensity. It can manifest by: complete withdrawal from the outside world (sometimes weeks at a time), not eating, no sleep, nightmares, rashes, cutting, explosions of anger (to where I damage things, and yell out non sensical things as my daughter describes it), and then what I call my anxiety events. . These are the worst for me as they last from 2-4 days. I get some extreme physiological symptoms which make me very ill, like mild siezures, shortness of breath, staying up all night pacing the house, heart palpitations, diahrea, vomiting, sweating, crying, and suicidal fantasies.

I can physically feel when I am losing control. One of the things I feel the most when having lost control is confusion (mind). Then the emotional feelings set in like sadness, anger, hurt and pain. I'm still sorting some of this out in therapy, but so far, I can recognize these states, as signs that I have lost control; control meaning maintaining personal characteristics we enjoy, such as confident, self aware, self attached, peaceful, happy, inspired, creative ect, whatever brings you joy and fulfillment. Anything that threatens losing this or taking it away from me, I consider losing control

I tend to trigger myself more than anything on here can trigger me.

No one can make me hurt more than I can.
Sure, I can empathize with some people on here, we're similar, but it's not me.
Now focusing on me, my life... that can trigger me. I think about things too long and I'll tail spin right into my own misery and have to claw my way out, but to some people just a story that could similar to their could trigger a memory.

I used to be more triggerable. Mostly anger. Lots of things set me off.
My older posts were a lot of fun to read. I was angry all the time.
Everything was wrong, all the time...
But these days I just have a better grip on myself. I guess recovery does that...
Still figuring out that whole recovery mess, but I remember what a trigger feels like for sure.

I think what triggers is me, being insulted, someone being mean to me and yelling at me.. yes even someone shouting at me can set me off.. knowing someone doesn't like me can lead to a trigger, someone making fun of me, or simple getting hurt by someone i like emotional.. or being hit.

The pill xanax is really bad for me.. i even asked my doctor to stop giving me them.. because when i take them it puts me in a angry mood and i get set off easier and try to hurt myself..

my triggers are pretty bad, I get furious and start taking it out on anybody that trys to talk to me or is near me at the time.. I want people to feel as #######5 as i do when i'm triggered and i want them to lash out at me so i have a reason to beat their ass.. I also get extremely suicidal when i'm triggered, that's how all my suicide attempts went in the last year.. being triggered..

Being criticized or attacked is probably the best example I can come up with. Even when I was in control of my emotions a personal attack on me would cause me to lash out against whoever insulted me. My own anger at negative environmental stresses also triggers me into acting out behaviors and sometimes also acting in.

Saschavykos wrote:The pill xanax is really bad for me.. i even asked my doctor to stop giving me them.. because when i take them it puts me in a angry mood and i get set off easier and try to hurt myself..

I love my Xanax. I couldn't imagine not having it to calm me down when I freak out.