"trigger" question about triggers

Hello, Non DID here,
When someone identifies a trigger in themselves or someone else identifies one. What can be done at that point. Does knowing about it lessen it or make it go away? Or is it still a trigger that causes the same reaction?

In my experience, no, knowing about a trigger doesn't make it go away or lessen. Though, I guess, I can "prepare" myself. For example, I get triggered by kitchen knifes. If I know I am going to see one, i.e. I am going intothe kitchen when I kno my partner is cooking, I can kinda prepare myself for it.

Bourbon

I think knowing what triggers you isn't going to magically make the trigger go away, and neither will it make the reaction any different.

I'm triggered by guns and loud noises, so when the Fourth of July comes around, or when I know I'll be exposed to noises, or anything that triggers me, then I can generally know what to expect and try my best to avoid it, but it doesn't change my reaction, and it doesn't make the triggers go away. I'm also triggered by eating noises, so, the sounds of people eating, no matter how quietly, so I don't go out to eat with people, and I eat alone by myself. I'm still triggered by it, though I'm aware it's a trigger.

But, I do think that once you know what triggers you, or once someone else points out what triggers you, it will be easier to handle and heal from eventually.

Once we know what a trigger is we try to avoid it until we have had time to work on it. Then we try to expose ourself again a little her and there to see if we made progress. Some triggers we have been able to work through, but not all. Like Steph is still triggered by belts and staple guns. But not by the color yellow. Its probably different for every body.
Jess

mow59 wrote:When someone identifies a trigger in themselves or someone else identifies one. What can be done at that point. Does knowing about it lessen it or make it go away? Or is it still a trigger that causes the same reaction?

My biggest problem is finding them. I lose time when a trigger is hit. So for me, finding it is one of the biggest challenges of all of this. It goes like this:

I was in this room.
Now I'm in that room.
It seems I lost 10 minutes.
What happened?
I was in the kitchen. Radio was on. What song was playing on the radio? Could that have been a trigger? My kid was in the kitchen. What were they doing? Did they say anything?.... and it goes on as I try to narrow it down.

Sometimes I find it this way, but it usually takes a few times of hitting that same trigger and noticing time loss before I figure out what it is.

But once the trigger is found, I feel better because I can work on it internally. I seek out the other/others that it triggered. I talk to them about it. I try to understand why that is a trigger for them and lessen the effect.

It usually works. Not always, but sometimes. The goal for me is that next time the trigger is hit, that I get a chance before the switch and flee to stop the trigger. Whether that means changing the subject, or the radio station. Then when I'm alone and have free time, I work with the trigger. I face the trigger, journal, I think about it. By purposely exposing myself to it a little at a time, I can lessen the fear. I also work with the other that it triggered to lessen their pain about the trauma that caused it.

After a while, lets say it was a song on the radio, when that song comes on, I can take a deep breath and say to myself "this is triggering. Now I know why. It is a beautiful song. It is a shame it brings up such bad memories."

By seperating the trigger from the memory, it helps.

ashesoflife wrote:My biggest problem is finding them. I lose time when a trigger is hit. So for me, finding it is one of the biggest challenges of all of this. It goes like this:

I was in this room.
Now I'm in that room.
It seems I lost 10 minutes.
What happened?
I was in the kitchen. Radio was on. What song was playing on the radio? Could that have been a trigger? My kid was in the kitchen. What were they doing? Did they say anything?.... and it goes on as I try to narrow it down.

Exactly. It is so tedious and painstaking to identify what triggers lost time, when you don't have communication with the alter(s) who replace you. The triggering event goes into the black hole of the lost time. And I am learning that the alter may not have a clear view of the trigger either; for both of us there may be a momentary disorientation as we find ourselves abruptly not where we were just an instant before.

-- Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:58 pm --

mow59 wrote:When someone identifies a trigger in themselves or someone else identifies one. What can be done at that point. Does knowing about it lessen it or make it go away? Or is it still a trigger that causes the same reaction?

Knowing about it helps somewhat, because you may be able to avoid some triggers or reduce them through exposure. But the thing is, the trigger is experienced by two identities (if not more); the one in front before the trigger and the one in front after the trigger. Both identities need to work with the trigger to reduce its power.