The Reason Why You Can’t Outthink (or Stop) Your Triggers
Most of my clients approach me with a common desire: to break free from the cycle of triggers, to no longer be at the mercy of them, and to cease acting upon them.
But what exactly are triggers?
A trigger is when our subconscious gets triggered by whatever is happening in our life.
We have old baggage, beliefs, misconceptions, and conditioning come up that trigger us into reacting. These subconscious triggers (that are really meanings we’ve attached to things, others, situations and ourselves) are based on what’s happened in the past, what’s happened in our life, what’s happened in the collective, and what’s happened and been stored in our system.
The way it gets stored is by meanings in our subconscious, trapped emotions and what’s called allostatic load in the nervous system.
Our nervous system consists of 80% afferent nerves transmitting from the body to the brain and only 20% lead from the brain down to the body.
Our nervous system consists of 80% afferent nerves transmitting from the body to the brain and only 20% lead from the brain down to the body.
When it comes to moments of triggers, the body floods the brain with information that’s been stored in the nervous system, overpowering any rational thoughts the mind may try to impose.
The subconscious overrides whatever’s being said in the brain because the mind might tell the body “No, don’t react. Next time when he or she says this, I’m not going to get angry or annoyed.”
Well, guess what.. It’s not going to happen.
Because your body is going to flood your brain or mind with whatever has been stored, and whatever you think or have decided in the moment is kind of washed away. At that moment, it will be too late.
Instead of stopping the triggers, we want to look at freeing ourselves of the triggers.
Rather than merely attempting to suppress or outthink triggers, what we really need to do is address the triggers. Delving into what’s been stored in the system first and understand it's message, as well as resolving the meanings we’ve attached, so we can free ourselves and then actually not have anything there that triggers up in the first place anymore, is the goal.
Instead of stopping the triggers, we want to look at freeing ourselves of the triggers. Therefore, dealing with the root cause, the underlying issue, what’s really there, why it’s there, what we’ve made it mean and why it’s been stored in the first place is the key.
Let’s shift our focus from merely stopping triggers to actively freeing ourselves from their grip.
If you are ready to take the next step, reach out and let’s have a heart-to-heart chat.
The time is now.