Triggers - how are they formed?

At this time, researchers don’t exactly know how triggers are formed. Some believe that the brain stores traumatic events into memories differently from storing non-traumatic events into memory. As well, post traumatic events may be interpreted by the brain as current events, therefore continually causing the body to experience the same symptoms such as the fight-or-flight response caused by the initial event. 

However, researchers do know that triggers can cause a person to have an emotional reaction before they even realize why they have become upset. A majority of these triggers have a strong sensory connection, such as a taste or smell, or are connected in a deeply ingrained habit, such as a recovering alcoholic who associates a particular activity with drinking. Some refer to this process as traumatic coupling, further describing how triggers are connected to a traumatic experience, therefore, causing the person to relive the  symptoms. 

Check out the next post to see the advantages and disadvantages of triggers.