If you fully intended to deal with your triggers and then life got in the way, don’t panic. There are still some things you can do in the moment to help soothe your body and bring you back into the present.
1) Try the thymus thump.
The late John Diamond, MD, author of Your Body Doesn’t Lie, used the thymus thump to help settle the body and relieve symptoms of panic or shock. With one hand in a soft fist, thump on the center of the sternum: Thump, thump, thump, pause; thump, thump, thump, pause. It may take a minute or two to feel the effects. Keep going and allow yourself to return to your body.
2) Give yourself a butterfly hug.
The butterfly hug is a technique that comes out of EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy, a well-established treatment for trauma and PTSD. Hold your hands out in front of you, palms facing you. Cross them over and link your thumbs together. Rest your hands on your chest and tap each hand alternately to help regulate your nervous system.
3) Call yourself back.
While doing your butterfly hug, whisper your full name age, and a description of what’s happening. The process can call you back to the present from whatever past event your body is remembering.
- I am [full name]. I am [X years old]. And I am really triggered right now.
- I am [full name]. I am [X years old]. And this trigger is at a score of [0 out of 10].
- I am [full name]. I am [X years old]. And I’m feeling this in my [heart/stomach/throat].
- I am [full name]. I am [X years old]. And this [thing/situation] has really done a number on me.
- I am [full name]. I am [X years old]. And I don’t know why this feels so huge but it really, really does.
- I am [full name]. I am [X years old]. And even though it feels so huge, I will probably survive.
4) Start your list.
After you’ve practiced the butterfly hug, thymus thump, or another technique to calm yourself, get out your notebook and start writing. If you hadn’t yet begun your list of triggers, now is the time, while the information is fresh in your mind. Make a note of the specific cues, how your body reacted, how big it was on a 0–10 scale, and which of the common themes are implicated. That way, you’ll be better prepared next time it happens.
5) Try EMDR.
There may be times when taming your triggers is too much to take on by yourself. When this happens, consider seeking support from a mental health practitioner who offers EMDR.
One particular approach, called the Float Back Technique, can be especially useful for “unhooking” your trigger.
The method requires getting in touch with the body sensations you feel when the trigger is happening, and then using those sensations to guide you back to times in your life when you’ve also felt them.
A good trauma therapist can facilitate this process for you. It can help you find the root of your trigger and, more importantly, recatalog it in its original time and place. Once the process is complete, you may no longer feel the charge associated with the trigger cues, significantly reducing the reactivity you feel in the here and now.
More on Triggers
You don’t have to be hijacked by strong reactions. Learn how to manage them — and how to recover your cool when you’ve already lost it — at “How to Manage a Trigger Response,” from which this articles was excerpted.
