The term "triggered" has become a buzzword online, often used to describe feeling uncomfortable, offended, or upset. However, being triggered is a genuine psychological experience rooted in trauma. It occurs when something—a sound, smell, image, or even a memory—provokes an intense emotional reaction by resurfacing distress linked to past traumatic events or mental health struggles. When the word "triggered" is overused or misapplied, its true meaning can become diluted, minimizing the very real experiences of those living with trauma-related conditions.

Triggers are emotional wounds that haven’t fully healed. In some situations, we can navigate emotional reactions with ease, moving past them quickly. At other times, a trigger can overwhelm us, leaving us feeling stuck, vulnerable, and unsafe. This emotional response may seem out of proportion to the current situation because it’s connected to a deeper, unresolved past experience. Triggers tap into stored pain, intensifying our reactions far beyond what the present moment might seem to call for.

When we’re triggered, our brain responds automatically, often without giving us time to reflect or rationalize. This happens because triggers activate the limbic system—the emotional center of the brain—rather than the prefrontal cortex, where logical thinking and problem-solving occur. In this state, emotions like fear, anger, or sadness can feel intense and overwhelming, amplifying our reactions and beliefs about the situation. It’s important to understand that being triggered is a normal neurological response. While the emotional reaction itself isn’t dysfunctional, how we respond to those emotions can sometimes be unhelpful or even harmful.

Triggers can range from deeply rooted trauma-related experiences to less intense but still emotionally charged memories. Regardless of severity, a trigger often acts as a replay of an earlier experience, bringing emotional reactions from the past into the present. When trauma is involved, the emotional response can be overwhelming, causing you to feel as powerless or unsafe as you did during the original event—even if you aren’t consciously aware of the connection. This happens because the amygdala, part of the brain’s limbic system, stores memories of trauma and fear without a sense of time. It reacts as though the danger is happening right now, disregarding how much you’ve grown or how far you’ve come.

When you’re triggered, your body automatically activates the sympathetic nervous system, launching the fight, flight, or freeze response. This reaction happens instinctively, outside of your conscious control, driven by the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. In a flight response, you might feel an overwhelming urge to escape, accompanied by panic or fear. If the fight response is triggered, you may experience intense anger or frustration, driven by a need to defend yourself. In the freeze state, you could feel paralyzed, emotionally numb, or unable to speak. These reactions are survival mechanisms your brain uses to protect you from perceived danger, even when the actual threat is in the past. The good news is that our brains are capable of change through a process called neuroplasticity. This means we can reprogram our neurological pathways by forming new associations with past experiences, effectively reducing the intensity of triggers over time.