Triggers are things that bare a literal or symbolic similarity to an aspect of unresolved trauma. They can also be called 'reactive stimulus'. Triggers can be both positive and negative. Triggers have the ability to cause flashbacks and memories from past experiences and can be anything from sound, smells, tastes, images, words, behaviours, beliefs, thoughts, sensations, emotions and even weather. For more information about triggers in general you can click here (https://diaryofapsychoblog.wixsite.com/home/blog-home/triggers), to view my post about them.
Positive triggers can cause a sense of happiness, belonging, safety, nostalgia, joy and excitement. For people with DID, positive triggers can be used to draw alters forward or hold others back. Positive triggers are important as they can be helpful and cause happiness in present situations. Grounding is important and positive triggers are a great way to stay present and focused.
Identifying Positive Triggers (specifically in DID)
- Your reaction is so strong that you are overcome with positive emotion surrounding whatever it is that triggered you. (eg. a little with their favourite toy feeling extraordinarily happy)
- You can not setback fro your emotions or reflect on the situation and are living I the moment of being around the positive trigger
- An Alter has been positively triggered to the front and has take over the situation
- The alters become less active while you are experiencing the positive trigger as you feel completely at ease or happy with the situation and can handle the present
- You have a sudden flashback to a positive memory that could have been forgotten or lost. (eg. a holiday you went on as a small child)
- You can feel another part (alter) is positively impacted and you seem to be sharing those emotions that you wouldn't normally have
- You are pulled to the front by an overwhelming sense of joy
When these positive experiences are occurring it can either be hard to remain present or make it easy to stay present depending on which alter is getting positively triggered. As you get use to being positively triggered you can start to notice who is fronting, close by, or not there at all. This can tell you who is being positively triggered. When you have figged out a few positive triggers for your alters it is easier to switch as you can surround yourself in triggers for a specific alter and use them to make that person want to be around. This can also work the other way in that you can positively trigger yourself so that the other alters don't front and you can stay in control. This will not work all the time but is a little trick that I learnt along the way.
Sometimes you are able to link triggers to original events or memories, other times this can be difficult or even seem impossible. Due to DID being so complex it is important to understand that just because something is a positive trigger for a certain alter doesn't mean it will be positive for others. This contradiction can be scary and unsettling. Because of this factor it is important that you don't force alters to front if they don't want to. In doing this you may cause a different alter to front who is negatively triggered.
Example (TW:CLOWNS)
You are having a hard time dissociating and feel a lot of alters around but no one is coming forward to switch. you begin to feel nausea due to high levels of dissociation and want to trigger someone out to front. One of your littles is a big fan of clowns, you play a video of a circus and hope they will come out to watch it. What you don't know is that a different alter is actually closer than the one you are trying to trigger and they are brought out instead. They are not positively triggered but negatively as a past experience within a circus was traumatic and they end up having a flashback.
This can be distressing for they whole system and cause more damage than you original state of dissociation would have. You can't trust everyone with your positive triggers as similar things can happen where they are making fun of you, treating you like a 'party trick', or using triggers to their advantage. If you think someone is doing this to you then consider talking totem about it or getting someone else to talk to them. The same things can happen with negative triggers.
Some examples of positive triggers are:
Music, snow, ice cream, novels, make up, coffee, sunshine, exercise, crystals, soft toys, sensory items, drawing, cartoons, documentaries, cooking, bubblegum, strawberries, the feeling of wet grass, wind, puddles, flowers, video games, sport, pizza, animals, being at home, being at work/school, instrumental music, writing, having a bath, making cakes, painting, being with loved ones, fidget toys, a funny movie, children's TV shows, anime, colours, the smell of campfire, the sound of birds, soft rain, and literally anything else you can imagine.
As practice with identifying positive triggers you can write them down as they happen and later reflect on the situation. Take note of what triggers you, the reaction you have, what alters are present, time of day, if you where with another person at they time, any loss of time, and lastly any inner world experiences during the positive trigger. This practice can help you understand what positive trigger each of your alters have and positive triggers you have. You will also then have a physical written copy of your positive triggers that you can refer back to or share with a therapist.
That concludes todays blog post. I hope that you found it helpful and informative. This post was voted for by my instagram followers and if you want to have a say in my future uploads then please follow me (@diaryofapsycho1). I hope that you are having a great day and thank you for all the wonderful support :)
Jen xx
(Cats are defiantly a positive trigger)
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