And just for a moment,
I invite you to consider how triggers show up and land in your life.
Just for a moment,
Notice if there are any themes that are triggering that you can begin to acknowledge.
If there are any themes that are triggering that you can begin to acknowledge and accept.
Sometimes there are themes of abandonment or betrayal or loss.
But a trigger could happen around anything.
Triggers are very personal.
So if there is a theme or multiple themes that show up for you,
Just gently notice them and acknowledge them.
This is simply about learning,
Learning about ourselves,
Learning about yourself.
And then if there's a specific trigger that shows up for you,
A certain time in your life or theme that's crystal clear,
That you know without a doubt this is triggering or that moment was very triggering,
We can work with that.
We can work with that clarity a bit.
And if nothing specific shows up,
That's fine too.
Just gently consider these words and see how they land for you.
Triggers can be used for good without a doubt.
When a trigger happens,
It's like a stoplight that's turning from yellow to red,
And the trigger is asking us to stop and pay attention.
And when we stop and pay attention at the intersection of our life and a trigger,
We can begin to notice,
How do I feel?
What is happening in my body?
This is gaining somatic awareness in the face of a trigger.
When we get a sense for that,
We can ask,
What is happening in my mind?
Is there a repetitive thought?
Are there too many thoughts?
Am I not able to think?
The mental landscape is important in the experience of a trigger.
And when we get a sense for what is happening in the mind,
We can move to the emotions.
How is this trigger affecting me emotionally?
Am I worried or anxious or afraid or something else?
Again,
We're simply noticing and accepting whatever emotional state is present.
And then moving on to the spirit can sometimes be a little harder in the moment of a trigger.
But it's perfectly safe to consider,
Am I trusting that this moment is held by a larger entity?
Or am I allowing for the possibility of grace touching this difficult and challenging moment?
Spirituality can have so much to do with gentle openness.
Even if we're not feeling trusting or faithful in a triggering moment,
Can we just consider that maybe something good will come of this?
This requires a bit of relaxation.
So when we move to the spiritual,
If we're very tense,
We'll notice it right away because we won't be able to go there or consider anything larger than ourselves and the contraction of the trigger.
So gently breathing helps.
Presencing oneself by noticing one's surroundings.
Anything it takes to slow down and stop and simply notice for a time helps when any of us feel triggered.
And when a triggered moment happens where there is a complete standstill and a freezing and there's too much stopping because we feel afraid and frozen and tight and unable to think,
It's the gentle moments,
The gentle movements that help.
Like a gentle breath.
Like a gentle opening of the hand if the fist is clenched.
Or a gentle moving side to side if the torso is rigid.
Or a gentle motion with the head if the neck is very stiff.
So triggers can happen in two directions.
Either we speed up and we're moving too fast and we need to stop.
Or we're really,
Really frozen and we can't move at all and we need to remember to start with gentle,
Slow,
Soft movements.
Either way,
The goodness that can happen from a trigger is getting to know oneself.
And starting to see what exactly gets stuck when a trigger happens.
And how can I love myself here in this moment of constriction and difficulty?
How can I bring a little bit more light to myself?
How can I soften with myself first?
How can I be loving and kind and gentle with me?
Precious me,
Just as I am.
Being with a trigger isn't about changing anything directly.
It's about being with and allowing the trigger to very naturally and gently unfold and unwind and solve itself.
As we slow down in these moments of being triggered,
We find that the trigger needs very little,
If anything at all.
It wants to unwind like a rose blooming and the petals unfurl and open.
We only need to stop constricting around it.
We only need to stop winding ourselves up into it.
And we especially need to stop identifying with it.
We are not our triggers.
Triggers happen and they can be released.
And they are great teachers for us.
We can learn about ourselves as we relax and allow the trigger to move on.
And as we practice this,
Stopping and slowing down and being with ourselves amidst a trigger,
We're actually able to notice triggers from farther and farther away.
So it becomes like seeing a bird in the sky.
There it is.
There's a bird in the sky.
It's flying by.
And over time,
We don't need to be as affected by them.
It's always safe to gently breathe.
And when we're ready,
It's safe to take a deep breath.
It's always safe to notice what exactly is happening for me here.
It's always safe to love ourselves in the face of any difficulty.
And as we gain the practice and the experience of being with ourselves when challenges happen,
We gain a deeper and deeper trust in who we truly are.
We begin to know,
Oh,
I can be with myself there.
I'm going to be okay.
I can see myself through it.
And over time,
We can begin to see triggers as something exciting.
Like,
Oh,
What could possibly be the case that I am feeling triggered?
And then there can be a sense of fascination.
I'm going to learn something about myself.
And still,
We can go real slow,
Very slow.
Breathing and noticing in the face of any challenge.
Staying very,
Very present in a kind and gentle way.
As you consider these words,
Feel free to take as many deep breaths as feels comfortable for you.
And as these words fade away,
Enjoy the silence for as long as you would like.
