What would be considered a trigger?

Asked by: Miss Carole Schaden  |  Last update: December 9, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (48 votes)

In psychology, triggers are experiences or stimuli that cause someone to relive a traumatic event in some way. The trigger may evoke difficult memories, bring back feelings of helplessness or fear, or cause people to behave in ways they or others do not understand.

What counts as a trigger?

A trigger is a stimulus that elicits a reaction. In the context of mental illness, "trigger" is often used to mean something that brings on or worsens symptoms. This often happens to people with a history of trauma or who are recovering from mental illness, self-harm, addiction, and/or eating disorders.

What is an example of a trigger?

A trigger can be any sensory reminder of the traumatic event: a sound, sight, smell, physical sensation, or even a time of day or season. For instance, the sound of fireworks can be a trigger for combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What counts as a trigger warning?

Proposed Definition: A trigger warning is a written or oral statement given directly before presenting material commonly known to cause trauma, that discloses that the content covered might be triggering for trauma survivors, invite students to emotionally prepare ahead of time, and give students the option to step ...

What is considered a triggering event?

A triggering event is a tangible or intangible barrier or occurrence which, once breached or met, causes another event to occur. Triggering events include job loss, retirement, or death, and are typical for many types of contracts.

What Does the Term "Triggered" Actually Mean?

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What is an example of a trigger warning?

Prior to introducing a potentially disturbing topic in class, an instructor might articulate a verbal trigger warning such as the following: Next class our discussion will probably touch on the sexual assault that is depicted in the second last chapter of The White Hotel.

What is common triggers?

Examples of common triggers include: Anniversary dates of losses or trauma. Frightening news events. Too much to do, feeling overwhelmed. Family friction.

What are examples with triggered?

Triggered Sentence Examples
  • Was that what triggered his decision to leave? ...
  • He sensed the ward he triggered and waited. ...
  • We tend to notice every time the expected effect is triggered by the cause, but may not notice all the times it isn't.

How do I know if I'm triggered?

Notice how you feel

Do you feel anxious and overwhelmed, or are you having trouble calming yourself down? Pay attention to these symptoms when they arise, particularly if they feel sudden or unrelated to your circumstances. If you're feeling this way, but you don't know why, there's a good chance that you're triggered.

What is trigger with example?

A trigger is a stored procedure in a database that automatically invokes whenever a special event in the database occurs. For example, a trigger can be invoked when a row is inserted into a specified table or when specific table columns are updated.

What are your top 3 triggers?

This emotional triggers list includes:
  • – Anxiety Triggers: These are emotional triggers that are rooted in panic and stress. ...
  • – Trauma Triggers: Trauma triggers are most often associated with post-traumatic stress. ...
  • – Anger Triggers: Sometimes, individuals find themselves irrationally angry about a situation or an object.

How long does being triggered last?

It is normal to have strong reactions following a distressing or frightening event, but these should begin to reduce after a few weeks. People can experience a range of physical, mental, emotional and behavioural reactions.

What are Type 8 triggers?

Enneagram 8s tend to be stressed and drained by...
  • Being controlled by or subordinate to others.
  • Feeling unimportant or insignificant.
  • Facing vulnerable or emotional situations.
  • Others' dishonesty or misdirected blame.
  • Feeling out of control or helpless.

Are there different types of triggers?

Types of triggers

Emotional Triggers: These are connected to specific emotions that arise in response to a stimulus. For example, feeling inadequate when compared to others. Environmental Triggers: These include places, people or situations that are reminiscent of past trauma or negative experiences.

What counts as a triggered ability?

Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[When/Whenever/At] [trigger condition or event], [effect]. [Instructions (if any).]” 603.1a A triggered ability may include instructions after its effects that limit what the ability may target or state that it can't be countered.

What are triggers for behavior?

A behavioral trigger or stressor is any stimulus that impacts our behavior. They are an action or situation that can lead to an adverse emotional reaction. Triggers are individualized experiences that vary widely from person-to-person.

What are action triggers examples?

What's an action trigger? It's when you identify a desired behavior you want to reinforce, and attach it to a specific activity you routinely perform every day. For example, “Every time I answer the phone I'll practice taking a deep breath.” That's an action trigger.

What are triggered reasons?

What causes triggering? Triggering is often caused when something that is going on in the present reminds us, in some way, of something difficult or unpleasant that happened in the past. These can be properly traumatic events, or simply very difficult events from earlier in our lives, often from childhood.

What are daily triggers?

Triggers can often be linked back to traumatic events or highly stressful situations, but they may also be more subtle, like specific smells, sounds or even certain times of the day. When faced with a trigger, an individual may experience feelings of anxiety, anger, sadness or feeling overwhelmed.

What are the 3 types of behavioral triggers?

Explanation: The 3 types of behavioral triggers are internal, emotional, and environmental.

What is a mental trigger?

A trigger is a stimulus that elicits a reaction. In the context of mental illness, “trigger” is often used to mean something that brings on or worsens symptoms. This often happens to people with a history of trauma or who are recovering from mental illness, self-harm, addiction, and/or eating disorders.

What is an example of a risk trigger?

Triggers may seem difficult to name at first, but it's usually a simple matter of cause and effect. For example, if you've identified high winds as a potential risk to a project site, an approaching storm may be a warning sign that a risk event is about to occur.

What is an example of a trigger message?

For example, say a customer buys a product through your app. A triggered message could be sent the following day via push notifications to alert the customer of other products that relate to their original purchase. The push notification, when clicked, would take them right to the product page within your app.

What are trigger signals?

A trigger signal is an electrical signal which is applied to a trigger input in order to activate a specific device function.