When the Past Hijacks the Present: Unpacking Triggers – A Deeper Dive into Episode 5

A trigger is not just a strong reaction. It’s a sudden surge of emotion or physical response that seems disproportionate to the moment—but perfectly logical when you look at your past. Triggers often come from unresolved trauma. They are your nervous system sounding an alarm, not because you're weak, but because you’ve been through something that taught your body to brace for impact.

Triggers can be people, places, sounds, smells, tones of voice, or even innocent gestures that resemble a moment of past pain.

Transcript

Episode Title:
Unpacking Triggers: When the Past Hijacks the Present

Podcast Script – Deep Dive into Triggers

Hello, beautiful listeners, and welcome back to the Cycle Breaker and Change Maker Podcast. I’m your host, Renata Ortega, and today we’re going deeper into a topic we touched on in Episode 5: emotional, mental health, and psychological triggers.

This episode comes with a gentle reminder: take care of yourself as you listen. Triggers are deeply personal and powerful, and if at any point this feels overwhelming, pause. You’re in control.

What Are Triggers, Really?

A trigger is not just a strong reaction. It’s a sudden surge of emotion or physical response that seems disproportionate to the moment—but perfectly logical when you look at your past. Triggers often come from unresolved trauma. They are your nervous system sounding an alarm, not because you're weak, but because you’ve been through something that taught your body to brace for impact.

Triggers can be people, places, sounds, smells, tones of voice, or even innocent gestures that resemble a moment of past pain.

Why Do Triggers Happen?

When trauma is too overwhelming, your brain goes into survival mode. That means fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Over time, your nervous system becomes hypervigilant, scanning for danger—even when there is none. The problem isn’t that your body is reacting; it’s that the reaction is no longer useful in the present.

Here’s a critical truth I’ve learned: Triggers are not flaws. They’re invitations. They are how your body asks you to pay attention, not to the danger of today—but to the wounds of yesterday that need your care.

My Personal Experience

When I was younger, I would have what I thought were random panic attacks. Sweaty palms, racing heart, tunnel vision. No warning. No reason. Until I began therapy and realized—there was a reason. Many, actually.

I had minimized the trauma I endured. I brushed off the sounds, the words, the situations that made me feel like I was falling apart. But over time, I started connecting the dots. A phrase, a smell, a slammed door—it didn’t just bother me, it transported me. Back to places I’d tried to forget.

And here’s something I want you to hear loud and clear: Your body does not betray you. It remembers what your mind tried to forget. And that’s not failure. That’s intelligence.

Let’s Talk Symptoms

You might experience:

• Sudden anxiety or fear
• A racing heart or shallow breath
• Nausea or stomach pain
• An overwhelming need to flee or shut down

Triggers can show up when you least expect them. And if you’re anything like me, you might beat yourself up over your reaction. But let’s change that story.

Breaking the Cycle of Triggers

Here’s what helped me and what might help you too:

Step 1: Acknowledge and Name It
Give your trigger an identity. Call it “the wave,” “the ache,” or even give it a color. Naming it separates it from you. It becomes a part of your story—not your whole identity.

"I see you, trigger. You’re trying to protect me. But I’m safe now."

Step 2: Map Your Response
Pay attention to how your body reacts. Do you freeze? Get nauseous? Cry without warning? Write these down. Over time, you’ll start to recognize the pattern and—more importantly—you’ll catch the trigger before it takes over.

Step 3: Ground Yourself
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method: Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste.
Or try deep belly breathing—inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6.

Grounding pulls you out of the past and back into the present.

Step 4: Share with Safe People
This one is hard, I know. But when you say, “Hey, I’m having a trigger response,” to someone you trust—it helps rewire the belief that you have to go through it alone. Ask them for what you need: space, a calm voice, a distraction, or even a hug.

Once I started naming my triggers and grounding myself, I gained control. The panic no longer controlled me. I could see the trigger rising and I would breathe, ground, and move through it with grace.

I stopped fighting my body and started listening. And that shift changed everything.

Healing doesn’t mean the trigger disappears forever. It means it no longer has power over you. You’ll learn to soften around it. To understand its language. And in that understanding, you’ll reclaim your peace.

To everyone listening who’s navigating life with triggers: you are not broken. You are healing. And healing is not linear. It’s a dance. Some days forward, some days back. But every day, you are moving.

You’ve already done something courageous by pressing play today. Keep going.

You are a cycle breaker. You are a change maker.

Until next time, take gentle care of yourselves.