By Grace Hui for Incentre
We are becoming increasingly aware about the concept of triggers and how they might affect us. As we explore the concept of triggers, has the definition of triggers become diluted or misguided?
How is a “trigger” defined?
What does it mean to be "triggered?"
This term has been casually used to describe the experience of having an emotional reaction to some type of disturbing content in the media or in another social setting that is personal to us.
For those suffering from conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Order (PTSD), being exposed to certain content can make them feel like they are reliving their trauma all over again. This is clearly not the same as someone simply feeling angered or hurt by certain content.
While it is important to be in touch with your feelings, has the difference between being triggered and being uncomfortable become blurred?
Nowadays, the phrase “I am triggered” has sometimes been used to describe something that has simply rubbed you the wrong way or made you feel uncomfortable. Of course, no one likes to feel awkward or uncomfortable. However, can this discomfort actually reveal something to us about ourselves that can help us surmount an obstacle or heal a hurt part of ourselves?
Very often, growth does come from discomfort.
Many things can upset us throughout the day and a whole host of factors can affect our feelings. The type of day we might be having will also affect the way we react to certain words or situations. This means that we might be projecting our own issues and using the content we are being exposed to as a means to vent our own pent up emotions instead of taking ownership of our underlying issues.
Before we react to the allegedly offensive content, perhaps it might be prudent to step back and examine ourselves first?
Who is responsible for your triggers?
Without dismissing the legitimacy of genuine and deep trauma and wounds that can be debilitating and, short of exceptionally inappropriate content, the way the term “trigger” is being used nowadays, almost anything can be a trigger. Yet, is this a reflection of the truth? Or, are we running the risk of encouraging “cancel culture'' where we seek to ban everything we don’t like instead of doing the more meaningful inner work of asking ourselves why we react to certain things?
What are the insights we can glean from facing up to these “triggers”? What are the lessons?
While I don’t doubt that feelings are genuinely hurt and that emotions can run deep, do we get a right to live in a “trigger-free” world? After all, someone else’s freedom to express themselves might just be another person’s trigger. Whose need should trump? Without getting into the “rightness” or “wrongness” of things, what triggers us also shows us where we need healing the most.
Secondly, is it even possible to live in a “trigger-free” environment? In the age of social media, we are inundated by information and content. Is it realistic to work towards a “trigger free” existence?
We all have differing experiences, hurts and wounds. This in turn means that we are likely to get affected by the same content differently. Very often, we view the world through the lens of our own experiences. This means that if we have unprocessed hurts and pains, this is likely going to affect our judgements and reactions.
In other words, how we feel about something may not always represent the truth. Rather, they are mirrors, reflecting back to us where we need healing.
So, is society responsible for your subjective reactions to situations?
Barring certain specific situations, more often than not, it is up to us to embark on our own journey of self inquiry.
Does Trigger Avoidance really serve?
A lot of the information out there tells us to identify our triggers so that we may avoid them to prevent ourselves from feeling hurt or angered. In addition, we might be encouraged to get such personally offensive content banned on social media.
While it is useful to be aware of our own triggers, what we choose to do with that information can help us in our personal development. Understanding our triggers can give us some lead time to prepare ourselves for facing and dealing with what will come next. In the same vein, trigger warnings can reinforce avoidance behaviour which only serves to maintain the symptoms of the underlying issues in the long term.
Instead of reacting to what’s out there, emotions that arise from triggers should be appropriately dealt with and faced up to, particularly if they interfere with daily life.
After all, isn't it disempowering for our personal well being to be dependent on external forces that we have no control over?
Facing triggers leads to mastery
In the mystery school traditions, we are trained to consistently seek to know thyselves and our “triggers” are perfect providers of information about ourselves. When faced with a “trigger”, we are given the opportunity to dig deeper. We are presented with the chance to heal and overcome.
If we spend all our time identifying things we should avoid, we will never really grow. We will just be running away from ourselves. A process that does us a great disservice. After all, how can we become the best versions of who we truly are if we invest no time in getting to know ourselves?
When we truly know ourselves, we will know our divine purposes, and facing up to our “triggers” is extremely illuminating for that process. There can be no breakthrough without mastery.
Every time a “trigger” presents itself, it is an invitation to surmount. Joy comes from true freedom and true freedom can only be availed to those who have mastered their “triggers”. Think about it. If you are constantly trying to escape what makes you uncomfortable, are you really free?
Of course, it is never easy to face up to “triggers”, Oftentimes, it will bring up painful memories. However, in those times, we can call on our higher selves to support and assist us in understanding who we truly are and who we are meant to be, away from the noise of society.
In the ancient hermetic traditions, the great masters have often utilised sacred geometry to create a space just for themselves. Working with the three basic shapes, the triangle, the square, and the circle, we can create a “container of light” or divine space to block out external influences.
In the mystery school traditions, such as the Modern Mystery School, the tools of sacred geometry are handed down in person from teacher to student in an unbroken chain for thousands of years.
Working with sacred geometry can support us in identifying the root causes of our triggers so that we may overcome them by creating a space that gives us pure guidance from our higher selves without the corruption of external projections or our own negative egos.
Accessing the wisdom of our unique divine purposes from our books in the Akashic Zone is also a useful way to bring us back to clarity. If we knew what our true purposes were, we would be much less “triggered”. After all, if we genuinely knew ourselves, what the external world does or says no longer matters. In other words, knowing ourselves would mean that we are far less affected or attached to the words and actions of others.
Through astral travel, we can gain access to the Akashic Zone. When practiced safely, using techniques that are firmly grounded in lineage-based principles, astral travelling is a powerful way to expand our consciousness and awareness beyond the physical confines of our bodies.
The Modern Mystery School in the hermetic lineage of King Solomon imparts the tools for safe astral travelling from teacher to student, in the same manner as the great masters have been doing since time immemorial.
The bottom line
We are co creators of our lives and do not have to run away from triggers. Recognising that we are much more than our triggers or feelings brings us immeasurable freedom. We can be empowered to face each trigger as it shows up and in doing so, we are getting to know ourselves. We are also taking ownership for our own growth and development.
The Empower Thyself class and Initiation is yet another valuable resource in helping us to gain mastery over our triggers. In line with the ancient teachings you will receive more light in combination with the tools to strengthen your energy field. As your senses and spiritual abilities are sharpened you will also learn how to firmly establish yourself as an empowered co creator of your own life on this planet.
The metaphysical tools handed down in Empower Thyself and Initiation will be illuminating in helping you to connect with your own strength, power and sovereignty. In so doing, it will help you to let go of external influences (e.g. judgements or opinions) which might have been limiting your choices in the past.
Ultimately, all things lead us back to the self and there is no greater triumph than mastery over the self.
Next time a “trigger” emerges, do not take flight. Do not seek to block it out from your life. Rather, greet it like a teacher or a new friend. Befriend it, understand it, face it and learn from it. When you come out through the other side, you will have a stronger sense of self. It is only when you truly know thyself that you are empowered and free.
The Modern Mystery School has a network of international guides, teachers and practitioners who can work with you should you choose to reach out.
