The Doctor Is In
What Does it Actually Mean to Be “Triggered”? The word “triggered” is used in memes and thrown around in casual conversation to describe minor annoyances. But in clinical psychology, it’s a specific biological event that has to do with misinterpreting the present as the past. If you’ve ever found yourself overreacting to a small comment or snapping at someone you love over something trivial, you’ve likely experienced a trigger. Here’s what’s actually happening: Think of your brain as having an Internal CEO (the prefrontal cortex) and a Security Guard (the amygdala). The CEO is responsible for logic, planning and rational thought. The Security Guard is responsible for one thing: survival. When you experience a trauma or a high-stress event, your Security Guard takes a snapshot of the environment— the smell of the room, the tone of a voice, etc. A trigger is when that Security Guard sees one of those snapshots in your current life and sounds the alarm. Within milliseconds, your CEO is escorted out of the building and your survival hardware takes over. This is why you can’t “think” your way out of a trigger in the moment; your logical brain isn’t even online yet. The most important thing to understand is that a trigger is a Time-Travel Error. Your nervous system doesn’t realize it’s 2026. It thinks it’s back in the original moment of pain. Your heart races, your breath gets shallow and your muscles tense because your body’s preparing for a fight that ended years ago. So, how do we update the software? 1. Acknowledge the Hardware: Instead of shaming yourself for overreacting, label the event. Tell yourself: “My Security Guard is sounding the alarm. This is a physiological response, not a current reality.” 2. The 5-5-5 Rule: To bring your Internal CEO back online, you have to stabilize the hardware. Find 5 things you can see, 5 things you can hear and 5
things you can feel. Grounding forces your brain to acknowledge the current environment. 3. The Reality Check: Once you’re calm, ask the CEO to look at the data. “Is the person in front of me actually a threat, or do they just sound like someone who was?” Being triggered is a sign that your brain’s trying to protect you. The goal isn’t to never be triggered again—it’s to shorten the time it takes to realize you’re safe in the present.
Submitted by Dr. J. Paweleck-Bellingrodt, Psy.D.
Material is for informational purposes and not intended to be a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed professional. Material is copyrighted and may only be reproduced with written permission of Dr. Bellingrodt.
8 Estrella Publishing - The Park magazine
May 2026
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