Trauma Triggers. They are describes as the thoughts, smells, sounds etc that remind you in some way of a traumatic event. Trauma is a heavy word. It is used in medicine to describe the level of a patient’s injury. Usually it means a serious injury like those sustained in a bad car accident or from a gun wound. It is connected to the physical body.
Psychologist and counsellors also use the word trauma but it means something a bit different. In this instance, trauma is used to reference the degree in which an event has damaged your soul. It is connected to your spirit and mental health.
Imagine trauma as a sledge hammer. If you were hit with a sledge hammer it would inflict some pretty bad damages on your physical body, yes? Well imagine that same sledge hammer inflicting the same damage but this time you can not see it. The crushing blows have happened to your mind and spirit. Let’s let that sink in for a moment. The same term that a doctor uses to describe your body being in such a bad physical state that you could possibly die, is the same word that is used to describe how your mind reacts to a certain event.
A trauma trigger can take you right back to the event. You could have been in a house fire 20 years ago and smell a log burning in the fireplace and it could make you relive the whole experience again. Not everyone experiences trauma the same. Some people recover easier than others but there can be triumph after trauma.
If only we learned how to take the time to celebrate our victories, I wonder how that would change how we look at traumatic events. If we learned to celebrate each baby step we take, how would that help to change our mindset regarding trauma? Even God in His awesomeness took time each day while creating the Heavens and the Earth to celebrate His creations. He didn’t create the world in one day but in one day He created grass…another day He created clouds in the sky and so on. He didn’t do it all at once and with each step along the way, He took the time to reflect and experience what wonderful changes happened on that day.
You go through tough times. Times that may try to break you but you are still here. You may wonder if things will ever get better but you are still making progress. You can feel stripped down to the very essence of your being with no strength left to even begin to fight for a better day. But think about this…. can there be victory without a battle first?
Many of us want the feeling of victory without having to go into battle but it is in the battle that you learn. It is in the battle that you build your strength. You gain the courage and resourcefulness you need in the fight.
Of course some traumatic events can be harder to overcome than others, but what would your life look like if you allowed the seed of your life to germinate and grow experiencing and learning from the pain associated with battle while remembering to celebrate your victories?
Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to wish for a rose bush when there is so much to learn from growing as a seed.
