...using Triggers as a fast Track to "Enlightenment"...

Triggers are the Gold Mines of our psyche.

They are like canaries in a coal mine, a warning sign that something vital has been lost and that going deeper down that same, dark shaft, refusing to turn around back to the light of day, will result in dire consequences. 

When we use Triggers as Wake-up Calls instead of the inflammatory traps they typically are, they become our greatest guides and pointers on our Journey of remembering our whole, authentic Self. They can serve as our most powerful and accessible tools for making the Unconscious Conscious, thus helping us to free ourselves from our endless loops of unconscious, repetitive patterns. 

To me, using Triggers and Mirror-Reflections represents the fast-track to Self-Awareness and a way back to Authenticity, Vitality, Joy, Passion and Love. And, most definitely, to vibrantly healthy, thriving relationships - with ourselves and other intimate partners in this Dance of Life!

So much of our Life-force & Joy is bound up in old wounds and the adapted defense mechanisms we develop around them. 

So much of our Authentic Self goes into hiding behind the masks we put on in order to fit in and avoid confrontation, or to cover up and compensate for a deeply buried sense of inadequacy, unworthiness or powerlessness. 

Keeping our True Self constrained and under wraps takes tremendous effort, whether it goes into repressing what we consider our “undesirable” traits, or into hiding our Light and our innate, irrepressible nature.

Under this constant assault of repression and denial, our psyche soon resembles a pressure cooker, threatening to boil over or explode at any given moment. This presents a constant source of stress to our bodies. In fight or flight mode, healing and honest self-reflection become impossible - all systems are on red alert and in defense mode, taking vital energy away from digesting, absorbing and replenishing on any level. 

Typically, we have become so good at compensating and coping that we may be completely unaware of our inner conflict and turmoil, the constant vigilance and distrust that robs us of inner Peace and true, intimate connection with self and others. 

The repercussions show up in various ways - as physical stress and dis-ease, ranging from mild to severe and life-threatening; it may show up as anxiety and depression, anger & control issues, lack of vitality and joy, lethargy, emptiness, or any of the increasingly common & as of yet unexplained syndromes, like chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and so forth. 

It also often shows up with a vengeance in our relationships - typically, the closer and more intimate the relationship, the bigger the “issues” - and the Triggers. 

But what are Triggers, really? What makes some of us prone to being triggered by certain things, behaviors & people that leave others completely unfazed?

Triggers are always indicators of a deeper, unhealed emotional wound or limiting belief.

When someone comes along and brushes up against this invisible and often forgotten wound, the old pain flares up and makes us flinch or lash out. 

The good news is that pain has a purpose - whether physical or emotional, pain alerts us to something that needs attention and healing. Without the pain or irritation, we would remain unaware and could possibly damage the hurting part even more. 

You could say that the “good news”, like a beautiful rose, comes with prickly thorns…

In Its Infinite Wisdom, our Soul has taken measures to ensure that we be alerted to each and any of our unhealed wounds and inauthentic parts, so that we may ultimately heal and become whole again. To this end, It has conspired to contract with other, exceedingly helpful Souls, whose incarnate personality (or ego) aspects willingly, albeit unconsciously, comply to fulfill such Soul Contracts set up for our Highest Good.

Energetically speaking, you could say that our wounds and stuck beliefs send out constant signals, like a flashing button begging to be pushed. When an obliging Soul/Person or life circumstance comes along and fulfills this contract by doing just that, we feel emotionally triggered.

As annoying and painful as such Triggers are, especially when they keep playing out repetitively throughout different situations and relationships, they truly represent a precious Key for deep healing and re-wiring. 

As long as we are unconscious of our wounds and core beliefs, they keep running our thoughts, behaviors and patterns on auto-pilot, like a computer program with a virus sabotaging the whole system. When a Trigger comes along, we get the chance to become aware of an underlying issue that needs attention. 

What emotions are coming up around your Trigger? How does it make you feel, how do you react?

Taking the time to really be with our feelings, thoughts, reactions gives us important clues to the original wound and core beliefs. If we are dealing with an abandonment wound and a deep belief that we are unworthy of love, we will most likely keep attracting partners and friends into our lives that will mirror exactly that. 

We attract what we energetically send out - in other words, “like attracts like”. 

Based on this principle, we can use the people involved as mirror-reflections to become aware of our own shadows, so often hidden in our blind spots. 

It is a human default to project what is hidden inside out into the world and onto others. Both, our dark and our light, become so much easier to spot when we look at what we detest, find irritating or objectionable in another, or, conversely, when we examine what we admire in others.

What is it you find so irritating or negative in the person triggering you? Be honest & raw about it - hone in on your subjective truth of how you are feeling and thinking! 

Now turn this around. Can you find ways in which you are perhaps exhibiting similar behaviors or attitudes as this person? 

For example, if you’re triggered by dishonesty, are there perhaps ways in which you are dishonest towards others, or, most likely, with yourself? 

How can you show up differently and bring more honesty to the table in loving ways? 

What are your needs?

How can you communicate your needs for more honesty and set your authentic boundaries? 

Behind the Triggers is where the Treasures hide - the deeper we dare to dive into honest self-reflections & inquiry, using the people/situations involved as valuable mirrors, the more gold we are likely to excavate. 

Self-Awareness is the crucial pivot needed to be able to stop our unconscious, automatic behaviors & beliefs and replace them with conscious, intentional, healthy ones. 

In my personal life as well as in my work with clients, Trigger work has proven to be invaluable. We can’t skip these steps if we want to get to a place of true healing and expansion into our most fulfilled, authentic self. 

I use the above tools and more to assist in making the Unconscious Conscious, heal old wounds, release old patterns and re-wire new behaviors and beliefs so we may start creating our lives with intention and joy. So many of my clients have been telling me that, even though many of them have been in therapy for years, these steps and tools have been the most empowering and powerful on their journey thus far! 

This is what inspired this article, as well as a whole 6-week Online Course (and more on the way) to share these crucial and fun (once we get over and through the tough parts…) tools. 

In this workshop, we explore in-depth how to use our Triggers to illuminate our hidden Core Beliefs & wounds, how to release and heal them, and how to re-wire our brains, patterns and lives using the principles of Neuro-plasticity. 

These tools and principles lay the foundation for coming into alignment with our most Authentic Self, and, in turn, for creating the kind of healthy, fulfilling and intimately connected lives and relationships we’ve been desiring but could never quite seem to reach. 

All this is possible and (relatively) easily accessible, once we identify the “faulty program” and replace it with a new one designed to get us where we actually want to go. All we need is the ability to make the Unconscious Conscious - and the commitment  to keep listening and to keep making healthier choices, one step at a time…

Interested in going deeper, right to the core of your old programs? Join us in this hands-on on-line Workshop & learn how to uncover, heal and transmute inner wounds and triggers…

Brighde is a Writer with a love for dark chocolate and the mystical side of life. She firmly believes every aspect of this curious Journey on Earth can be improved with a steaming mug of good tea, an open heart and mind and a grounded connection to the higher vibrational realms of Spirit inherent in everything. With a background of almost 30 years of working in the Healing Arts and Bodywork, her current focus is on facilitating deep inner transformation, growth and healing through one-on-one Intuitive Guidance and Coaching Sessions as well as on-line & in-person Courses and Workshops. Your can find out more about her work at www.AwakenedHearth.com.

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