fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2088 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2088 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I recently saw some wank over trigger warnings, and it made me think that I'm not sure if I totally understand what a "trigger" even means. Is it when something makes you uncomfortable, or is there more to it than that?

I can't read about suicide without being reminded of all the times that I've tried to kill myself or even just had suicidal thoughts. Does that count as a trigger?

/still doesn't get why there's so much wank over this.

From my understanding, it's something that causes panic attacks/flashbacks/etc because it reminds you of prior trauma. Your thing with suicide sounds like it could be a trigger? The one time I was triggered it was a really, really intense reaction--I ended up curled up in a ball sobbing and hyperventilating for hours.

Just "uncomfortable" definitely doesn't cut it, that's more of a squick.

I do get flashbacks, and my reactions to them range from mild nausea to straight up panic attacks. So I guess that makes it a trigger then?

Anyway, thank you for explaining!

Okay, that definitely sounds like a trigger, yeah. You're welcome, anon!

I couldn't watch the movie Control for the longest time even though I watched it in the theatre and owned it on dvd, because of the suicide scene at the end of that movie and how it... really fucked me up one time when I watched that movie alone

I've found some of the biggest wank involving all out arguments about whether or not triggers are even real, and people taking it to opposite extremes.

I personally think they are, just like PTSD. I think things like Rape/Suicide/Self Harm/Extreme Abuse are things that people should state that this is in my writing.

A trigger is something that reminds someone of (a) past traumatic event(s). The trigger(s) brings them right back to the time the horrible thing(s) were happening. Not everyone has triggers or squicks or what have you, but many people do, which is why warning and labeling are so important. There's wank because several fanworks are not properly labeled, leading to people stumbling across something out of the blue and putting them in an uncomfortable situation. If it can be avoided, it should be avoided.

It's more than discomfort. There are plenty of things that make me uncomfortable that I choose not to read about, but there are two things in particular (eye squick and fire) that make me actually actively flash back to traumatic events in my life and cause me to have an actual physical reaction, usually anxiety/panic.

Now, personally, I've been dealing with my triggers and they're a lot better than they used to be. I can deal pretty well with all but the most graphic scenes now. But a lot of people can't and never will get to that place, so I feel pretty strongly about warnings.

A trigger, well, triggers someones' PTSD. And one thing that's important to know is that it's not even the act itself that's necessarily the only triggering thing, but the build-up can be just as triggering.

Such as, if someone read an unwarned story with rape in it, they may get triggered by the build-up to the rape scene because it pulls them back to their feelings of fear and anticipation they felt when they were raped.

In heavy SJ places, the definition could also fit what you said. It kinda doubles as a regular warning to anyone who may be uncomfortable with the topic regardless of whether they have PTSD.

I can't read about suicide without being reminded of all the times that I've tried to kill myself or even just had suicidal thoughts. Does that count as a trigger?

Yes, that counts as a trigger, and suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, rape, stuff like that always seems like obvious triggers to me yet people continue to bitch about them. Probably because they don't know how bipolar, PTSD, anxiety and other mental illnesses work.

But I sort of roll my eyes as trigger warnings for esoteric things... that's why we get a thread with animals in it every day, because a long time ago someone wanted a trigger warning on here for spiders, so we got a daily spider thread ("TRIGGER WARNING: SPIDERS") in general comments every day after that. LOL.

They're definitely a real thing, as other people have said, but way too many people use it to mean "I don't like that thing and therefore you're not allowed to mention it." It's really entitled and kinda harms a good point.

I was never sure about this, either... I once read a fic about suicide that just reminded me of how I felt when I was very suicidal, and that night I got super drunk and nearly went to the hospital. So... I counted that as triggered. But I don't avoid suicide as a topic at all. Most of the time I seek it out to perhaps add my thoughts on it, talk to others about it. So a trigger warning doesn't work for me, I'd still read the story if I knew it had suicide in it.

A trigger is a specific thing that throws you into strong negative thoughts or actions. It can really be anything, it's all about your own personal reactions. And doesn't always involve flashbacks or crying.

Example, I deal with self injury. There are certain type of scenes or writings that will trigger all of those feelings and urges. It makes me think of hurting myself when on a normal day these days those thoughts don't enter my head, but suddenly the urge is there and I'm kind of thrown into a negative self injury thought spiral that won't leave me the rest of the day...or days following.

Or with depression, I have really weird triggers like people I know being successful (this is really dumb and specific to like two people I used to be friends with). I had to stop following them online and cut all communication because when they posted it would trigger super sudden drop into deep depression and suicidal thoughts. It took me forever to make the connection. And by depression I don't mean feeling sad, I mean total all encompassing depression.

For other people it's more extreme and specific. I have a friend that was raped and now a specific scent (perfume) will trigger massive flashbacks and she'll end up kind of blacking out and often vomiting and crying.

Or another friend that wasn't aware of a trigger and found herself blacking out and confused when she came to and was curled up in a corner crying.

The wank comes because people don't understand that triggers are kind of a big deal and is more than just making people uncomfortable. It's an issue of mental health and well-being, not just being kind of uncomfortable. A lot of time people with strong triggers will be aware of them and if a work has warnings they can easily avoid that. But people who think triggers=squick think there's no need for warnings - they don't understand how long lasting or strong some triggers can be.

[ SECRET POST #2088 ]

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