[ SECRET POST #2446 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2446 ⌋

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

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[ ----- TRIGGERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]




















04. [WARNING for gore, blood, etc]

[How To Train Your Dragon]


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05. [WARNING for child abuse]



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06. [WARNING for rape]



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07. [WARNING for rape]



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08. [WARNING for torture]

[Fall Out Boy's "The Phoenix"]


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09. [WARNING for underage]

[pokemon conquest]


















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #349.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[ariakas]

I'm no expert on the subject, but hasn't it been shown by psychological studies that exposure to a trigger helps people overcome it and avoiding a trigger only prolongs it?

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, you are correct. But...this is FS. Most people aren't able to hold this type of conversation here.

[darkmanifest]

Yeah, but wouldn't the exposure have to come in controlled circumstances (via therapy) to actually be beneficial, instead of just compounding the trauma? Since untrained people who don't share a trigger or phobia sometimes resort to inflicting overexposure on the person with the problem so as to "help" them, and then are terribly confused when the result is panic attacks and hours of sobbing.

[(Anonymous)]

Exposure to a trigger on your own terms (ie, only to whatever extreme you are currently able to tolerate and no further) with the ability to remove yourself once it exceeds that point. That element of control is pretty crucial.

Doing this with my therapist currently for a phobia, so I actually do have some idea of how it's supposed be done.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, but the word "trigger" is not the same as how the vast majority of people in online spaces use it these days. Trigger is now a catch all for "I feel uncomfortable and upset by something," not to signify something that literally returns someone back to their moment of trauma.

Triggers, therefore, are generally unique to the situations of trauma (e.g., a particular object, a smell, a noise, a texture, etc.) so while art or stories or fics may invoke these ideas what is happening is not triggering for the vast majority of people, it's discomfort or remembering, not re-living.

The other thing is that because triggers are so specific, they are not easy to warn for. The onus is not on everyone to tip-toe around every possible unpleasant topic--it's on people who know about their specific triggers to be self-aware and self-reflective.

Further, because the continuous shutting down of discussion and expression ABOUT trauma is a form of censorship and gag-orders, the idea of studies showing that trigger warnings help with recovery only applies to certain people who need a certain kind of recovery strategy, not to people whose method of coping is having the right to talk openly about their experiences.

The issue with trigger warnings are about where the focus is, and too many people are self-focused and don't give a shit about the impact that has on the wider picture. For example, RAPE CULTURE IS EVERYWHEREEEEEEEEEEEE but no-one is allowed to talk about rape.

tl;dr: Trigger warnings don't help everyone.

[(Anonymous)]

You are correct but oversimplifying. The exposure should come at the suggestion/encouragement of the therapist and with informed consent from the patient. The level of consent is key, as is the therapist who can provide support and appropriate mechanisms to help the patient work through the emotional trauma.

And that's only for people who have specific triggers and know what those triggers are.