Are you ‘triggered’ or just upset?
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Experts say the overuse of the word "trigger" can undermine the experiences of people with a history of trauma or mental health disorders.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Melinda Wenner Moyer
In the course of a therapy session with Rachel Needle, a US clinical psychologist in West Palm Beach, Florida, patients sometimes say they feel triggered by a variety of things, from everyday annoyances to devastating reminders of traumatic events.
These events vary so much that the word “trigger” has lost much of its meaning, Needle has found. While the term is rooted in trauma psychology, the way it’s applied clinically does not always align with how it’s commonly used.
