Glimmers and Triggers

Have you ever experienced something so awe-inspiring it has made you stop whatever you're currently doing, pay mindful attention, and feel a sense of calm or joy? It could be a micro-moment, like feeling the sun on your face, talking to a supportive friend, cuddling a pet, listening to music, or recalling a favourite memory or time in your life. These are known as "glimmers" and the term itself was coined by Deb Dana, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in complex trauma, in her 2018 book “The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy” book. Glimmers evoke feelings of joy, safety, connection, warmth and security. They help support emotional regulation, too, by cuing our parasympathetic nervous system which is designed to soothe and make us feel calm, safe, at peace and provides us with a general sense of balance and ease. This is also known as the "social engagement mode".

Recognizing glimmers are important, because our sympathetic nervous system is constantly scanning our environment for cues related to glimmers and triggers: Should I be careful here? Is this a dangerous situation? Is this person safe?

When our nervous system senses triggers, which is a cue for danger, our fight-flight-freeze-fawn response is activated.

A trigger is an event, situation, environment or some sort of stimulus that sets off a more intense emotional response and can elicit a sudden, strong or visceral reaction such as anger, fear, rage, or sadness. Our response to a trigger can also be behavioral, activating our fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. Triggers can be different for each person and can arise from past experiences, traumas, or deeply ingrained beliefs or fears. Some examples of triggers might include raised voices, watching the news, closed spaces, reading or hearing a certain word, loud noises...

Recognizing the difference between a glimmer and a trigger can be a game changer in terms of supporting your mental health and understanding the difference between the two is important for several reasons, including: self awareness and emotional regulation (when individuals understand their triggers, they are better equipped to manage and control their emotional reactions when confronted with those triggers), communication (so we can express our emotional state and potentially prevent triggering situations), and healing and growth (identifying glimmers and triggers and the underlying emotions associated with them can be important for healing and moving forward).

~Kate