288 – The Gift of Triggers

No one likes the feeling of getting triggered. But I fully believe that triggers are a GIFT (yes, I said it!).

Getting triggered is different from the pure emotion of anger or hurt at a situation. I’m talking about those quick, intense negative emotions that seem to rise up out of nowhere and might seem bigger than the situation you’re in. 

While triggers often feel like they’re about someone else – the person who hurt us or made us mad – triggers are always about us. 

Underneath these triggers is a painful belief, typically rooted in childhood wounding, that we’ve tried to shove into our subconscious mind so we don’t have to think about it or face it. The trigger brings this belief to the surface, and that’s why it feels so terrible.

But here is the gift: getting the belief out of the subconscious raises our awareness and gives us the opportunity to heal it! We just need to know what to do when we’re triggered.

In this episode, I’m helping you understand the psychology behind triggers, giving you three steps to slow your reaction when triggered and sharing a five-step process to work with and heal “shadow beliefs” once they’re revealed.

Listen to discover:

• Why triggers are a gift
• How triggers form (and why they’re not your fault)
• How to spot shadow beliefs
• 3 steps to avoid getting reactive and losing yourself in the trigger
• 5 steps to working with shadow beliefs
• How this work can help us become more balanced human beings

When we work with our shadow beliefs, not only do we become healthier and more balanced versions of ourselves, but we also might find we get triggered less (yes, it’s possible!). It starts with resisting the urge to numb out our triggers and instead diving deep into what they’re trying to tell us – the gift of uncovering a hidden part of who we are.

“Triggers are reactions to our own childhood wounding.” – Michelle Chalfant

“These thoughts that we have become beliefs about who we are.” – Michelle Chalfant

“Whatever is going on in me is showing up in my reality.” – Michelle Chalfant

“This trigger is inside of me, and this person is showing me.” – Michelle Chalfant

“The key is to stay present – stay present and remember the gift.” – Michelle Chalfant

“This is about making the unknown known.” – Michelle Chalfant

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