{"id":8207,"date":"2023-07-17T13:08:03","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T17:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/?p=8207"},"modified":"2023-07-17T13:10:54","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T17:10:54","slug":"navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating Trauma Triggers in Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>How does trauma impact our relationships?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauma alters the nervous system. The experience of threat and danger has changed the way that survivors interact with and perceive the world. They experience feelings of being hyper vigilant, anxious, confused, fearful, irritable, and emotionally detached. Their minds and bodies have been rewired by their traumatic experiences to perceive threat where none exists. This perception is acute in relationships.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For survivors, vulnerability and intimacy in relationships can be especially difficult because letting down the guard to allow someone else to become close can be frightening. Guilt and shame about their experiences can block the way of connection. Even in the most secure and healthy marriages, trauma survivors may question whether they are really safe, physically and emotionally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What kind of triggers happen in relationships?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Triggers are anything that may remind the individual of a memory of a traumatic experience, or a feeling associated with experience. Triggers can be objects, sights, smells, noises, certain times of year, facial expressions, or emotions like not being in control or feeling vulnerable. These triggers can send survivors into a spiral of emotions and reactions like anxiety, panic, aggression, irritability, disengagement, and making negative assumptions. Their bodies and brains are responding to the trigger as if they were responding to the traumatic event itself. Oftentimes, these reactions leave the other partner feeling confused and helpless. It may even seem to them that the reaction has come out of nowhere.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How do we work through those triggers?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the spouse of a survivor of trauma, navigating triggers and trauma responses can feel complex. How do you navigate connecting and caring for your spouse when emotions are running high? Here are four suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\">\n<li>Learn more about trauma and how it affects the mind and body: Trauma impacts the structure of the brain and its neurochemistry, leading to alterations in a person\u2019s arousal and reactivity. Trauma can also affect blood pressure levels, sleep, and gastrointestinal function. Understanding more about the impact of trauma can foster empathy and offer context to triggers.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify triggers: Knowing what sparks a trauma response can help both partners begin the de-escalation process early on. Once in a regulated state, try to backtrack together and identify what may have triggered the response\u2014a smell? A tone of voice? A memory?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regulate together: When one partner is triggered, practice some deep breathing exercises (inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 8) or use a guided meditation tool together. Utilizing grounding exercises together can also be helpful. Bringing each other into the present moment can restore connection when emotions are running high and begin the de-escalation process.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seek help when needed: Sometimes, you need more support to navigate the complexity of the emotions and trauma responses. Couples\u2019 therapy can help you identify your cycles and how to get out of them.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Restoring connection and finding healing is possible. Restoration begins through empathy, a process begun by learning about trauma and its impact on your partner, and restoration continues by commitment to the process of connection.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How does trauma impact our relationships? Trauma alters the nervous system. The experience of threat and danger has changed the way that survivors interact with and perceive the world. They experience feelings of being hyper vigilant, anxious, confused, fearful, irritable, and emotionally detached. Their minds and bodies have been rewired by their traumatic experiences to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":8208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":16,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[16,133,170,173,13,171,153],"tags":[47,52,46,155],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Navigating Trauma Triggers in Marriage - One:12 Counseling Charlotte, NC, Ballantyne Area<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One:12 Counseling Charlotte, NC, Ballantyne | Christian Counseling &amp; Play Therapy for Individuals, Couples &amp; Kids | Creative expression, coping skills, marriage family &amp; child therapist\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Navigating Trauma Triggers in Marriage - One:12 Counseling Charlotte, NC, Ballantyne Area\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One:12 Counseling Charlotte, NC, Ballantyne | Christian Counseling &amp; Play Therapy for Individuals, Couples &amp; Kids | Creative expression, coping skills, marriage family &amp; child therapist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"One:12 Counseling Charlotte, NC, Ballantyne Area\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/One12-Counseling\/235851049950977\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-17T17:08:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-17T17:10:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sad-couple-having-conflict-and-relationship-problems-xxl-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emily Ecarma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emily Ecarma\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emily Ecarma\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b91f9fdc1bd11587c88f7c218bc19f6c\"},\"headline\":\"Navigating Trauma Triggers in Marriage\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-17T17:08:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-17T17:10:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/\"},\"wordCount\":520,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sad-couple-having-conflict-and-relationship-problems-xxl-scaled.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"charlotte\",\"north carolina\",\"therapy\",\"Trauma\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Adults\",\"Charlotte\",\"counseling\",\"couples\",\"Couples Counseling\",\"therapy\",\"Trauma\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/one12counseling.com\/navigating-trauma-triggers-in-marriage\/\",\"name\":\"Navigating Trauma Triggers in Marriage - 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