A lot is being said and written about triggers in trauma healing. After experiencing a traumatic experience, triggers are actions, situations, or memories that bring back the feelings of the bad episode from the past.
I've been playing around with the idea of trying to use the same mechanism to bring back good feelings and memories. You might want to try it for yourself. Here is how it goes:
Connect with a familiar feeling of happiness/safety/ comfort. You can use:
- a specific event in your life when you were very happy;
- a scent that brings you back to a place of comfort;
- a photograph that reminds you of being in a good place;
- a song that lifts your spirit;
- a quote that has inspired you at some point in your life;
- an object that takes your heart to a loving place.
It could also be more than one of these elements combined and linked to the same event. For example; you were very happy on a vacation to the beach, and you remember the feeling of being there and the song that was playing and you light this candle that has a scent that takes you right back to that spot. The possibilities are endless.
Once you've picked your trigger (or a combo of triggers), use it to bring those feelings back into your mind. Relive that event in your mind, remember the details and savor every bit of getting back to that time in your life.
I like to remember that my life has been through up and downs and then focus on the memories from good time without losing sight that all of those have ended, both good and bad, which means that the bad times I go through will eventually give way to pleasant ones as well.
Hope these good triggers help you as they have helped me. Have a wonderful week.
Namaste
