Lesson plan
Trauma trigger
A trauma trigger is a psychological stimulus that prompts involuntary recall of a previous traumatic experience, typically in the form of a flashback to that overwhelming prior experience. The stimulus itself need not be frightening or traumatic and may be only indirectly or superficially reminiscent of an earlier traumatic incident, such as a scent or a piece of clothing. Triggers can be subtle, individual, and difficult for others to predict. A trauma trigger may also be called a trauma stimulus, a trauma stressor or a trauma reminder. The process of connecting a traumatic experience to a trauma trigger is called traumatic coupling. When trauma is "triggered", the involuntary response goes far beyond feeling uncomfortable or upset and can feel overwhelming and uncontrollable, such as a panic attack, a flashback, or a strong impulse to flee to a safe place. Avoiding a trauma trigger, and therefore the potentially extreme reaction it provokes, is a common behavioral symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED), treatable and usually temporary conditions in which people sometimes experience overwhelming emotional or physical symptoms when something reminds them of, or "triggers" the memory of a traumatic event.…
Article summary
A trauma trigger is a psychological stimulus that prompts involuntary recall of a previous traumatic experience, typically in the form of a flashback to that overwhelming prior experience. The stimulus itself need not be frightening or traumatic and may be only indirectly or superficially reminiscent of an earlier traumatic incident, such as a scent or a piece of clothing. Triggers can be subtle, individual, and difficult for others to predict. A trauma trigger may also be called a trauma stimulus, a trauma stressor or a trauma reminder. The process of connecting a traumatic experience to a trauma trigger is called traumatic coupling. When trauma is "triggered", the involuntary response goes far beyond feeling uncomfortable or upset and can feel overwhelming and uncontrollable, such as a panic attack, a flashback, or a strong impulse to flee to a safe place. Avoiding a trauma trigger, and therefore the potentially extreme reaction it provokes, is a common behavioral symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED), treatable and usually temporary conditions in which people sometimes experience overwhelming emotional or physical symptoms when something reminds them of, or "triggers" the memory of a traumatic event.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.