When Trauma Triggers Take Over: Understanding Your Nervous System & How EMDR Therapy Helps You Heal
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If you’ve ever found yourself overreacting to something small—a tone of voice, a harmless question, or a moment of silence, you’re not alone. As an EMDR therapist in Phoenix and Tempe, one of the most common experiences clients bring into the therapy room is the feeling of being overwhelmed by “triggers.” And in a world where the word “triggered” has been misused, joked about, or minimized, many people don’t realize what’s actually happening inside their nervous system and in the moment.
Trauma triggers aren’t about being “too sensitive.” They’re not about weakness or overreacting. They are biological survival responses that make perfect sense when we understand how trauma impacts the brain and body. And the good news? These responses can change.They are not a permanent fixture of life.
In this article, we’ll talk about what triggers really are, how trauma dysregulates your nervous system, what you can do in the moment, and how EMDR therapy can help you work through the root causes,not just the symptoms, of what keeps those triggers rearing their ugly little heads at the most inopportune time.
What It Really Means to Feel Triggered
For many trauma survivors, a “trigger” is not simply being offended or annoyed. It’s the nervous system being reminded (consciously or unconsciously) of a painful or frightening past experience. Because the brain wasn’t able to fully process that event, it gets stuck, almost playing on loop. And when something in the present moment resembles the past, the body reacts as if the trauma is happening again. This could be a sound, a tone of voice, a place, or even a smell.
Heres how a trigger might show up in your body:
feeling tense, irritable, or on edge
shutting down or going numb
sudden anxiety or panic
trouble breathing
a rush of anger or fear
sensory sensitivity (light, sound, touch)
checking out or dissociating
These reactions can feel disproportionate, confusing, or even embarrassing for what’s going on in the moment, but in reality, they are completely normal trauma responses. Your body is trying to protect you.
How Trauma Changes the Nervous System (Even When You Think “It Wasn’t That Bad”)
One of the most misunderstood parts of trauma is that it isn’t defined by the event itself. Trauma is actually defined by how overwhelmed or unsupported you felt while it was happening. That means what we consider to be traumatic is a subjective response that can differ from person to person. Trauma can come from emotional neglect, criticism, unpredictable parenting, medical experiences, relationship wounds, pregnancy loss, or repeatedly being told to “get over it.”
Your body doesn’t sort trauma into categories of “big” or “small.” It simply remembers how unsafe you felt. This is why moments that seem objectively minor can send your body into a tailspin. It’s not because you’re overreacting. It’s because your system learned to survive by staying hyper-alert, and it hasn’t yet recognized that the danger has passed.
This is not your fault.
This is your biology.
And you don’t have to stay stuck in it.
A Personal Note: Trauma Can Be Sneaky—Even for Therapists
I want to be transparent here: I’m not speaking about trauma only as a therapist. I’m speaking as a human who has lived through it too. In 2024, I went through two miscarriages—losses that were painful, isolating, and deeply emotional.
Miscarriage is one of those traumas people rarely talk about. It’s stigmatized, minimized, and often experienced in silence, which is a large reason I wanted to write about it. No one should have to feel alone in this. And like many others, I initially tried to push through it… until the triggers began to surface.
The smell of a certain lotion, a medical waiting room, even harmless conversations caught me off guard. My body remembered what I was trying to ignore. That’s the thing about trauma, it doesn’t disappear because we want it to. It waits. It nudges. And eventually, it demands attention so it can be healed.
I share this because no one is immune to trauma responses—not even trauma therapists. And you don’t need to be ashamed of yours.
Why Triggers Keep Coming Back
Triggers persist because your system hasn’t yet integrated the trauma. Your body still thinks it needs to protect you, so it reacts quickly and intensely.
A trigger is often your nervous system saying:
“Something here feels familiar.”
“I don’t feel safe.”
“Pay attention we need to be on guard."
Instead of seeing triggers as failures or setbacks, we can begin seeing them as messengers. They’re not here to punish you. They’re here to guide you.
Try asking:
What is my body trying to tell me?
Does this remind me of something else?
What do I need right now?
Sometimes the answer is support, grounding, rest, movement, or connection. Sometimes it’s therapy. Sometimes it’s simply acknowledging, “I’m activated right now, but I am safe.”
Daily Nervous System Regulation (When You’re Not Triggered)
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Photo Description: A close-up of someone’s legs and feet walking up outdoor concrete stairs. Their vibrant orange shoes stand out, evoking forward movement. The photo reflects the idea of nervous system regulation and growth, one step at a time.
Your nervous system needs consistent care, not just emergency tools when things fall apart or feel threatened. Think of it like watering a plant—you don’t just dump a gallon of water on it when it’s wilting. You support it with small, daily care.
Here are some gentle ways to regulate your system during “neutral” times:
Orienting: Take a moment to notice five things you see around you. This grounds your system in the present moment.
Breathwork: Try a 4-count inhale and a 6-count exhale. Longer exhales, calms the vagus nerve, and helps your body feel safe.
Gentle movement: Stretching, walking, or even shaking out your limbs helps release stored tension.
Soothing touch: Place a hand over your heart or on your chest and offer yourself comfort. This builds a sense of inner safety.
Humming, singing, or slow talking: All of these stimulate the vagus nerve and signal safety to your system.
Co-regulation: Spend time with people (or pets!) who help your body feel at ease.
Even just two minutes a day makes a difference. The more your system learns what “safe” feels like, the more easily it can return to that state, and the more effectively you can engage in trauma work like EMDR therapy in Phoenix.
If you are looking for some resources, click here to find guided meditations I use with my clients to develop tools they can use daily to regulate their nervous system.
When You’re In It: Regulating During Active Triggers
When you’re actively triggered—heart racing, chest tight, mind foggy or completely disconnected—you’re not going to be in the headspace for deep breathing or mindfulness. That’s okay. Your goal in those moments isn’t to fix or force yourself to calm down—it’s to offer your body grounding and support until the wave passes.
Try these in-the-moment tools:
Cold water: Splash your face or hold an ice cube to bring your awareness into your body and interrupt the spiral.
Butterfly tapping: Cross your arms over your chest and gently tap left-right. This bilateral stimulation helps soothe the nervous system.
Movement: Walk, shake, press your hands against a wall—anything that helps your body release that built-up energy.
Grounding with the senses: Find a texture to touch, a scent to smell, or a sound to focus on. Anchor in the now.
Supportive positioning: Sit with your back to a wall or curl up under a weighted blanket. Let your body feel held.
Remember: Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is ground yourself and realize this trigger will not last forever. Try to stay with the grounding skill and stay connected to yourself as it passes. If you notice these moments happening pretty frequently, it might be time to explore options such as EMDR therapy in Phoenix for a deeper level of support in your trauma journey.
Why EMDR Therapy and Brainspotting Can Help in the Long-Term
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Photo Description: This image shows wooden Scrabble tiles arranged on a white surface to spell “Pause,” “Breathe,” and “Resume.” It reflects the core of EMDR therapy Phoenix—learning to self-regulate and gently return to the present moment.
Daily regulation practices are a powerful starting point—but sometimes, no matter how many tools you use, your system keeps defaulting to survival mode, because of what the brain was taught. That’s where deeper healing comes in.
EMDR Therapy and Brainspotting are trauma-informed, body-based approaches designed to help your brain and nervous system finally complete the stress cycle from past experiences. That means those old wounds don’t have to keep interrupting your present.
Here’s the thing: doing trauma work doesn’t mean diving headfirst into your deepest, darkest memories. In fact, we often start by building resources and safety in your system before ever touching the hard stuff, much like these resources and grounding skills in your daily life.
With EMDR and Brainspotting, we work with what your system is ready to process. That might be an old memory, a belief (“I’m not safe,” “I’m not enough”), or even a stuck sensation in your body. We follow your brain’s natural healing process, using bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping) to help it make new connections—ones that feel safe, grounded, and empowering. If you’d like to learn more about what to expect in a first EMDR therapy session with me as a provider, check out this article.
This isn’t about re-living your pain, because if we’re honest, you’ve probably been doing that enough on your own daily. This type of therapy is about finding spaces you can experience regulation and then getting to reprocess the trauma so your body stops reacting like it’s still happening. This is what I aim to do as an EMDR therapy provider in Tempe and Phoenix.
Final Thoughts: You’re Not Broken. You’re Healing.
If triggers have been controlling your life, please hear this:
You are not failing.
You are not weak.
You are not “too sensitive.”
You are responding exactly how a body responds when it has been overwhelmed and under-supported. And you deserve care, compassion, and healing—not shame.
If you’re ready to explore trauma therapy that works gently with your nervous system, rather than against it, I am here to help. I offer EMDR therapy in Phoenix and Tempe, both in weekly sessions and in EMDR intensives for deeper, focused support.
You don’t have to walk this path alone.
You deserve to feel safe, steady, and connected again.
About the Author
Photo Description: Kandace Ledergerber EMDR Therapy Phoenix, A smiling woman with short curly red hair wearing a sunflower-patterned dress, surrounded by lush green sunflower plants. Sunlight filters through the leaves, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Kandace Ledergerber, LPC/LMHC, is an EMDR-certified trauma therapist offering EMDR Therapy in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, and virtual EMDR therapy in Florida. She helps high-achieving adults and trauma survivors move out of survival mode and into nervous-system safety using EMDR therapy and EMDR Intensives. Her work goes beyond talk therapy to help people process trauma held in the body so they can feel grounded, connected, and at home within themselves again.
🌻 Take the Next Step
If you’re ready to start healing in a way that works with your brain and body, I’d love to support you.
Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation and see if EMDR therapy in Phoenix is the right fit for your healing journey.
TL;DR
Trauma triggers aren’t signs of weakness—they’re survival responses from a nervous system that hasn’t fully processed past experiences.
Your body reacts to cues that resemble old trauma, even if your mind doesn’t consciously connect the dots.
Daily nervous system care helps build a baseline of safety, making it easier to navigate triggers when they appear.
In-the-moment grounding (like cold water, bilateral tapping, or sensory focus) helps you ride out active triggers without spiraling.
EMDR therapy and Brainspotting go deeper, helping your brain finally process what’s been stuck so your triggers lose their intensity.
Healing doesn’t mean never being triggered—it means understanding your nervous system, responding with compassion, and reclaiming your power over old patterns.
You’re not broken. You’re healing. And you don’t have to do it alone.
My Specialties Include EMDR Therapy Tempe, EMDR Therapy Phoenix EMDR Therapy Intensives, Anxiety, Sexual Abuse, and Cycles of Family Trauma.
If you found this article helpful, check out What to Expect in Your First EMDR Therapy Phoenix Session: A Step-by-Step Guide in What I Do as a Certified EMDR Therapist and these guided visual meditations that I use as EMDR Therapy Resources in my clinical work!
