1. Select a discrete app icon.
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notes
Have you ever been watching a movie when one of the characters angrily slams a door and you feel your chest tighten? Maybe your heart speeds up and your palms begin to sweat and, meanwhile, the person next to you is calmly munching on popcorn. If you wonder why that sound sent you into the throes of a panic attack, the answer is that it could have been a trigger.
In your past, someone may have scared you by slamming a door in an aggressive or threatening way, leaving a lasting imprint in your mind. When your mind heard that sound again, you were transported back to that time.
A content warning is a verbal or written disclaimer that precedes potentially triggering images, describing what will be shown that could negatively affect those watching or listening. However, they’re not required and not all media will include content warnings. That’s why watching movies and TV shows can be anxiety-inducing for some trauma survivors—they’re not sure what triggers will be shown.
But thanks to a handful of extreme movie and TV enthusiasts, several websites have been created that categorize any possible triggers in hundreds of movies and TV shows.
One of the unfortunate hallmarks of surviving trauma are triggers that can stick around indefinitely, popping up like uninvited guests at the most inconvenient times. A trigger can be any sort of stimulus that causes a person to remember a typically negative emotion from their past.
Triggers come in many forms, but experts categorize them as internal triggers (like a thought, feeling, memory, emotion or bodily sensation) and external triggers (like a situation, people, locations, conversations or an observation).
For survivors of domestic violence or abuse, many things can be triggers, but here are a few examples:
We can’t avoid triggers all the time, but if you want to try and avoid some of your specific triggers while watching movies and TV shows, consider checking out one of these websites:
DoestheDogDie.com. Using crowdsourcing (aka, everyone can contribute their findings), more than 80 categories of triggers are tracked throughout TV shows, movies and books. Search the title of what you’re viewing or reading, or search for your trigger, and get a list of what to avoid. For example, are there snakes in the Disney movie “Moana”? No, but a viewer lets you know that similar creatures, eels, do make an appearance.
UnconsentingMedia.org. Search by titles of TV shows or movies to find a checklist of which specifically sexual violent triggers that are shown or avoided.
HealingHonestly.com. A list of shows and movies one author compiled that contain common triggers for trauma survivors, such as sexual assault or suicide attempts. She also gives recommendations for shows that she says have no sexual violence.
Trigger Warning Database on Tumblr. This is another crowdsourced discussion of shows and movies and what triggers they contain. However, it doesn’t look like it’s been updated in a few years, but still helpful to scroll through.
Common Sense Media. Not a trigger-specific website, however, still helpful. Created for parents to review media their children might watch, it could help anyone get a heads-up on what potentially triggering content is included in an array of all-ages movies, TV shows, books, apps, video games and websites. Parents of children who have been through trauma may especially find this beneficial.
Your support gives hope and help to victims of domestic violence every day.
Avoiding triggers isn’t always going to be possible. You can’t skip a certain date on a calendar or avoid ever hearing a door slam again. A better option would be to figure out how to prepare for when these triggers happen and to then manage your reaction the best you can.
In “Stop a Flashback in Its Tracks,” therapist Kristine Seitz, LSW, says grounding techniques can help survivors when a trigger causes anxiety or panic. By using one of these techniques, your mind can focus on something other than taking you back to that traumatic memory.
Welcome, this is your discreet connection to help.
You are safe here.
Menstruation is an experience shared by
generations of women across the globe.
Sadly, abuse is another commonly shared experience between women.
Be it physical or psychological, abuse is not OK in any form.
Period.
You are not alone.
Help is just a few clicks away.
Welcome to DomesticShelters.org, a trusted Bright Sky US partner. On DomesticShelters.org, you will find free domestic violence resources such as:
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